Charlotte &Wentworth Snodgrass

The Bank  -  Jefferson Street - Lafayette

Charlotte: Yes, I was impressed with the antique sofa we lounged on, but the Absolut Citron martini I ordered tasted more like lemonade, however, the bartender willingly remade it to a more fashionably dry.

Winthorpe: Well, my Guinness, on tap, was at a perfect room temperature, with a frothy head. How many of those did I have?

Charlotte: Well, if you can't remember, how do you expect me to? I hadn't eaten all day, and after sucking down a few of those, oops--I mean partaking in several martinis, I was feeling a tad tipsy. Anyway, about half an hour had past, and no word about our seats.

Winthorpe: After another 30, or was it 45? minutes had past, I started to get impatient, and insisted we be seated. The waitstaff at first attempted to pretend I wasn't there, but when it was apparent I wasn't going away, they became flustered and overly apologetic.

Charlotte: We considered this a bad sign, because any restaurant that considers itself good enough to take reservations, ought to consider itself good enough to turn people away. But we did obtain our seats, and fearing the worst, we pondered the menu.

Winthorpe: Our seats, although situated by the door leading to the bar area, where a mediocre cover band was tuning up, were still adequate, considering the small, intimate dining room.

Charlotte: I perused the wine list and as I had decided to pass on the fish due to a distinctly fishy aroma emanating from the kitchen, I selected a Rosemont cabernet, at a very reasonable price. Winthorpe ordered an Australian shiraz, the name of which escapes him, considering the numerous Guinness's consumed prior.

Winthorpe: Yes, I do believe it was a shiraz, and I remember it tasting quite yummy.

Charlotte: Yummy? What kind of description is that? Anyway, for an appetizer I selected the wild cream of mushroom soup, with no great hopes, and for the entree I opted for the filet mignon, although the most expensive item, it held the fewest possibilities of surprise.

Winthorpe: I ordered the Caesar salad, and the filet mignon as well.

Charlotte: That was very unoriginal of you, dear.

Winthorpe: Yes, it was. The waitress continued to apologize, for what, I don't know, you know how I feel about sniveling.

Charlotte: She did apologize profusely, and this filled us with a feeling of apprehension. However, when the mushroom soup arrived, (and we finally received some cutlery) and I sipped the first spoonful, I was pleasantly surprised. It was a delicate, cream-based broth, with chunks of portobello mushroom, with a subtle, woodsy flavor, just the right amount of salt, and a touch of nutmeg.

Winthorpe: The soup was indeed marvelous (thanks for letting me taste it) and my salad was also a delightful surprise. I don't know what it is about Louisiana salads, but this salad had real greens (not iceberg) just the right amount of dressing, and homemade croutons, which I could have eaten all night long. A very good salad indeed.

Charlotte: At this point, our opinions of the place were starting to turn towards the favorable. The waitress was still gratingly compunctious, but I decided to overlook it when the steaks arrived, arrayed on a bed of roasted carrots and wild mushrooms, done to perfection.

Winthorpe: The filet looked wonderful, and I was impressed with the light sauce, sherry and broth based, but containing no hint of Campbell's. The beef itself was hardly in need of sauce, being of the highest quality, and well worth its price.

Charlotte: We regretfully did not have room for dessert, as I am sure it would have been excellent, and I plan to return someday to make sure. As we made our way out, our server apologized yet again, as we vainly tried to reassure her.

****   Food

**       Service

****   Atmoshpere

$$$ - $$$$     Price

**** being the highest possible rating

$   = $5 - $10 entrees

$$ = $11 - $15 entrees

$$$= $16 - $20 entrees

$$$$= $21 and up entrees