Too Much of a Good Thing

Twice this weekend, Christopher and I ended up having "too much of a good thing" meals.

Yesterday afternoon, we met two of my cousins for tea at Brit's Pub in downtown Minneapolis. I don't remember how we decided to do tea, but we did, and it was definitely worth it.

The waitress was sweet as she walked us through what we had to drink and eat - even though she seemed to have a few things stacked against her (like one wrong menu, and one tea not available). And we sat and chatted (and ate) for a good couple of hours before walking back out through the boisterous main bar and into the "real" world.

No, the food options weren't really traditionally British, but the civility of it all (with a three-tiered tray of food and individual tea pots) was the perfect complement to an afternoon of great conversation.

We did *not* have dinner last night after we got home. We snacked a bit in the evening, but we had eaten too much in the mid-afternoon.

Tonight, we "crossed the Channel" and went to Le Town Talk Diner for dinner with friends. I believe (though I'm not 100% certain) that the location used to be The Town Talk Diner, but it was purchased and repurposed. Now the menu is "French comfort food" and instead of spending 15 minutes over a quick diner meal, we spent nearly three hours over appetizers, main dishes, and dessert.

The staff there were incredible tonight. Friendly, but not cloying, and the food was nearly entirely spot on. Everything from the steak tartare to the potato and leek soup and the dark chocolate mousse with "caramel crunch topping" was... well... not "amazing" but just so comforting. (The roasted chicken was a little dry, if I'm being honest - though the flavor of the rub on it was very tasty.) It was all slightly surprising, while being exactly what you hoped it would be. (Does that make sense?)

And the conversation mirrored that sentiment. As a group of four, we can end up with some surprising topics, but at the end of the evening, you realize it was all exactly what you expected it would be.

The only problem is that we got home tonight and Christopher and I are both feeling a bit stuffed. It's a good thing, though - caused by eating just a bit too much of too many good things.