It always happens

It seems like every time you get a favorite at a restaurant, they take it away.  I loved the chicken tortilla soup at Chili's, gone.  I loved the steak and bleu cheese sandwich at Panera, gone.  I loved the chicken portobello at Macaroni Grill...it's gone.  Ugh.  I was so excited to be able to go there last night with my mom.  We were going to have a great free meal, courtesy of a gift card she received.  I had dreams of the chicken portobello dancing in my head, only to find it's no longer on the menu.  Okay, stay calm, look at the menu, figure we're not paying for it, so try a dish I would almost never be willing to pay for, the lobster ravioli.  Almost $17 for ravioli just makes my frugal gene rebel, but what they hey.

While waiting for our meals, we ordered the new olive sampler appetizer.  A medley of olives marinated in orange peel and bay leaf for just under $4.  I love olives, and these were okay, but I don't think I would order them again.  I would rather have a selection from the grocery olive bar.  Then my ravioli arrived.  I already had a problem with the $17 price tag, and for that I only get 5 ravioli with a few small bits of lobster tossed on top?  Felt a little ripped off.  It tasted okay, but when they say creamy sauce, I expect the consistency of cream, not milk.  Because it was so thin, it didn't really stick to the pasta, so most of it was left in the dish.  The lobster meat seemed like it came from the lobster's legs.  It was small and a little tough.

The only thing that redeemed the meal was the dessert.  Lemon Passion Cake.  Mmmmmmm.  Lemon cake that had the consistency of tres leches cake, layered with a thick lemon mousse and topped with a lemon zest- infused whip cream.  It's not often that I would choose something other than chocolate, but I am SO glad I did.  For that, I would go back.