Pangaea (Yorkville)

Today marks the two year anniversary I met Bear. I made reservations for a special dinner tonight a week ago. Since then, I've read mixed reviews about this restaurant. I thought about changing my reservations to a different restaurant but decided in the end to stick with Pangaea. Pangaea is a Yorkville restaurant, the receptionist will address you by "Madame" and almost all the waiters at restaurant are middle aged white males. Today I moved up my reservations from 6:15pm to 4:45pm because Bear was hungry.

The setting was elegant and quiet, then as more guests arrived it became loud and crowded. I preferred the quiet ambience. We opted for the winterlicious menu and an appetizer off the regular menu. It was the appetizer that blew me away. The waiter split the appetizer for us in two plates, which was a nice touch. The rest of the meal was nothing special. It did not help that the waiter/chef lost our mains dish order, and we had to wait close to half and hour for our main course. The portion size was fine and the food did seem wholesome.

I would come back for:

Grilled Calamari (best calamari I've ever had. Perfectly seasoned with olives and capers and that "fire" taste. I would come back just to have this again)

Soup (celeriac) 

Lackluster:

Duck (lukewarm and slightly gamey)

Cinnamon toasted creme brûlée (way too sweet and over spiced)

Mushroom risotto (creamy undercooked rice - and where are the mushrooms?)

Lemon bar (I could not eat this because of the eggy-fishy taste from the whipped topping and lemon bar itself. The meringue batons and mystery red fruit (really want to know what this is) mango coulis was refreshing and sweet. It was disappointing because I've read that their lemon bars are delicious. I did manage to sneak in a picture due to my initial excitement.) 

Today was a difficult day. Bear and I are very different. He told me today that he does not like coming downtown because there are too many people. He said that he compromises by coming to dinner with me downtown but he doesn't like to come down often. I am the opposite. I love coming downtown and trying out new restaurants and just walking about. I'm debating whether I should keep exposing him to these experiences in the hopes that he will learn to love as I do or if I should just stick to downtown outings with friends. What should I do??

He also told me today that he liked the food at PF Chang's better than Pangaea. Gah....

Good news is that on our way back home, I noticed - BUA THAI - which to my recollection has the BEST summer rolls I've ever had, period. Three years go I was in the area for a job interview and went in for a quick bite. The summer rolls were full of fresh veggies and perfectly prepared noodles and fresh shrimp - must go back!

At home, Bear cooked Shin Ramyun in leftover beef rib broth. Sooo good. Our tummies are happy - we are no longer cranky - and the today is finally as it should be.