Dexter's

Not too much culinary-wise to report from last weekend.

I think I overdid it on the Magical Dining Month - both in food (I really don’t find it necessary to always have my own app and dessert) and money (if the food is cheap then you know where my money went). So, in an effort to conserve both money and calories, I stayed in on Friday and cooked up a quick seared Salmon and steamed veggies.

Saturday night I went for a (supposed-to-be) quick bite at Dexter’s in Thornton Park. I wouldn’t quite say that I’m a regular, but I do go often. It’s close to me, choc full of comfort food, and relatively cheap. I prefer this location to Winter Park; it’s less pretentious and has better artwork (although I’ve never been to the Lake Mary location).

We started with the Baked Artichoke, Asiago and Crab Dip. It was pretty good-served piping hot and very cheesy. I think that I’ve had it before, but neither time has it been very memorable. (Except for the random black bean I found in the middle of our dip. Or at least I keep telling myself it was a black bean.)

My entrée was my ultimate dream of comfort: Eggplant Napoleon. Thinly sliced breaded eggplant swimming in a sweet marinara and layered with spinach and ricotta. And topped with thinly sliced raw scallions for a bit of savory tanginess. It’s my favorite dinner at Dexter’s, and I only allow myself to order it every so often or on special occasions. This was just an every so often moment.

My dinner companion got a cheeseburger (which had to be sent back for doneness) and we shared a bottle of Marquis Shiraz from Australia. Luckily they were not overly busy (and hence the restaurant not to loud), so we lingered and decided to go with a liquid dessert and some conversation with our server.

I won’t bore you with the rest of the details from the evening, but I will say that it involved a trip to Total Wine (alright, fine, we sampled Navan and Beefeater Wet) and a viewing of an ultimate 80s flick (alright, fine, we watched Red Dawn).

Trust me, I’m the first to stand up and proclaim my inner geek.

Check back next week for details on restaurants on the East Coast…..(alright, fine, I'm going to New Symrna!)