A Night With BL (No, I Don't Mean Bud Light)

Bottega Louie: a restaurant, a bar, a patisserie. A class-act establishment. Half part deco, half part posh.

Through my RCIA inquiry class, I had the pleasure of meeting Bill. He lead our class and provided a world of entertainment mainly with stories of his Missouri grandmother. Informally, Bill is a laid back comedian walking the journey of life.

Formally, William is a high-class maitre d' at Bottega Louie. He is a magician of sorts, making tables available for those he deems fit for the occasion. Saturday evening, post Confirmation, 6 of us headed downtown to check out BL. I'd been wanting to go since February, and since it was "my night," everyone happily obliged.

Amazing.

Instantly when we walked in, I could feel the vibe of exclusivity. Not in the snobbish sense where you feel out of place, but in the Whoa! sense that you are about to have an amazing experience. The plan as instructed by William was to casually make him aware of our arrival and then place ourselves by the bar. We grabbed a cocktail and snagged a small round table in the bistro area. I must make you aware that the line to place your name on the list for the posh dining area was almost out the door. I overheard some guests having to wait 2+ hours (which they did; hence how fabulous this place truly is). After about 15 minutes of waiting, just enough time for us to successfully get our cocktails and sip them halfway, William appeared to greet and seat us.

Our waiter was a hoot and referred to me as Ms. Collins. He was told to take "extra good care of us" which I am happy to report that he did. The owner happened to stop by as well to see how our dining experience was going. I kindly let him know that I was in love with his restaurant and would be coming back again and again and again...and again.

We ordered fancy salads and tapas style appetizers. To die fors: lobster manicotti, escargot, and asparagus with fried egg. I also adored the European-style caesar salad as well as the left-over margherita pizza that I've had for lunch this week courtesy of mi madre. And let's not forget the OMG chocolate souffle that my sweets sneakily ordered for me. Now I make a mean souffle but this thing put me to shame!



Bottega Louie. Highly Recommended.