Gone to Heaven

Picture it. Dinnertime on a Tuesday night. 9th Ave and New York Avenue NW. Four adventurous foodie friends gather to celebrate someone's birthday by trying a newish restaurant that none of them have been to before.

The drinks were divine and got us all bubbly and hilarious. Our server was awesome, providing sincere recommendations and playing along with us in conversation. The decor was interesting and attractive without being overpowering. The buttermilk biscuits with pepper marmalade and cream cheese were so good we all wanted to rub them all over ourselves. Yeah, it was that kind of night! By the end of it all, we were considering sending Acadiana Valentines, asking them "will u be mine?"

I hope my dinner companions, Scotte, Dancer, and Joyous, will write in the comments to review their own meals. I had a lot of tastes and everything was darn good. But here's what I had:

Appetizer: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
Mmmmmmmm. From the very first spoonful, yum. I love a good gumbo, and this one was darker and smokier than most I've had. The deep flavor was perfect for a freezing night like tonight. Yet, it was still fairly light as an appetizer because it was still on the soup side rather than a stew. The presentation was great, too, as they brought it out in a little pot that they they poured into a bowl at your place. Pretty.

Entree: Blackened Yellowfin Tuna with Cheddar Spoonbread
This was good. While it wasn't the best tuna I've ever had, it was still a pretty darn good dish. It was a large, thick filet of tuna. I usually like it seared rare, still swimming, and this was cooked through a little more than I normally like. But it was hearty and tasty, and the cheddar spoonbread was so creamy and rich it was almost like an omelet! I finished every bite of the tuna and a good portion of that spoonbread and the spinach/greens sauce.

Dessert: Sweet Potato Pie Napoleon
I had a really hard time deciding which dessert to order, but I really did pick well. Sweet mother of God, this was delicious! While the entree portions were very generous, the dessert sizes were a little more modest and I think that worked well for them so you weren't overwhelmed by too much sweetness. The cute little napoleon was very light, with a layers of phyllo pastry smothered with a delectable spicy sweet potato filling. This was slap-your-mama! good. It came with a scoop of ice cream on the side. I remarked that usually with a pastry dessert, the scoop of ice cream is my favorite part since I love ice cream so much. But this time, the pasty itself was so heavenly that it even outshone the ice cream!

This was truly one of the best nights out I've had in ages. The restaurant and its ambiance were perfect. Our server was so great we'd almost want to ask her to hang out. The company makes my heart smile. And the food??? Well, I am going to dream about its deeeeeelishousness all night!