Evenings for Two

Last night for date we started at The West End Wine Bar. Cliche, but its one of our favorite places to start. And maybe not so cliche because when we go before dinner we always have the place to ourselves. Crazy.

It’s owned by a friend of ours, Jared, but even if we didn’t know him we’d still go. I stared with a dry rose from the Loire Valley — I really love rose in the summer. I already had it ordered and poured before I noticed that a vino nobile montepulciano was on special for just $5 a glass. This is one of my favorites since visiting Tuscany last fall. So I made Bill get that and let me have some. What a fabulous, soft, full-bodied red.

Next, we walked over to Milltown. You just have to love Milltown. Zillions of beers on tap. Zillions of beers by bottle. If you like Belgian beer (and I do) you might never leave. Have the mussels. Trust me. Just order them. I like them in the classic French style best, but if you feel like venturing out, they server them 3 more ways. AND THEY COME WITH THE BEST FRIES IN TOWN. With mayo. Just like in Belgium. The sausage plate is also good. And its always fun to say sausage plate. And when we go there for lunch, two of my friends order the grilled cheese every time without fail. Frankly, everything on the menu is solid.

The great thing about Milltown is that everyone seems comfortable there. People bring their kids. Or not. They eat outside at the long Biergarten style picnic tables. They eat inside at one of the coveted booths. We sat at the bar next to a guy who was getting dinner since his wife was out of town. Great guy. We take people from out of town here because its fun and you can count on it.

Tidbit – it’s owned by the same people who own Federal in Durham.