It’s Your Choice: Bland or Orgasmic

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We like to dine out. With a 9 month old and work and laundry and cleaning and getting Print Works Bistro Settingready for a new house and life, we like to dine out. It’s easy to say, “Darren I’ve been home all day. Let’s go out for something to eat.” But going out for dinner every other night of the week can be costly so we usually end up at fast food restaurants and eating unhealthy food, continuing the cycle of bland dining experiences. A chef recently said to me, “You can waste your money eating out regularly to fill the void or you can dine out once-and-awhile and make it an occasion. A celebration of food and life.” I liked that philosophy and I’ve been trying to incorporate it into our lives ever since. This past weekend we celebrated dining at Print Works Bistro. We ordered appetizers, entrees, and dessert; we had extraordinary flavors in a vibrant surrounding, making dining a true celebration.  

We began with an Artisanal Cheese & Charcuterie Board with bistro inspired accoutrements. The unique flavors were exploding from the plate. The mixture of cranberries, sauce, cheese, and breads provided a burst of flavor in every bite.

Cheese Board Print Works BistroThen came the entrees: Beef Short Ribs Bourguignonne, certified Angus Beef braised in a rich red wine mushroom-bacon sauce over creme fraiche mashed potatoes and French green beans. Can you taste the juicy ribs? So moist and well-prepared that they fall off the bone.

Print Works Bistro RibsDo you prefer Filet Mignon? The Certified Angus Beef with Diane sauce, 32 creme fraiche mashed potatoes and French green beans. It seems impossible to make something as simple as green beans taste orgasmic, but that it is.

Print Works Bistro Filet

Now for dessert, even though I felt like I was already there. CHOCOLATE & CARAMEL LAYER CAKE! Take my two favorite words, chocolate and caramel and put them together and it has to be good, but this was something else entirely. The caramel oozed from within the layers of chocolate like a river and the dark chocolate icing top was utter decadence.

Print Works Bistro DessertThe choice is ours to make – orgasmic or bland? We obviously chose the “farmer”.

94 thoughts on “It’s Your Choice: Bland or Orgasmic”

  2. My granddad used to say “Choose carefully how you spend your life.” I used to think he was talking about careers, but it wasn’t until recently, I realized it applied to everything – including food!. We only have so much money, so much time, so many calories, that if we waste any of it, it’s a terrible thing. Every moment and every taste should be an experience! Kudos to you for spending yours wisely! 😀

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  3. When I was in photojournalism, I quite often faced two options: no food, or really bad food. I learned to stay hungry until a better option became available. Go for the good stuff!

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  18. oooooooooooh definitely orgasmic……. I love how you think here…. Best advice ever given!!!! Five days of fast food…. ughhhh or One day of decadence…….. I chose on day of Bliss!!! hehe…… and save lot’s of money and cholesterol during the week!

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  20. This is just downright cruel. I just had my bread and water for the day. Got to go – it’s lights out in cell B-23.
    Do look forward to your posts. Can’t believe you have a nine-year-old – sorry, I mean nine month-old, and you still do what you do. Amazing…
    Later….

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  22. I love the idea of making dining out a true experience! My fiancé and I try to eat at new restaurants a couple times a month to make us stay young and hip and it’s so fun to delight your taste buds instead of making food a chore! Thanks for sharing your dining adventure and letting us taste that cake vicariously through you!

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  23. “You can waste your money eating out regularly to fill the void or you can dine out once-and-awhile and make it an occasion. A celebration of food and life.” …do you think this line will work on my kids next time they ask to go to McDonald’s? Love it!

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  25. I totally agree with that philosophy. We used to eat out way too much but to save money and calories we choose wisely now and make it more of an event.

