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Decatur: Cakes & Ale

I freely admit that I took a very long time to visit one of the mainstays of Decatur's culinary scene. I have now visited twice. On my first visit, I was desperate for meat and was thrilled with my very tender, very juicy steak. Tonight, I went for the Sunday dinner, a prix fixe presentation of three courses. This dinner is designed for conversation, with long stretches between courses, so go another night if you are in a rush.

The appetizer was shrimp in a red sauce that didn't have a very strong flavor to my tastebuds. The chips were excellent. The avocado was a little more au naturale than usual, which I enjoyed.

I was a little disappointed with the main course. The chef's goal for this dish is to have you build your own taco based on the tortilla. Unfortunately, the texture of the tortilla made it unbendable; it was also not extremely flavorful by itself. The brisket was also a bit of a letdown. Although it was fork-soft, it wasn't very moist. The beans and grain base was a great accompaniment, though, and the squash was outstanding.

The dessert was excellent. This Mexican fried pastry is very light and airy. It was served with a chocolate sauce; the entire arrangement reminded me of a light and airy profiterole. That's a Mandarin orange; I dipped a few slices into the chocolate and ate the rest straight.

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