There is nothing more humiliating then being stood up — by a PR person — three times in a row! Ok she didn’t stand me up as such but has totally canceled out on me the day of our planned meetings that, strangely enough, she instigates. So when we were supposed to meet for dinner at Hundred Acres last night she must have felt bad about bailing and told me to go ahead and show up with a friend and it’d be taken care of. So I took my eager and gluttonous husband.
If you don’t already know, Hundred Acres recently opened after the owners closed down the former Provence, renovated the space and remodeled the menu. Unlike its more romantic, feminine and refined predecessor, Hundred Acres offers an haute American diner concept. The portions are massive, the food is totally unpretentious and it’s not for light, picky eaters. The kitchen turns out dishes like an open tongue sandwich, baked macaroni, chicken-fried rabbit and burgers. We went for the trio of toast, loved the liver mousse and fava beans and goat cheese toppings. Jim, in seventh heaven, sloppily devoured a mahi-mahi sandwich that was served in a bun alongside a pile of crunchy shoestring fries. I had the braised pork, which was a bit messy for my taste it came with grits and turnip greens but my plate generally looked muddy and unappealing. Our neighbor’s burgers looked great and that’s what I’m getting the next time. For sweets, the rhubarb crostada was perfect, a simple slice of pie-like dessert adorned with a generous cloud of whipped cream.
The previous wine director at Provence, the fabulous and glamorous Lee Campbell, had great taste in wine and offered some really good Loire wines. Her successor has some equally tempting geek bottles on the list. We picked a bottle of Huet Vouvray Petillant and it was incredibly yeasty and mineral. Loved it. Loved it. The choices by the glass aren’t quite as exciting but they are more approachable for the layman. Yes, it’s my blog and I can be an unabashed snob.
As we sat ourselves at the bar, I saw a sales rep from Opici who has been selling to Astor Wines for years, ever since my early days there as a full-timer. She was with her boss. Maria
was one of the nicest reps that we all adored at Astor and turns out that her boss is a sweetheart too. He discreetly paid for our bottle of Huet for no reason whatsoever. I didn’t even know until after they left – suave and sweet. Thanks Bill!