Sullivan's, April 20, 2016

Last night was Jeannene's night to choose dinner. She had to leave for work at 4:30 this morning, so she decided it would be quicker to go out than to cook. We'd considered a picnic, but it had gotten pretty chilly by the time she got home from work. So, she offered the choice of either Sullivan's or Casa Real. I said, "It's your night to pick dinner. I'm not choosing." So, she asked, "Odd or even?" I said, "Even" and it was Sullivan's.

Sullivan's is a wonderful little Irish public house in Oxford, MI, staffed by lovely people and serving up delicious food. We shared the root vegetable gratin, which was scrumptious, all gooey with cheese, for an appetizer. Jeannene told our waitress to surprise her and that she would like anything but raw fish. I said, "Oh, and she didn't really want the bacon & cabbage," as I'd been considering it and Jeannene had discouraged me, saying my cabbage can't be beat (I am not even sure to what she was referring). The waitress ended up bringing a beautiful pile of juicy, delicious pork with asparagus and fluffy, perfect mashed potatoes, a dish she said she always orders for herself.

I ended up choosing the macaroni & beer cheese, which was almost as yummy as my own mac & cheese, and a Michigan salad. The salad was huge and gorgeous, mixed greens studded with dried cherries, hunks of Cashel blue cheese, and candied walnuts. It was drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette and was exactly what I wanted.

I was less nuts about the crème brûlée. I am notoriously picky about that dish, so take my words with a grain of salt. Jeannene thought it was very good. The custard part was, for my taste, too heavy and thick. I like it to be light and silky and not remind me of eggs much at all. The crisp coating atop the custard was unevenly flamed, with some spots that were flat-out burnt and some that were just sugar. However, I don't go to Sullivan's for their dessert and everything else was great.

Oh, and if you've not had Magner's hard cider, please do yourself the favor of ordering a glass while you're there. It's stellar. I like it with ice, which was suggested by the first server we had at Sullivan's, the first time we ever tried Magner's. Jeannene likes it without. Your call, just make sure to have some.