Guess words from MikeG

MikeG offers the following vital information:

Random notes from random meals:

1) Had a babysitter Saturday night, couldn't think of anyplace I badly
needed to go that wouldn't be packed, looking over the unpacked places
on Opentable.com I saw a name made famous on Chowhound: Sugar. Well of
course a dessert place would be easy to get into early in the evening.
But it was also a drink place, why not go and blow the kids' college
fund on $16 Gibsons before dinner somewhere else. At least we could
check out the scene before amusing crossed the line into desperately
overcrowded.

Well... apparently no one goes for drinks, either, before late late.
We had the MOD-like interior and the Eminem-dressed waiter to ourselves
the entire time until we left about 8:30. Now I realize some of the
people who go to these places are just waking up at 8:30, and I
expected it to be a shadow of its late-night self, but absolutely
empty? Just shows I'll never be trendy again, I go to bed too early.
Anyway, had a not-bad, not-too-sweet drink-- ice wine cut with Estonian
vodka, not sure why Estonian but the vodka did bring the sweetness down
to where you could drink a largish one; and a lime souffle which was
quite tasty; and managed not to say anything insulting when the waiter
described the menu's absurd literary-pretentious names and floridly
overwritten copy as "Shakespearean" ("You mean everybody dies at the
end?")

And it was only $60 or $70 for a couple of drinks and dessert! A
bargain! [ed. Of course nothing sez Sugar more than this post.]

One more amusing note-- the decor is a wild riot of colors and
patterns, suggesting a psychedelic breakdown in a thrift shop, but amid
all the ultrahip stripes and camos and Op Art, one table near us had an
unfortunate, utterly counter-hip association for me-- the thick red and
white stripes on it screamed "TGI Friday's!"

2) Afterwards, started walking figuring we'd find somewhere to eat
dinner before we froze to death. Brasserie Jo loomed over us and we
said what the hell, hadn't been there in many years. For some reason
my one dinner there didn't do much for me ten years ago-- I remember at
the time liking Bistrot Zinc much better, which was too bad because
Susan had spent a fair amount of time in Alsace and liked the food. I
no longer remember why I felt that way but I was considerably more
impressed this time. Tarte flambee was just okay, mainly due to a
rather too generic crust that didn't strike me as the best a LEYE place
was capable of, but Tarte a l'oignon (not sure why we had to have both
of those-- well, yes I am, Alsatian nostalgia) was really perfect,
oniony and delicately eggy. A carrot soup with aioli was pungent, and
Beef Bordelaise was as comfy as an old leather chair. Not revelatory
or innovative food, but totally satisfying-- and it, unlike Sugar, was
packed before 10. Gee, maybe I shoulda gone back one time in the last
ten years and given it another shot.