Unfortunately, we could not get the whole group together in February. Hopefully, March will be a better month. Instead, two of us were able to go out one evening last week. We chose the Busy Bee Cafe, which is literally within walking distance of my house. This makes for a wonderful spot for a night out… if I plan to drink an entire bottle of wine, I know I can always just stumble home! This makes it a top spot on my list! The cafe is on the first floor of an old house. The lighting is very dim and makes a perfectly romantic setting. There are a handful of tables, maybe 10. The night we dined, there were several large groups there, which made the noise level a bit much at times, but still tolerable. I had originally known that they had a 3 course prix-fixe menu for $25 during the week, but we later found that this had been phased out. The wine list and menu are hand written, a nice touch. The list for both red and white were extensive. Many by the glass and bottle selections. We decided to split a bottle of Prosecco. A plate of freshly grilled bread with a garlic infused olive oil drizzled on top was brought to the table.
The 8 menu course selections ranged from $19-$30 and consisted of salmon, tuna, swordfish, duck, chicken and steak. For our appetizer we selection to share a coated and fried spicy shrimp with a ginger sauce,which was perfectly cooked and just spicy enough for me ($9). Our wonderful server suggested that we add an additional shrimp, which we took her up on, for an additional $3. She also spent a good amount of time helping us decide on our meals. I was leaning toward a chicken dish which came with polenta, which is not a favorite of mine. She suggested a substitution of mashed potatoes as a side, which I gladly took her up on.
The chicken breast, which we both ordered, was absolutely mouth-watering. The tender chicken arrived on a large bed of mashed potatoes, floating in a pool of a delicious ragu and topped with crisp strips of proscuitto and green beans. Though it was a large portion, I couldn’t resist, and I polished it all off!
The dessert menu offered about 8 desserts from $6-$8, and even though we were stuffed, we had to indulge. We shared an apple tart tatin and a banana’s foster. The banana’s foster was piping hot, sweet and delicious topped with vanilla ice cream and it was our favorite. The tart tatin was served with gobs of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. It was good, but it did not have the WOW factor that the banana’s did. With my dessert I sipped one of the most rich and creamy cappuccino’s I have had in quite sometime.
The total bill including tax and tip, was $105. It was definately worth the splurge! This is a charming little place, which is open for both lunch and dinner and it is Zagat rated at F:26/D:13/S:20. I would certainly make this a regular spot for lunch and for a special occassion or romantic dinner. For those of you who can’t walk, parking can be bit of a challenge, so get there early! Stay tuned for our dinner this month!