A BIG NIGHT

Saturday was a rather big day for us given the fact that we've decided collectively to move this relationship along a little, so we thought with the whole Bastille Day thing going on, we'd try an out-of-the-way French spot called Le Pavillon for our celebration dinner.

Please excuse the photos (I was trying to avoid being "that guy" with the irritating flash going off), I know they're lacking focus. Literally.

We began with a nice pinot gris from Oregon that was again, very affordable. I'm not sure what was going on in Hyde Park (actually, Le Pavillon is in Poughkeepsie), but wine was very affordable. Once we'd determined the wine was satisfactory, Meena began with:
- herb shrimp with spinach gnocchi-like dumplings

And Alec ordered a special:
- trio of pâté with condiments (duck liver, country duck, country pork)

Meena chose a French staple for her main course:
- coq au vin (with mushrooms, bacon and mashed potatoes)

Alec was feeling lucky and went with another special scrawled on the blackboard:
- venison medallions and quail with mashed potatoes and a red wine pan sauce

When I walked into the place, I had the distinct feeling I was going to get a very stuffy meal that didn't have a ton of imagination. The place is literally an old house and it doesn't seem like the decor has been updated in a decade.

That said, I was wrong. The food was wonderful. I don't think Meena loved her starter, but I thought mine was fantastic. The presentation was consistently nice despite our slightly decrepit conditions. And we were celebrating, so everything seemed a little better.

I'm not sure how often we'll be back (it's awfully far away for a dinner through the week, obviously), but I think we left feeling pretty good about Le Pavillon.