Gastronomical Exploration: Em's Restaurant

It's been a long time since I went out to a restaurant for dinner.  My friend had a free concert ticket, so he invited me, along with a dinner at one of his favorite restaurants, Em's Restaurant.  I've heard good things about this place, so I was pretty excited.  I was especially looking forward to their bread pudding.

We started out with their special, the Asparagus soup with Creme Fraiche.



Creamy and smooth, with just the right amount of seasoning (they used a good stock) the soup actually tasted like asparagus!  The creme fraiche added a mild tang for a nice flavor contrast.

Bread with butter.  It was a regular baguette, definitely not sourdough.  I wonder if they bake their own?

My salad.  Apple, pinenuts, and dried cranberries with Blue Cheese-Lemon vinaigrette, fresh mixed greens.  Again, just the right amount of dressing, not too much, not too little.  Being used to eating Maytag blue cheese straight, I found the dressing to be tame, but flavorful.

 My friend's entree.  Marinated Pork Chop with Maple-Mustard-Bacon BBQ Sauce, mashed potatoes and crispy fried carrots.  I only had a bite of the chop (I can't eat a whole lot of meat--my GI goes berserk otherwise), but it was very juicy and tender.  The chop itself was almost an inch thick, yet it was cooked all the way through--the cooks definitely know what they're doing!

The aftermath.  As I've mentioned, I only had a bite--my friend finished the rest.  And I mean, really finished it.  He licked the plate clean, using the bread to mop up all the sauces and any juice that gushed out from the chop.



For dessert, we ordered their famous Pecan Bread Pudding.
I've had bread puddings at other restaurants, but didn't like them at all. So I made some at home, which even my Mom (who normally doesn't like bread puddings) liked. But would mine be considered a "good" bread pudding? What constitutes a "good" bread pudding anyway?? My friend, an avid restaurant critic, claimed the Em's bread pudding to be divine. I trusted his opinion...

Here it is, Pecan Bread Pudding, with ice cream and caramel sauce.  It was indeed, very good.  Light and soft, served warm, studded with pecans, spiced with cinnamon.  The one I make is lighter, with more custard, but this one had a good balance of bread-to-custard ratio, which can be a bit tough to nail.  FYI, do not go to Tin Angel Cafe for bread pudding.  The one I had tasted good, but was way too dense, almost like a dense butter cake.

Finally I know what a good bread pudding is supposed to be like!  And I'm glad to know mine's not too far off.