Late Nights are Worth It

What a busy weekend. But, really fun!
First off, I never got around to blogging on Friday night because I had the most incredible evening that kept me out until 1:00 am. I haven't been out that late for a long time, but it was sure worth it.

We started off the evening with 9 holes of golf, which started out rough for me, but for the last couple holes I brought home the gold or I did great (for me). After that, we decided to go check out this restaurant that I have always wanted to go to and heard such fantastic things about, L'Albatros Brassarie + Bar in Ohio.

(Photo courteousy of L'Albatros and Kevin Reeves)
First of all, the inside of the restaurant is beautiful...just beautiful. A French cuisine restaurant, that has a very modern and classy look to it. The outside of L'Albatros has a patio with a full bar and a lounge area to sit at while you wait to be seated at your table. We, of course, had to sit outside. It was the perfect evening for outdoor dining.
Here is the outside patio where we ate:

(Photo courteousy of L'Albatros and Photographer Kevin Reeves)
Now, this was the first time I have ever tried escargots. I whole heartedly dug in and ate it without so much as a blink. Honestly, I had to have some words of encouragement from our waitress, to take the first bite. And, I was so glad I did! It was incredible. The escargots was covered in a roasted garlic and fennel butter sauce. Amazing! Who new little tiny snails could be so tasty and elegant.

(Photo courteousy of L'Albatros)
We also ordered the Goat Cheese Tart with Olives and Sun Dried Tomatoes, with a frisee salad on top.

(Photo courteousy of L'Albatros)
Another incredible appetizer. The goat cheese was warm and gooey with the sun dried tomatoes inside. An olive tapenade was served on the side that was out of this world, with a small frisee salad on top for a little extra crunch.
Since we had already ordered two pretty decent size appetizers, we decided to split an entree. It was hard to come to a decision and involved the waitress having to come back several times because we "still needed a few minutes", but we finally chose the Veal Short Ribs.

(Photo courteousy of L'Albatros)
This is one of the most tender meat dishes I have ever had. The Veal Short Ribs were served with a wild mushroom risotto and veal jus. Absolutely incredible flavors and texture. Plus, they split up the entree for us, so we didn't have to fight over who had more of the tender meat :)

Okay, so after that feast, we were totally stuffed. But, somehow, some way, we found a small space in our stomachs to fit dessert. Now, personally, I am not a girl who likes cake or bread-based desserts. But, put something creamy in front of me, and it is all over. Our waitress suggested the Creme Caramel dish for dessert. I believed her, because she had been three for three for the night, so I figured, the odds are good.

(Photo courteousy of L'Albatros)
Well, I thought creme brulee was my favorite dessert until this little piece of heaven was placed in front of me. The most creamiest, incredible goodness I have had in a long time. It was an incredible caramel flan-like texture topped with fresh whip cream. Insane flavors were happening in my mouth.

We actually ended up spending a couple of hours out on the patio. The cuisine was incredible, the ambiance was lovely and great music was playing. We thought the music was playing at the restaurant, but it was actually next door. We ended up walking over to check it out and hung out there for a little while to listen to some great blue grass music. Perfect end to the night.