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  28. Wow! The dishes look absolutely gorgeous! I agree, if you only eat out occasionally then it becomes more of a treat! Great post! 🙂

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  30. I love food and I also like to dine out!
    It indeed is better to maybe only go once but have decent mesl instead of just having a wiick bite every niw and than!
    It is such a pleasure to explore new places.
    Thanks for sharing your delightful experience 🙂

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  32. I too love the dining experience, including the ambiance. Whenever we go out (and we don’t that often) if the place doesn’t “feel” right when we walk in, we go somewhere else. I like the whole experience to be well, and experience! One time I was in the quaint town of Decatur, GA with my mom. She and I were going out for a much-needed dinner (it had been…maybe a year) and I swear we stopped into 5 restaurants before one that “felt” right. It was hilarious.
    Loved your post!

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  38. We’ve a similar philosophy. Family and finances limit our time and choices. We’re also both good cooks and I personally have some diet restrictions. So we not only carefully choose where and when we dine out, we have another rule. It has to be something we can’t make at home ourselves! We’ve had some amazing dining experiences as a result.

    (A happy accident from our philosophy. Our daughter often insists we try to make all kinds of crazy or “fancy” stuff at home before it hits the “we can’t create that” category. As a result, we have a regular sushi night now!)

    Loved this post. 🙂

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  39. Great post. I can sign under every single word of that chef notice. Dinner it is not only about food it is about full set of features – environment, people, service, food and mood.

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  42. I am with you and have been saying that for years! Luckily, we have a lot of amazing Asian cuisine in our back yard so if we are looking for quick and cheap, there still is loads of flavours! Created a bucket list of Ottawa (local) restaurants to try and over come the where should we go dilemma.

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  43. We gave up almost all “fast” food a few years ago. Hard with 3 young children, but easier with as they got older. I refused to eat in places like McD’s, though my little ones still loved it. It’s so much harder when our kids are little… though there are ways to eat quicker, without going “fast.” Good for you for taking a nice evening out! As a self-professed “Foodie,” I am a sucker for a great meal. This looks wonderful Lesley!

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  44. I used to be able to afford to dine out both regularly and sometimes excellently. But since I made some changes in my life and I’m using my spare money to pay for personal training so I can get in shape to hike to Machu Picchu, my dining budget has reduced dramatically. Now, we tend to combine several things into one – eat out occasionally, somewhere delicious, with friends – so we get a social event out of it too. So I agree, it’s much better to spend more on something delicious every once in a while, rather than filling up on junky fast food more frequently.

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  46. Having recently moved to Frankfurt and away from the convenience of cheap Hawker fare, I find that I no longer have any excuses not to cook ( like “but its just sooo much cheaper to eat out”.) I’m definitely going to practice treating myself to some really good food when I do treat myself to a meal outside.Life is too short not to enjoy good food! I say take a nice long walk after dinner and enjoy the sights too 🙂

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  47. Wow, the food looks amazing!!!! 🙂
    I absolutely LOVE the quote from that chef! We’re in that rut of going out to eat all the time, which can be so bad for ya! I’m definitely printing that quote out and putting it on our fridge. 🙂
    🙂

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  49. Tasty Blog Post! I agree with making the most out of your mouthful, which is actually a little blog post I’m currently putting into works. I’ve been a mommy for 12 years now; we have four little girls and are our youngest recently turned 5 yrs last December. Over the past few years I have put a stop to the wine and dine of restaurants and done well to also limit the fast food intake. It’s true, most restaurants these days are mediocre leaving an unsatisfied taste in your mouth, a few extra counted calories and a heavier dent in your wallet. Your chef friend has the right idea by making the most out of your dining experience by saving it for the ultimate mouthful!
    As far as my family goes, the husband and children have all decided that no restaurant is measured up to mommy’s delicious cooking skills. Yes, after being an all day homemaker and business owner, cooking seems to be the last thing on my “want to do list” but it gives me a reason to really get creative. A few plus sides are that it saves my wallet from deep impact and it limits my hair pulling tactics while attempting to tackle four attention competing sisters. Enjoy that once in a while food celebration like your chef friend suggested and PERHAPS challenge yourself to create your own ultimate mouthful dishes.

    -heather

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  50. Sounds delish! I certainly wish I could find some amazing places around here that would be as exciting. My eating out experiences lately have been more bland than I care to remember…. 🙂

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