Thursday night we had dinner at
Raglan Road. I was really excited to try this place (not the least of which was because of the bread pudding!). We had originally had a reservation for 7:30 but I decided to move it back to 8:30 so we could be assured of being there for the live music at 9:00.
DH and I wandered around DTD for a while before dinner. We ended up being so hungry that we went to the restaurant early, around 8. At that point it was pretty chaotic. There was a large line leading out the door. I asked the person at the end if he was waiting to put his name in and he said yes. So after a while of waiting and not moving, DH decided to check up front. Apparenlty we were in the patio line (I guess they don't take ADRs there) and you just wait until you can be seated. So we got out of line and checked in up front.
We ended up waiting until 8:45 to be seated. It was really busy, and as you get closer to 9 I think things heat up even more. FWIW, they were telling walks ups it was a 2 hour wait. And large parties (one of 9 and one of 11) were told they could not be seated at all that night. Many just decided to go to the patio. I am not sure if you could hear the band from there, but you definitely couldn't see them. Some folks also tried to sit at the bar but I am sure it was next to impossible to get seats there.
So by the time we finally got in we were starving! I was definitely planning on some bread pudding so I decided to pace myself and order two appetizers rather than an appetizer and entree. For my "main dish" I got the beef salad. It had sliced steak, fried onions, and a horseradish dressing. I thought it was pretty good. Not amazing and the meat was undercooked for the way I ordered it, but good. I was spoiled by then from my first course which was the goat cheese terrine.
Now, I am must say apparently I had no idea what I was ordering b/c I didn't realize this was a salad too. When I saw terrine I thought "crock" and sort of pictured a crock of cheese. But it was a salad (the server must have thought I was crazy for ordering two salads!). But let me say, this was AMAZING! Here is a pic:
It was a large piece of soft goat cheese fried (I sort of imagine it like the fried cheese dish at Prime Time although I've never had that). It topped a salad with a sweet vinagrette, raspberries, walnuts, and sort of a pomogranate sauce? (the stuff on the lower left side near the fork). It was so good I could hardly get enough of it. I still can taste that warm goat cheese, mmm. Definitely spoiled me for the other, less exciting salad.
DH got the sea bass special (sorry, can't remember too many details). Our server said it was just an entree (no sides) so he ordered a side salad. However, it came with some peppers and stuff so he didn't really need the salad.
Two other quick notes: the bread and dipping oil was delicious (sort of a heavy, grain bread). And our beers were great. I asked for something dark and smooth. Our server recommended the Smithwick's which was great. DH had 2 Tucher Hefes which was a lot like a Blue Moon if you are familiar (right down to the orange slice garnish). Light, smooth, a bit of fruit flavor).
Ok, on to dessert. DH ordered the Dunbrody Kiss. It was really good. Very fudgy and rich though. I could only take one bite b/c it was so rich but DH loved it. And it was quite large, bigger than I expected (at least 4 inches around). I had the bread and butter pudding. Even after fantasizing about this for months, it was as good as I imagined. I think it is partly the combo of the yummy sauces and partly the sweet, crispy top. Really excellent.
We were seated in the main room, right next to the pole that adjoins the stage. So I could see around the back to the band, and DH could see around the front. Not as noisy as I had feared though and the band and Irish dancer were great. I really enjoyed the music and thought it added a lot to the atmosphere. We also were seated near a small wedding party and enjoyed watching the flower girls and little boys dance.
Overall, it was a great experience and I would definitely come back (although we'd dine much earlier with the kids). Delicious food, good service, fun atmosphere - what more could you want! Total cost: $93.82
Coming up, Columbia Harbor House and Le Cellier!