Cafe Lou Lou

Last night I met up with a bunch of girlfriends who have started the "Tuesday Night Supper Club." Where was I when my friends started this??? The group is working its way through the alphabet and each member picks a restaurant corresponding with their assigned letter. We are meeting once a month, so it prevents any huge issues with scheduling. I missed A in June and B in July, but thankfully I was there for C this month...Cafe Lou Lou! (St. Matthews location.) Sad to say, I had never been there, but had always wanted to experience it, so I was thrilled with the choice.

As I do every time I plan to visit a new restaurant (and sometimes to dream about old ones) I looked up the menu online to plan my attack! I had it on my agenda to feast on the shrimp and grits to start with, but their special appetizer trumped my plans. Baked brie with pineapple compote, green apples, golden raisins, and garlic bread. Absolutely sumptuous! There was enough that most of the girls joined in and we all got to have a good nosh without getting too filled up. We also ordered a bottle of Shoofly Shiraz 2004 to split amongst us. I have to say, it tops the list as my new favorite wine. Full and fruity, great body, started out a little woody but it mellowed and was absolute heaven. It would be perfect on a cold winter's day in front of a fire, but regardless of temp, I would never turn it down!

When it got around to ordering entrees, where do I start? Everything sounded decadent and perfect that there seemed no way to choose. I was leaning towards the Mediterranean pizza, but the cheese tortellini with shrimp in pesto cream sauce won out. Yes, I was aiming to be just a little bit "bad." :-) I did order the smaller size dish, and when it came out, it was still a hefty serving. The tortellini was perfect, if unsurprising (as most cheese tortellini is) but there was good pesto flavor in the sauce. I was disappointed in the amount of shrimp that came in the dish...three. Just three. I thought that was a little skimpy, although they were perfectly cooked and had that right "pop" in my mouth that all shrimp should have.

One of my girlfriends ordered the seared scallops and orzo pasta. The scallops were perfection, buttery and smooth, but I wasn't blown away by the orzo. The texture was perfect, it was just a little bland for me, my friend was raving about it though--it's all subjective!

I definitely have Cafe Lou Lou on my radar to hit again, as soon as possible, and continue down the menu. I plan to make the shrimp and grits my meal next time 'round and if I have an adventurous friend along with me, a go at the Mediterranean pizza might be in order. Also want to say thanks again to Seth, our server, who was knowledgeable, polite, funny, and all-around great guy. :-)