Stop #15 - L'Antibes

Aaron's taking over today for this long-overdue review. Y'all be nice to him, okay?

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Many of you dedicated readers may be asking yourselves "Hey, what's with the restaurant odyssey?  Did they quit? Give up? Forget? Losers."  Well we haven't forgotten, and we most definitely haven't given up.  As I sit here on Tuesday January 14th I'll give you the Cliffs Notes first.  We're still on the RO, and we just ate at Barrel 44 a couple of weeks ago, so be as prepared to read some reviews as we are to write them.  We've got lots of catching up to do.

Three seasons ago in late April Gwen and I were joined by dear friends and neighbors Dru and Jeannie for a fabulous evening at L'Antibes.  The restaurant holds special memories for Dru and Jeannie, so when this somewhat arduous tour was first conceived and shared with our peoples in the 'hood, they excitedly committed to join us on our first trip to this well-reviewed restaurant. Now, L'Antibes isn't actually on High Street, although technically its address is. But one of the rules Gwen and I created, that we shall dine in every Short North visible from High Street, is affectionately called "The L'Antibes Rule" because a) we've never been there and b) it has a reputation for being one of the finest restaurants in the area, if not the entire city. So far the only other qualifier for this rule is the delicious Tasi but given our progress I suppose there is still time for others to join the list.

Jeannie and Dru (this was not taken the night of our dinner)

While you might have to wait another year or so for the final verdict, I can't imagine any contenders in the current line-up of Short North eateries that would challenge L'Antibes for a complete dining experience.  The French-inspired food was both wonderful to eat and beautiful to see, and was clearly prepared and served with the (European) respect that food, and the opportunity to eat, is a privilege never to be taken lightly.  I trust take-out is not an option here.

L'Antibes is quite small and intimate. When the weather turns warmer, they have outdoor seating allowing for more guests, but it wasn't quite patio season so we dined indoors.

We started with cocktails that we can't remember, not because they were strong but because it's been about 9 months and we didn't write them down, and an amuse-bouche of mushrooms on a little crostini.  This photo alone tells you the evening will be one of fine dining, doesn't it?

  


Gwen and Jeannie both had the smoked salmon appetizers (1), I had the crab cake (2) and Dru had the foie gras (3).

Salads were had by all - Gwen a spring salad (4), Dru and Jeannie both ordered avocado salads (5), and I had a green salad with beets.  Delish.

In a shocking move, Gwen did not order scallops, but went with one of the specials that evening, which was a fish with risotto (7). Jeannie had the fish as well, while Dru had the duck (8) and I ordered short ribs. I'm not going to bore you with how awesome these dishes were because it belittles the quality. Suffice to say it was most excellent.

We did, however, have one hiccup in the evening that speaks further to the quality of this place.  When I ordered the "short ribs" the server mistakenly heard me say "sweet breads."  I'm sure they were excellent but I wouldn't know because one bite told me I had the wrong part of the pig on my plate.  The error was immediately corrected without question, and it wasn't until we returned home that we realized that our server comped our second bottle of wine for what was an honest mistake.  Here's where L'Antibes stands apart from the crowd: am I surprised that he unnecessarily comped a bottle of wine? No. But he never mentioned it, which to me is a super-classy thing to do.  

Well done, L'Antibes.  Looking forward to seeing you again as soon as this tour is over. (Editor's note: if you're keeping track at home, this is the third time Aaron has expressed his desire to go back to one of our stops.)

No video today

And no pictures either. Sad, I know. But there was singing last night, and here's the playlist.



Kat and I sang "The Sign" together. Oh, how I wish we had done the Pitch Perfect movements as well.

Worlds collided when I walked in the bar and saw one of our regular bartenders from Buffalo Wild Wings (I know, I preach against chains, but Aaron needs his weekly fix of B-Dubs so we know a lot of the servers there).

I just about fell off my bar stool when Aaron actually showed up, way past his normal bedtime. He put in "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" but then went home before his turn. So I sang it.

When I was a kid, we had the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" album (that's vinyl, my young friends). My brother and I would sing "Cecilia" over and over, not having a clue as to its meaning. Kat and I finished out the night with that one.

There was also a rendition of "Paradise by the Dashboard Light" but I'm not including that in the playlist, because frankly, that's eight minutes that last night's patrons will never get back and I won't subject you to it.

