a Grand (Lake) birthday

For my birthday, my wife and I went to a matinee of Coraline at the Grand Lake. The movie was creepy and fun, and visually stunning.

After that, we strolled over to Sidebar for dinner. Our timing was such that the only seats available were at the bar or at the counter next to the kitchen. We opted for the latter, and it was a great choice. We spent a great deal of time watching executive chef Barbara Mulas at work along with the rest of the kitchen crew. The food was great, as was the service.

My only (small) complaint is a relative lack of vegetarian options, but since it's mostly small dishes and I still eat some fish, I found plenty I could eat. We shared roasted portabella panini, grilled trout salad, the baked pasta, and the tomato soup. For dessert, we shared a special, the cornbread poundcake which was an awesome way to top off the meal. After dinner, the manager, Anne Marie Adrain, came by and asked how our evening was. All in all, it was grand -- we'll be going back again. It seemed very busy for a Tuesday, so that's a good sign it'll be around to future visits.