Restaurant Review: Grand Lux Cafe

DH and I went out to eat for an all to infrequent Date Night at Grand Lux Cafe last night. We've been fairly regular patrons there for a few years now. I used to order their Cedar Planked Salmon, changing the sides to mashed sweet potatoes and sugar snap peas, hold the oil and butter, but now that we've gone veg I've been trying out different menu items. At our regular restaurants, I tend to find one thing on a menu I like then stick with it so this is a new approach. I have to admit I'm slipping back into my old pattern, however, now that I've discovered a couple of items I LOVE. First of all, the tapas menu. They have the best hummus (garlicky with a layer of olive oil poured over the top, just FYI) and flat bread, but that's not my favorite. My favorite is the Warm Goat Cheese Salad. Where to begin describing this food? First of all, the goat cheese is formed into little balls, battered, and fried. (Not so good for the waist line, but there are only a few little teeny cheese balls so how bad could it be?) They are served on a bed of mixed baby greens with little chunks of green apple. Drizzled over the top, a lemony/honey concoction that you can't see, but you can taste. It's like heaven bursting open in your mouth to take a bite of the cheese, with the honey flavor mixing in, then a bite of the apple... to die for. You know that show on the Food Network? The Best Thing I Ever Ate? Yeah, if I were on that show, that Warm Goat Cheese Salad would be the best thing I ever ate, without a doubt. It's better than anything I ate in Europe by far, and it's right in my own back yard! The chef that came up with that combination of flavors should win awards.

DH and the kids like the fried pickles, also on the tapas menu. (We took leftovers home for them.) I absolutely love the tapas menu; it's so inexpensive that you can order two or three for the same price as one appetizer. You can make a meal out of just tapas, or follow up several tapas plates with an entree. Speaking of the entrees, I enjoy the Yellow Tomato Pasta Pomodoro, and the portion size is large enough that I can bring home enough for The Middle Child's dinner. (She loves it too.)

Since this is a review, I guess I should discuss the restaurant as a whole and not just the food. The service varies; it bothers me that we are regulars, going on the same night almost every time, but we rarely see the same servers. They must have a high turn over in their wait staff. Sometimes our servers are great, sometimes they are mediocre. We've even had one or two servers who were really slow, but that doesn't happen often. (Our server last night was fantastic; I hope they keep her on.) As for the decor, it is OVER THE TOP ornate. I love it. I wouldn't decorate my house that way, but for a night out it's a lot of fun. It's like stepping into another world, maybe Venice, in another era. Oh, it's always chilly, so I know to take a jacket. (I get cold easily; the temperature doesn't bother DH at all.)

It's my favorite Date Night restaurant; yummmmmmm.

PS: Here's the disclaimer- I have absolutely no connections with this restaurant other than eating there fairly often, but if they want to send me any gift certificates I'd be happy to take them! ;)