Happy Gwensday!

Golden Globes and Other Weekend Stuff

Such a lovely weekend! Friday night we went to Mike & Amy's (you know, our friends who recently moved here from Atlanta; Mike & Aaron have been friends since they were 12, yada yada yada) for dinner. We enjoyed an outstanding meal and a bit of wine, including a bottle of Sting's wine:

I think I decided it was time to leave when this happened:

Nah, that's just how they are.

Saturday we saw American Hustle. This led to the realization that we should not drink beers before going to the movies. Between that and the warm temperature in the theater, we were both dozing off. We think we liked the movie, though. I can definitely say that the acting is terrific and I loved the soundtrack as well.

OK, let's get to the Golden Globes. I watched them on delay so I avoided all social media last night. I adore Tina Fey and Amy Poehler (congrats to Amy for her win!) and I thought Tina looked spectacular, especially in that first wine-colored gown (but her red carpet gown was hideous). I think the only part with them that I didn't like was the whole "this is my son Randy" thing. Awkward.

I liked that there were some surprises, although the surprises of Andy Samberg and Brooklyn Nine-Nine just baffle me. I watch the show, but I don't know that it's worthy of beating the competition in those categories.

I haven't seen any of the "big" movies except for American Hustle so I don't have a lot to say about the winners there, but Leo and Matthew's wins could shake things up in the Best Actor category for the Oscars. That category appears to be loaded so I'm curious to see who gets nominated.

How to appear drunk but hilarious and fun: see Emma Thompson.

How to appear drunk but a big hot mess: see Jacqueline Bisset.

Some of my best dressed:

Picture 1 via; Pictures 2 - 4 via

Reese Witherspoon. I don't care what anyone says (and honestly I don't know what anyone's saying about her), I love this dress. It's simple, it looks great on her and I adore the color.

Lupita Nyong'o. I know 12 Years a Slave is going to be hard to watch, but I'm excited to see her performance, and she is just stunning in this dress. And probably in a burlap sack as well.

Olivia Wilde. She wins the pregnant chicks fashion award of the evening.

Uma Thurman. She made E! Online's "worst dressed" and her red carpet picture isn't great but I thought that onstage last night she looked fabulous.


Some of my worst dressed:

Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3 | Picture 4

Amy Adams. How clever of her to dress like her character. But, no. I just don't think this does anything for her. And onstage she looked totally washed out, as though she had zero makeup on.

Lena Dunham. This just speaks for itself.

Jennifer Lawrence. I still love her, but this dress? Ugh.

Edie Falco. The cut, the fabric, everything. Hate it.


In other news, after a lot of binge watching on Amazon Prime, I'm finally completely caught up on Downton Abbey (the American showing of it, of course). I won't spoil anything from last night's episode except to say, "Holy SHIT," but I'd love to chat about it with you.

I Can't Believe I'm Doing This

I've mentioned before that I've become a regular at the corner bar (Little Rock), particularly on Tuesdays when they have karaoke. My partner in crime Kat and I had decided on Sunday that we weren't going to go this week due to the way-below-zero wind chill that was on the way. Then last night she sent a text saying she'd changed her mind so off we went. There weren't a lot of people there, but it was a fun group.

Kat singing "Landslide"

This is Kevin, who runs karaoke. We love him.

When Kevin arrived, the only people there were Jessica the bartender and Greg, also a regular who happens to live even closer to the bar than I do. They weren't sure if anyone would show up so they created Karaoke Bingo. By the end of the night, we helped him get a Bingo.

...and a couple of these got circled after I took this picture...

Here's a sampling of some of what we sang. Kat and I sang together on "Baby It's Cold Outside" (hilarious), "Linger" and "Hold On." Kat sang "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps," which has become her signature song. "I'm on a Boat" was sung by a girl we just met last night, and she was awesome. I did "Breathe" and "Feeling Good," among others.





Last week, Steph's friend Laura celebrated her birthday and also gave some life lessons on Steph's blog, one of which was "Costumes make everything better. So does dancing and Air Supply." So I said that I'd sing some Air Supply in Laura's honor. And I did. And I have video. You'll also catch a glimpse of Kevin. This is my first video upload so take pity on me for the quality because it took me way too long just to figure out how to even get it in this post.

