We had a great time chatting with Mike at the NEBG. We also had a memorable meal last night at the PB Boulangerie and Bistro. Let me tell you about it.
We got there a bit before 8 pm and a pleasant and knowledgeable waiter took our order. I spotted some Provincetown sourced yellowfin tuna on the menu with an optional piece of seared foie gras which I ordered. Although prepared differently, this reminded me of the great dish, tuna masquerading as filet mignon, at The Inn at Little Washington and I mentioned the similarity to the waiter. Hellie ordered duck in a mango salsa with foie gras. She has made both these dishes in the style of TIALW and, with the addition of two glasses of pinot noir and pinot gris, we prepared for a great meal.
Hellie started with Wellfleet Oysters which she said were delicious. I am allergic to bivalves so I had some excellent olive bread instead. The place was upscale, the kitchen was open and busy, the waitstaff was running to and fro, and it looked like a great start to the meal. We waited for our main courses to arrive.
And we waited. The chef was visible in the kitchen shucking oysters, other sous chefs were busy, dishes were zooming past our table but not stopping. I was content to be sipping wine and talking to Hellie ... for the first hour at least. At about 9:30, I asked our waiter if there was a problem and he said it should only be a few more minutes. After a while he came back and apologized for the delay and presented us with a plate of baked oysters while we waited. I placed the plate aside and told him I can't eat them. He returned instead with two more glasses of wine and profuse apologies. At about 10 pm, our mains arrived. They were excellent. I want to say they were worth waiting for but it is a bit like "Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?" as far as experience goes.
However, I must say that the chef and waitstaff were falling over themselves with more complimentary goodies as the meal was ending. A plate of three ladles of gelato appeared, some vanilla and marshmallow meringue/panna cotta, a bowl of cherries. We refused the offers of coffee. As our waiter escorted us to the door and held it open, the French chef and hostess appeared with two large loaves of bread for us to take home. The chef apologized saying he burnt the first piece of tuna and restarted the meal so it would be perfect. We left happy and smiling and with a story to tell.
It was a memorable meal.
Maybe we'll go there for breakfast.