TOAD: January 29th, 2007: January 29th marks Karen and my 3 year anniversary (the first kind, not the marriage kind) and we usually celebrate it with a holiday called Makeout Thursday. This year was a very special MT in that it fell on Restaurant Week and also involved a trip back to Tom & Jerry’s/288 – the scene of the original makeout.
For Restaurant Week part 2 (did you miss part 1?), Karen and I went to One if by Land, Two is by Sea. To be completely honest, when we first saw the space we were a little concerned. It’s in an old carriage house on Barrow Street and the decor is very old time ornate – carpet with floral prints on it, piano player, tall candlesticks, etc… We waited for about 20 minutes for our table and had a glass of wine at the bar before being seated.
It was once we sat down and started eating that we were really impressed. Karen had the Lobster Bisque, Roasted Chicken and Warm Chocolate Fondant cake (this will get its own post. stay tuned!) with Vanilla Ice Cream. I had Parmesan Gnocchi, Pan-seared Hake and a Banana Torte with Milk Chocolate Ice Cream and a Cinnamon Streusel (no idea what that is). Every dish was really good and more than half of them were great. Might be our second best Restaurant Week meal of all time (second to Chestnut, that is).
After dinner we decided to walk our stuffed selves over to Tom & Jerry’s and grab a drink to celebrate our anniversary. While we were there we realized that Tom & Jerry’s, while having an awesome space, seems to be a bit unsure what kind of bar it wants to be and tha results in a somewhat unfulfilled experience. The collection of pots, etc. behind the bar suggest old Irish, the neon networked jukebox in the corner feels too modern, the board games offer a different vibe, the college basketball game on the TV also befuddles. I also think they keep the lights on a bit too bright.
On the way home in a cab I snapped these photos with my arm hanging out of the cab window while Karen kept reminding me ” If a car drives too close, you’ll lose your arm!” All in all, a great anniversary evening.
This Friday we will be concluding our Winter 2007 Restaurant Week extravanganza with a special lunch at a secret venue.
