trying new places.

in the last week, the beau and i have managed to make it to three new (or new to us) bars/restaurants.  well, i'd been to one of them already, but still.  first was latah creek bistro.  i wanted to take lance out to a nice dinner, and he'd never been there...we started with the smoked salmon flat bread...OMG. so delicious.  i could eat this with every meal.  for some reason unbenounced to me, i ordered pork osso bucco (i never order pork dishes) and a glass of french wine.  lance got the ribeye steak and the same wine.  the main course was just okay in my opinion, and we split our plates halfway through, so i sufficiently experienced both meals.  for dessert we tried the "bucket o' love"...we should have gotten the chocolate mousse, which is TDF (to die for).  the bucket o' love left us feeling cheated.  for a grand total of $108, i felt doubly cheated, but the experience was nice and it was good to have fresh, local food.  next time i'll just stick to the flatbread and a salad :)

next new place was bon bon.  bon bon is a new bar located inside the garland theater...it's known for making nearly everything from scratch. they even make their ginger beer, so i ordered a ginger beer and vodka and it went down real easy, and was perfectly complimented with the complimentary popcorn :) it's a cool spot, another one of Dan Spaldings (zola) creations, so the architecture and design are mostly recycled items...for example, the tables are made out of old movie reels.  the service was excellent, prices were fair, and the atmosphere was great...i think at one point they started playing elevator music, and it actually worked in that environment.  so do yourself a favor and check this spot out next time you leave the house.

and finally, last night, after an incredible night of open mic comedy at bluz at the bend, i found myself more than a little peckish. since it was almost ten o' clock, our options were limited. we wound up at agave, which isn't that new, it's maybe a couple years old, but we'd never been there and it was happy hour. it's a latin bistro, so i figured the food would be super tasty.  since it was a late night happy hour, you must sit in the bar section (tequila bar).  we were immediately given chips and salsa, and waters (soda water for me).  i ordered the lobster quesadilla for $7, and lance ordered a prawn dish of some sort, also $7.  his arrived first, and was just sad to see.  it was 3 prawns in a tiny dish of latin cocktail sauce.  i realize prawns aren't cheap, but 3 for $7?!  my dish, however, was a good size for happy hour fare, and tasted fantastic.  other options were chicken or steak tacos (2) for $4...there was a pork dish, and i remember seeing a burrito of some kind.  the service was excellent and the atmosphere was good, although why the ac was pumping out freezing cold air when it wasn't even hot out is/was beyond me.  places in america always do that, and it drives me nuts.  

all in all, we had good experiences, and i'm proud of myself for branching out.  i rarely do so when it comes to food because i know what i love and everytime i do branch out i end up regretting it.  i hope my reviews are helpful to you!  please share your experiences with newish or new to you places; there are so many i still need to try!