Today was our friend Lisa's 44th B-day (you're welcome Lis). :) Since December, she had told Jen and I that she wanted to try Venue on her birthday, so that's exactly what we did. Lisa's friend Karen also came.
As an avid reader of Westword's dining section, I had read Jason Sheehan's review prior to coming here. In fact, I knew what I was getting before even looking at their menu - The pan seared Pork Tenderloin with cherry studded bacon grits in a maple jus. Sheehan raved about their bacon grits. I was dying to try them.
Unfortunately Venue had updated their menu since his review and this dish was no longer on it. Undeterred, I selected the Shrimp and Grits appetizer (which can also be ordered as an entree). It was seriously fantastic.
The shrimp and grits were drizzled with a Thai green chile sauce that was fabulous. For the meal, I knew I wanted more grits. I pleaded with the waitress about modifying the current Pork Tenderloin selection on the menu to include something close to their original bacon grits. She said, "No problem".
Although she said they could not make the maple jus, the chef had suggested serving it with the aforesaid green chile. I said, "who am I to argue". :)
This was truly one of my favorite dishes of all time. The service was great. The ambiance was unpretentious, and very simple. Very small. The restaurant probably can't seat over 18 people. Prices were good - much better than Duo, Rioja, etc., and the portions were big.
Lisa, Karen and Jen all liked their entrees but weren't crazy about them. They all loved the Shrimp and Grits appetizer though. And they all had serious envy over my pork tenderloin.
There is no doubt we'll go back - the grits are the best I've ever had.
http://venuebistro.com/
0 comments:
Post a Comment