What a meal!

Last Friday we were feeling frisky and flush with our $132 Maine tax refund (don't even get me started on what we owed to the feds) and went out on the town to the new Evangeline, owned by Erik Desjarlais from Bandol and Ladle. We arrived around 6 and grabbed open seats at the gorgeous red cast concrete bar. The decor is lovely; it's a homey, friendly space with a great vibe.

Joe, the sommelier, was a wonderful host whose energy clearly went toward making every guest feel welcome and special. (Full disclosure: he's the roommate of my high school friend Jon Dietz and the co-host of Deathmatch Japanese, so we do know him. But I saw how wonderful he was with every guest that night-- it wasn't just us.)

While we were sitting at the bar Jenn and I had a few glasses of red wine Joe recommended. Of course, I don't remember exactly what it was-- we ended up drinking a few (ahem) glasses and I forgot to bring my notebook. But the wine list is huge, and informative, with great maps of wine-growing regions, and Joe did a great job offering tastes of different options based on our preferences. One of the nice things about the wine list is that there are many wonderful wines available by the half-bottle, and the prices range from affordable to astronomic (depending on your budget of course).

The crowd was very diverse and friendly-- we chatted with a nice couple, who shared a bite of their calves' brain appetizer with Otis (I declined. Yes, offal is not my thing, but Otis said it was tasty). We also talked with a lovely older man, a quintessential 'Old Mainer' wearing a plaid shirt and red overalls. While we were waiting for a table we ordered the charcuterie plate, which had head cheese, prosciutto, and lamb prosciutto. I had never tasted head cheese before, but it really was delicious-- pieces of pork in a sort of jelly, molded into a loaf and sliced. My only complaint was that the bread that we were served was mediocre-- a basic focaccia. I would have preferred a crusty French-style bread, and I think it would be more appropriate to the food.

By the time we sat down for dinner (which took a while, but I can't really fault a restaurant for that on their second evening open) we were ready to order, having digested the menu at the bar. It's a fairly simple menu, with about as many small plates/appetizers available as entrees. I was excited to have the steak frites, which has always been one of my favorite French dinners. The entrees are reasonably prices, with most between $19 and $23.

Our waitress was excellent-- always on hand when we needed her, and knowledgeable about the menu. Amusingly, when I ordered the steak I asked for it medium rare, and she told me that's the only way they serve it! When I wondered what would happen if someone wanted it done to a different temperature, she said that they suggest an alternate entree. Although I absolutely agree that medium rare is the correct way to serve steak, I imagine that will make for some difficult conversations!

When the entrees arrived we were all so famished and impressed with the food we ate silently for a few minutes. My steak was perfect-- delicious, and served with a red-wine butter that was divine-- and the fries were such perfectly uniform tiny spears I had to wonder if they were hand cut. (They are.) The portion was generous; I took some of the steak home, although I ate all of the fries. (Everyone else cleaned their plates.)

After we finished, we declined dessert, but we were brought a plate of wonderful tiny sweets, including a chocolate with a little salt that I could probably have eaten six pieces of, despite my satiety. Sadly, I had to share with my husband and friends. Damn them.

Overall, our meal at Evangeline was outstanding. With our drinks (which, again ahem, we had quite a few of) the bill came to $112, including tip, per couple. It's not the kind of money we can drop on dinner every week, but for a special occasion (including tax refund time, depending on how you define special occasion) Evangeline will definitely be at the top of our list.