We went to Catalyst with a friend of ours a few days before Christmas. I had been wanting to check out this place since I saw it on the walk home from the Kendall Hotel the day after our wedding. (Side note- yes I walked home with a friend of mine since the car was so full.) I'm so glad we checked this place out and I'm kicking myself for not having gone earlier. The restaurant is really open and airy with the perfect balance of rustic and modern. The bar is really huge and there's additional seating next to a gas fireplace. We spent the majority of our evening with fireside seats and I loved every minute of it.
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Our friend ordered a small plate of pasta with a ton of ingredients and it was pretty yummy! I love that they do 1/2 portions of many of their dishes since the prices are a bit high. Needless to say, JO is sitting next to me and when he saw the above picture he told me we have to go back asap!
A few nights ago we tried a new Portuguese place called Atasca. There isn't really a reason to depart from our neighborhood Casa de Portugal but we felt like trying something new. Atasca has a great, cozy atmosphere and very attentive servers. There menu is slightly more expensive than Casa de Portugal but there are more options on their menu as well. I loved the black olives we were served to accompany the bread and oil. We got the clams in garlic and white wine and they were delicious. I love the bolder flavors in Casa de Portugal's version of this dish but Atasca's was very good. I got a great chicken dish with roasted peppers and artichoke hearts. JO's fisherman's platter was one of the best I have ever had anywhere and had so much seafood it was ridiculous. It even included huge chunks of fried salmon. Atasca is really nice but I'm a Casa de Portugal girl at heart, although Atasca has an adorable outdoor patio so maybe Casa de Portugal will be our winter go to and Atasca will be our summer option.
After such a great dinner we wanted to continue to the evening. I had heard really good things about Area IV so we headed over there for a drink. Area IV has a rustic/retro vibe with modern touches. The bar is butcher block with aluminum read and silver chairs. I didn't care for the chairs but JO liked them. They feature local breweries and a wide selection of wines. It was fun but out the window we could see the fireplace in Catalyst across the courtyard and I think we both kind of wished we had gone there instead. I have heard excellent things about Area IV's food so I definitely want to go there for dinner sometime. In any event it was fun to explore some new places. We've been so busy this fall and early winter with work and my dad's house and retirement that we really havent' had much time to explore new places so it felt really good to get out and about!
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