Laura (and Steph), here's your long distance dedication:

Fleece From Head to Toe

That's how I'm staying warm during this cold snap. OK, "cold snap" is a major understatement. I know it's beyond cliché to talk about the weather since I'm pretty sure anyone reading this is also dealing with ridiculous temperatures and/or ridiculous snowfall. Yesterday afternoon there was a major water main break in downtown Columbus. Such a mess!

Last night Mike and Amy came over for dinner and football-watching. I hope y'all are sitting down because I cooked AGAIN. I made Gwendaloo, which is my bastardized version of the Indian dish vindaloo.

Amy made rice pudding with pomegranate, which was a delightful, not-too-sweet dessert. We sat in front of the gas fireplace (which is currently on during all waking hours) and watched the SEC lose the national championship. (Kidding, SEC friends, sorta.) Honestly, I didn't care that much who won; I just hoped for a good close game, and that's what we got. I even stayed awake till the end.

Today I'm joining my friend Steph for Haikuesday:

Kitties keep me warm
Laying on my legs all day
Fleece from head to toe


Stay warm and bring in those outdoor pets!

Weekend Windup from Frigid Columbus

Holy wind chill, Batman! The temperatures around here have been down and up and down even further. It's ridiculous. I had a meeting this morning but now I intend to remain hunkered down in front of the fireplace for the next couple days.

Saturday was my mom's birthday. Last year I wrote this post for her, which includes some fun pictures. This year, she and my niece Jackie came over and we had a Moroccan dinner so I could use my new tagine. I made chicken with apricots, rosemary and ginger, a vegetable dish and couscous. It was quite tasty and we all survived! Jackie made cream puffs for dessert.

After dinner we went to Franklin Park Conservatory to see the limited engagement light display. Local peeps, I recommend this; it's running until February 8th. My pictures won't do it justice at all but here are some attempts.

Sunday we went to church, and there's a quote that was in our bulletin that I'd like to share. I've read it many times before but I think it's definitely something I need to remember.

When the song of the angel is still,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost, to heal the broken,

To feed the hungry, to release the prisoner,

To rebuild the nations, to bring peace among peoples,

To make music in the heart.

- Howard Thurman

Ringing in the New Year

Happy New Year! I hope you're all staying warm. We woke up to a winter wonderland and the snow is still falling and the temperatures are supposed to drop drastically.

We celebrated New Year's Eve with our neighbors. We got a group shot just before midnight.

Sorry for some of the crazy eyes!

Earlier on Tuesday I went out to the grocery store. Big mistake. Huge. It's insane. The parking lots, the lack of shopping carts, the people... And I ended up going to not one, but THREE stores. When I left the first, I realized I had forgotten to get some white wine. After running a few more errands, I ran into another store and got said wine. Then I went home and started baking a dessert to take to the party. And I found out that we didn't have enough brown sugar. I kid you not, in the first store I had brown sugar in my hand to purchase but was certain that we had plenty so I put it back. Off I went to a third store, which was the worst of all. I cursed myself the whole time. And I also saw this:

You all know of my hatred of stray shopping carts in parking lots, but this was new.

New Year's Day for us is traditionally a lazy day in which we watch lots of football (go Big Ten!) and eat pork and sauerkraut and mashed potatoes. This year Aaron decided we should also do a jigsaw puzzle. We borrowed one from Amy but then discovered it was too big for any of our surfaces.

Bella found a good use for the puzzle that we didn't put together.

Aaron was quite determined and actually ventured out to Target to get a smaller puzzle. We worked on it until 10:00 but didn't finish it, and I fear that with three felines in the house (especially a certain naughty one named Señor Gato Negro), the puzzle may not survive.

The puzzle when we went to bed last night

This can't end well.

Raise your hand if you've heard (read) me say that I don't do New Year's resolutions. That's still true, but I can't deny that with a new year comes a desire to make some changes or improve myself in some way. This year I am publicly committing to one thing and that's to read more. I'm joining in on the Goodreads 2014 Reading Challenge and I've decided to set 36 books as my goal. That's three per month, and hopefully I'll read more than that, but last year I didn't read nearly as much as I'd like.

I have a few other things I want to accomplish, but I'll keep those to myself for the time being.