DATE NIGHT: ELLERBE FINE FOODS

Last week, Brian and I enjoyed a nice dinner date at Ellerbe Fine Foods on the revamped Magnolia Ave in Fort Worth.  We have been wanting to go back ever since we tried lunch this summer.  It was a perfect and cozy date night after a busy few weeks traveling, working, serving together and doing life!  Upon my research, the co-owners Richard and Molly grew up in Shreveport, La.  Chef Molly McCook's dishes are influenced by her Louisiana roots.  I always have the worst time deciding what to eat...ask anybody that eats with me.  Brian chose cornmeal crusted red fish topped with louisiana crawfish etoufee and I picked crumbled battlefield ranch bufala meatball en brodo with housemade mascarpone ravioli, brunoise mirepoix, grana padano (i have no ideas what that means but it was water buffalo crumbled meatball with cheese ravioli in an italian broth & veggies) ---  I like to think that I am an adventurous eater but mostly I am easily persuaded when the server can make a good description/sell for a certain dish!  I like to ask the server for their favorites!

Fun Facts about Ellerbe Fine Foods:
-How I Discovered Ellerbe Fine Foods: Southern Living
-Menu: Seasonal and local ingredients
-Starters: bread from fresh dough shipped from a LA bakery (chef molly trained in california)
-History: Chef Molly's maw-maw lived on Ellerbe Road in Shreveport & she grew up cooking with her
-Endings: Powdered sugar dusted dulce de leche cookies are given as a treat at the end of the meal - kinda like the Andes Mints at Olive Garden but 1000x better
-Gift Shop: Cucina soaps and lotions (if something smells like Aveda then i usually like it!), Beatriz Ball metalware (louisiana artist from gretna) and other cooking gifts
-Flowers: hand-picked herbs flowers in recycled bottles on tabletops and i love the big container gardens in the big metal tins outside
-Details: framed aprons on the walls and menus look like cutting boards
-Press: Last year named one of the best 10 new restaurants in america in bon appetit magazine
-Ice Cream: They always have lots of choices for dessert with a cute little waffle cone cookie - our favorite flavor - lavender chocolate chip
-Someone did their homework...