Tapping into the Simple

I have been to Highland Tap, hid away on Highland Avenue underneath the little strip containing Fontaines, Mitzi and Romano's and other's, for multiple reasons over the years. I have had family meals in the dining room, but mostly it has been the bar that has brought me in out of the light and into a very very dark cozy bar. You almost feel like you stumbled into a private club or something. And some of the patrons certainly act like it is a private club...The first time I came here I made a young little friend of mine try escargots for the first time; her recently post-vegetarian self was horrified and excited at how good snails could taste. The last time I was here, the escargots were ordered again, honestly, they always are. I'm reviewing this slightly from memory as I found my notes in the bottom of my purse from a month or so ago. I believe this time Belle Bleue and I were having a post shopping high drink/pre meeting friends at the bar bite. A perfect place to recover, and brings one's pulse back to normal after an exhilarating afternoon of sales and purchases. Bleue is great as she and I always order small plates and share it all.

To drink:
Me, a Pimms Cup, because this is also a place that has Pimms!
Bleue is a wino.

We nibbled on:
Escargot in puff pastry, scampi butter and crusted in asiago
I always order this, because it is (a) very rare to get escargot in puff pastry in this town and (b) rarer still to have cheese involved....and it really is sooo good, especially when you are picking the burny/crisp cheese off the edge of the escargot dish...mmm.

Shrimp & Lobster "Corn dogs" with House Honey Mustard
I had to order these simply because they sounded deliciously bizarre. They were both. And the seafood was surprisingly not over cooked; the batter was that luscious corn dog puffiness you forget about when you leave the world of cordogs and baloney around age 12...

Serrano Ham and Arugala Salad with Asparagus,
tomatoes, crispy potato croutons and aged sherry vinaigrette
We always order a salad of some sort to pretend to cancel out the other high calorie things we indulge, but it is also a way to calm and cleanse the palate and refresh the appetite. This particular choice was very nice, and if I remember correctly I adored the potato croutons.

Highland Tap is weird, I never seem to plan to go there, but sometimes just end up there. And each time, it is the perfect choice. I haven't talked about it here, but they are a steakhouse, and the steaks and sides are quite good as well. Great place for an illicit meeting, sexy date, break from the harsh cheeriness of the holidays or a steak without the steakhouse attitude and glitz so prevalent these days.