Chuck is an absolute sweetheart of a man, a southern gentleman, a lawyer newly admitted to the bar, a Smelt, and really very handsome. I've not known Sam as well since they've been together a little under a year, but he's very charming and quite easy to have conversation with, and no less handsome. It was good to catch up with them last night. They made the dinner great.
We ate at Uncommon Ground, a place I've known mostly for (kind of pricey) breakfast/brunches. The dinner menu surprised me in that it had some really interesting choices and some very good prices. We shared a bottle of a Lebanese red wine - nicely drinkable - and ate not badly. I say that because I think Sam (shortribs) and Chuck (duo of duck - I should have gone with that) seemed to have better meals than mine. I had the cassoulet, and while the pork belly was fine, the beans were undercooked a bit and the duck sausage was a little too sweet somehow. In fact, the whole dish had an odd sweetness I couldn't put my finger on. Most of all, though, it didn't come across as something that had baked for a long time together. it had the taste of a dish of undercooked navy beans and sausage served with pork belly on top. I have no clear photo of it, but it wasn't memorable for good reasons anyway. I was okay eating it, but I secretly wished I'd ordered either of their meals instead.
Photos:
Sam tries scooting out the way after I tell him to stay still.
Chuck and duck.
The duck duo.
Posts
