slow saturday nights.

last night, we went out to dinner again with some friends to the washington house (beware, garish website). i've always had good experiences there; they have a fairly consitent and creative kitchen and a very nice wine list. they also run deals with the theatre next door which usually has folk or celtic-style music shows (also zydeco and so forth), so they're usually pretty busy.

however apparently there wasn't a show last night, because no sooner had i requested the wine list than the owner/sommelier came out and offered his services. at that time, we were unsure of what everyone was going to eat, so although we made noises in the red direction, some of us were still considering seafood. the gentleman went away, and came back with an open bottle of wine. he commented that it was a slow night, and he didn't like to see people without a glass of wine in their hand, and did we mind if he gave us some free wine? so he poured us all a flight.

it was a fairly interesting red from northern italy, light-bodied, not too dry, but neither did it have the fruitiness of an american wine. pleasant, and not too big. while we were considering that, noises were being made in the direction of steak, so he went away and returned with a second bottle, this one a california syrah. this was a much more oaky wine, more full-bodied and structured, and drier.

by this time, someone had decided on chicken, and so we went back to the first wine, and ordered a bottle of it. we let it open during the appetizers, and it probably would have overpowered the shrimp spring rolls anyway. but ooo, they were yum.

i had the "Bistro Stuffed Steak" for dinner, which went nicely with the wine, but surprised me by having unannounced caraway seeds in the, er, "stuffing." also, i suppose, when i read "applewood smoked bacon and onions," i expected them to be fried, which they were not. it appeared they had been more or less steamed as the steak cooked. it was definitely an interesting dish. the mashed potatoes were phenomenal. mmm...mashed potatoes.

dessert was a linzer torte with hazelnut crust and vanilla ice cream. and unfortunately weak coffee. but 2 flights of free wine, just because they're having a slow night, can make you overlook weak coffee.