Guess where I ate dinner after work on Friday? 3 Doors Down Cafe, SE 37th and Hawthorne

The cocktail--a New Old Fashioned with house-made dried maraschino cherries, muddled orange, angostura bitters, sugar and bourbon (Evan Williams Black Label). I took the photo in available light.


OK, so you know, my older son Lamont is sous chef at 3 Doors Down Cafe. He brought me this salad which is on the menu right now as accompaniment to pan-roasted King salmon and parsley red potatoes. It's made of julienne zucchini, arugula and lemon--very good taste and texture. I used the flash for this photo.


About half way through the salad, this appetizer appeared in front of me--grilled artichoke with lemon aioli. It was finger-lickin' good, let me tell you! This photo uses available light.


And here's my entree, sweet corn risotto with heirloom cherry tomato and basil salad. All I can say is, thank goodness I decided to forego the bread and bean spread, because that meant I could enjoy every bit of this dish fresh, as intended by the kitchen. Think about it, creamy parmesan-flavored risotto mixed with individual kernels of sweet corn that sort of snap as you chew. Mix that every now and then with a bite of sweet, juicy cherry tomato. My goodness! Used available light here, too.

On the appetizer menu at 3 Doors Down Cafe

Potato gnocchi, eggplant, mint, plum tomatoes--delicious, every bite, as I ate my dinner on March 4.


Soup of the day, March 4: Cauliflower, mushrooms, chicken stock, celery root and chopped flat Italian parsley. I ordered a cup and wished, when all was said and done, that I had ordered an entire bowl. The bowl is more the size of the one you see with the gnocchi. I'll know better next time. Oh, before I forget, the drink you see there by the edge of the cup is my swell New Fangled Old Fashioned, a bracing drink to enjoy on a Friday after work.

To keep this post on the up and up, I report to you that my older son Lamont is sous chef at 3 Doors Down Cafe. I also report how proud I am of him and everyone who works diligently and professionally to serve their customers at a restaurant I would frequent even if Lamont did not work there. The food and drink and service is that good.

Arancini, doing double duty at 3 Doors Down Cafe, SE 37th and Hawthorne

As an appetizer, served with tomato-butter sauce. As a Happy Hour item, served with aioli. Yummy, no matter what you serve them with.

This is an older photo of these creamy, lightly crusty, little balls of delight. Now the tomato-butter sauce is served on the side. I couldn't get a good enough photo when I was there recently, so I went to my photos on Flickr.

If you're new to my blog, in the interest of full disclosure, please know that my older son Lamont is sous chef at 3 Doors Down Cafe.