Dinner at Bastien's in Denver

Bastien's is a Denver institution, serving steaks on Colfax for a half century. The midcentury building is comfortable like an old glove. The staff is wonderfully gracious and welcoming.

My meal started, of course, with bread.

How could I resist a wedge salad with bleu cheese?

My steak was cooked in their signature sugar coated style. The light sugar crust offsets the umami of the beef very nicely. No room for dessert, though. I guess I'll have to go back. Thanks, folks!

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Eating Around Georgia Tech: Ecco

Our Texas Instruments colleague Cathy Wicks was gracious enough to host several of us at Ecco tonight. This is one of those restaurants that has been on my list for a long time. Even though it is within easy walking distance of Georgia Tech, I hadn't made it there until tonight. The menu is a combination of Italian, Spanish, and French that make use of some local Georgia ingredients. The combination of those three countries is sometimes a little forced, although the georgia ingredients (fruit, cheese) were all great and perfectly appropriate. We started out with a meat and cheese board. This actually reverses the French tradition, where cheese usually follows the main course. Everything was excellent. The Georgia cheese was a big hit, as was the French cow/goat cheese. I thought the sauscisson was very subtle and very good. The waitress said that the roast pork pasta was their signature dish, so I had to try it. It had traditional broad pasta (fresh, of course) ...

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