In my mind, a special occasion calls for a special meal. I used to work around the corner from BLT Steak and would, on special occasions, allow myself to split an impossibly delicious $18 burger with my friend Kelly. Yes, it really was that good.
I taunted my husband with tales of truffle fries and Gruyere cheese popovers until he couldn’t stand it any longer,and so it was the restaurant of choice for our one year anniversary. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself, remembering the warm, cheesy, buttery goodness of the popovers and questioning how a burger could taste so good.
We were seated promptly for our 6:30 reservation on a Monday evening, which was not surprising considering we were one of 2 tables. Our waitress was wonderful and extremely knowledgeable; the service throughout the entire meal was impeccable and the General Managers came by our table several times just to make sure we were happy.
The meal began with bread, bread and more bread. First, we were treated to pate with crunchy country bread. Then came the popovers, oh the popovers! Served with sea salt and a touch of butter, these are hands down one of the best food items ever created. BLT provides the recipe and while I have made an excellent attempt at re-creation once or twice, they never taste quite as good as the ones coming out piping hot from BLT’s kitchen.
Our entrees followed – the dry aged 20 oz bone-in NY strip for the hubby – filet mignon for me. Both were sensational. My filet came out under-cooked (I’d asked for medium well and it was still moo-ing), but the server was very apologetic and the general manager, Adam, brought it back cooked to perfection.
For sides, we chose the creamed spinach, stuffed mushroom caps and potato gratin. I know creamed spinach doesn’t sound all that appetizing, but wow, I could eat BLT’s version for every meal. The stuffed mushroom caps were good as well, but next time I would get another potato dish. Not that the potato gratin wasn’t yummy, we finished the whole thing; it’s just that everything else was on a completely different level of deliciousness.
Just when we thought we’d died and gone to foodie heaven, not believing it was possible to fit another thing in our stomachs, they began describing the dessert menu. Holy sugar rush. The lemon cheesecake proved too tempting, so we broke down and ordered it, despite the fact that there was an entire tier of our year old wedding cake waiting at home for us. Yeah, we didn’t think it sounded too appetizing either.
Much to our surprise, we were presented with not one, but two desserts, simply because they thought it was necessary for us to try both! As we alternated between spoonfuls of caramelized lemon cheesecake drizzled with huckleberry sauce and peanut butter chocolate mousse, we both agreed we’d just enjoyed the best meal of our lives.
Does Halloween count as a special occasion…because I seriously don’t know how long I can wait to go back.