Wood You Like A Salad?

Last night, we were supposed to go to dinner at Vintage House Café, where I'd already planned to have chicken paprikash and a slice of pie. Sadly, J had to work late and by the time she got off, the hour was late. So I just drove until I found a place that looked promising and open. I was hoping for some fresh, light food and I picked the wrong place. I'd forgotten that last time we'd been to Behind the Woods, the menu was largely heavy Italian dishes and burgers. Sigh. J was very happy with the menu, ordering (after much debating and some die-rolling) the Sicilian Trio, a plate of cheese and tomato-sauced smothered goop. Okay, so she loved it. Not me. Every bite I tasted was just like the last, regardless of the fact that one bite was lasagna, one was manicotti and the third was veal parm. Not only did it all taste the same, it all tasted boring. Ah, well, perhaps it was just my mood. J was delighted with her dinner. Mine was actually pretty good, too. I ate the French onion soup that came with J's dinner. It was fine, but with no depth and sort of blah. They need some sherry or some herbs or something to liven it up. My buffalo chicken salad, on the other hand, was good. The lettuces were fresh and crisp, the chicken actually had some good heat to it (although it was different from the usual buffalo sauce) and the blue cheese dressing was well-made if not stand-out.

The service was quite good and the atmosphere is pleasant. We sat again at a booth with a framed picture from Dean Morrissey's delightful children's book, Ship of Dreams, about a little boy who gets to spend one night on the Sandman's ship, making his rounds with him. The booths are made from old church pews, wood is everywhere and there is a lovely pressed tin ceiling above. There are also a number of stained glass lampshades hanging down, their light muted by the pink bulbs used.