Wednesday, August 8, 2012

A VERY GOOD Birthday Dinner

My wife will tell  you that I am one that doesn't like to make a big deal about my birthday.  Sure, I like the occasional get together and time with family (and who doesn't like presents???) but for the most part, I just want to have a little me time with the family that day of the year.  One thing that seems to be a tradition anymore is the dinner out that evening.  My wife always likes to take me out to a nice dinner for my birthday and this year, she, my daughter and my parents did just that.

We visited my hometown of Lexington, KY over the weekend and dined a tremendous new (well... new to me anyway) establishment in the Beaumont Center area of town (not far from the very house I grew up in).  The name of the restaurant was Azur and it was a place that I found on the page of one of my Facebook subscriptions (The Bourbon Review --- also a good recommended reading area for bourbon lovers such as myself).  All I saw on my FB page was a picture of what had to be one of the greatest looking steaks I had ever seen.  Of course I clicked on it and the link took me to the picture and it's caption: Cowboy Ribeye Steak with bourbon salt rub.  I was sold.  I immediately emailed the restaurant's URL link to my wife and told her I had found my birthday dinner spot!

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed.  First off, they have truffle frites.  If you don't know what these are, boy are you missing out.  They are essentially french fries (frites is basically french for fries) that are covered in truffle salt (or sometimes actual shaved truffles) and a garlic aioli.  If you dine at any restaurant that has these, it may not even matter what the main course is.  They are just fantastic!  I of course had the frites along with the special appetizer which was an egg roll that contained chicken and smoked sausage --- also VERY good.  Then I moved onto the main course: THE COWBOY RIB EYE.

I ordered it medium as I always do.  It was perfectly seasoned and covered with pickled peppers which accompanied the meat extremely well.  It was served along side a side dish that has to be one of the single best side dish creations in the known universe:  Beer Cheese Whipped Potatoes (THAT'S RIGHT!).  Everything went so well together and yes I had that feeling I often refer to on this blog.  For those of you not familiar, it is that feeling of sadness when the meal is done.  You are satisfied yet sad that the experience is over.

As always, it was a great trip to Kentucky.  This one was just a bit better though thanks to Azur and my wife, daughter and parents for making it a truly wonderful birthday.

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