Pokage at Bonvenu

Different friends expect different things from me and usually I'm happy to accommodate.

My partner for the evening tonight is a long-time friend who knows where all the bodies are buried.

But she's in a serious relationship and doesn't get out much, so she counts on me to keep her abreast of new places she'd never make it to otherwise.

As long as the wine is affordable and the food interesting, she'll agreeably meet me anywhere and right after work, too, so we have hours to gab and consume.

Tonight that place was Bonvenu in Carytown and I was surprised to be recognized and greeted by one of the owners with, "Welcome back," as we took seats at the bar.

The bartender was different than on my first visit, but quite affable and with a terrific sense of humor, as we were to discover.

He brought us a bottle of the Voleriano Temperanillo so that the girl talk could begin.

At just over two weeks since our last cocktail hour, my friend nailed it when she said, "Okay, let's go back to the beginning so I'm completely caught up."

But one cannot survive on wine and talk alone, so when menus were offered, we paused momentarily.

She was immediately seduced by the Beggars' Purses, one of the dishes I had thoroughly enjoyed on my last visit.

The mussels had just been 86'd, so I decided to try the Wild Mushroom with Smoked Gouda Grits and I was very glad I did.

The smokey Gouda flavor that infused the grits wrapped itself around the mushrooms making for a dish I will recommend to friends in the future.

She liked her purses as much as I had; come on, crab and Tasso ham, what's not to like?

The food had slowed down my ability to share everything I needed to tell her as well as her ability to analyze all the interesting rolls of the dice that have been landing at my feet of late.

I am lucky to have someone I have known for so long and with the kind of life experience to offer insightful advice when I need it most.

While still working down the wine, the bartender came over to try to entice us with dessert, not a difficult task.

The first thing out of his mouth was 'homemade chocolate cake with ganache' but we let him finish listing the others anyway before ordering the cake. And that's when the language lesson began.

"We have a little something extra you can get with that," he told us.

What's that, we wondered.

"We can do that with Godiva Chocolate Liqueur. First we do some pokage and then we pour it into the cake to absorb the flavor."

POKAGE? Poke-age?

Is that from the same word group as shrinkage?

I not only laughed out loud, I had to ask him if he'd really just said pokage.

"You know, poke-age," he reiterated, demonstrating with his fingers a poking gesture.

Oh, we knew pokage, we just hadn't heard the culinary term before.

Yes, we wanted Godiva and pokage.

And, for me, maybe even a chance to use the term again in the very near future, just for the satisfaction of saying it.

Did my friend like Bonvenu? She did indeed.

And for me, the language nerd, did it make my night to hear a new word?

Honestly, my life just keeps getting better and better.

Carytown's Newest Eats: Bonvenu

Carytown beckoned me and two friends last night to check out the newest addition to the eating scene there, Bonvenu, in the space formerly occupied by The Track.

The interior has been vastly altered with lighter walls, sexy lighting and a new booth/table configuration.

The formerly frumpy fuddy-duddy got a Glamour Shots makeover and it's a huge improvement.

Best of all, the bar has been reworked into a larger, more user-friendly shape than the old cramped reverse L-shape.

Staff-wise, there were familiar faces from Mezzanine and Escobar, all friendly and seemingly psyched to welcome customers.

I staked out an end stool, my favorite bar position, followed shortly by Friend 1 and some time later, Friend 2 (not to be confused with Thing 1 and Thing 2).

Because Friend 2's arrival was delayed, we started with a bottle of Over the Edge Pinot Noir.

Midway through the bottle, and with Friend 2 nowhere in sight, we opted to try El Tesoro Tequila Anejo (F1's idea, although I was a most willing participant).

As one of those practically non-existent people who drink only wine and good tequila, I am always eager to try new varieties.

This one tasted of citrus and herbs and was as smooth as silk; for anyone who claims that they just can't stomach tequila, I respectfully suggest that you haven't tried the right one.

With wine and tequila in my recent past, it was time for some sort of victuals and I went with French Onion Soup, a dish I love but which is too often executed in a mediocre manner.

This was excellent and I was halfway through when Friend 2 arrived and the real ordering began in earnest.

F1 got the rack of lamb and F2 the trout.

I went with the Beggars' Purses stuffed with Tasso ham, lump crab meat and chevre with herbed lemon creme fraiche.

F2 was most pleased with her fish and F1 gave me several delicious bites of his cream sauce laden lamb.

My purses were a good size with their obscenely rich contents a nice contrast to the simple wrapper.

Since I can't discuss a restaurant experience without mentioning the audio component, here it is.

The bartender's iPod provided the music, and like so many twenty-somethings, he's a classic rock fan.

Something about not having lived through it seems to make it wildly appealing to subsequent generations (personally, I'm over most of it).

I will give him credit, though.

Although most of the artists were vintage, his song choices showed some creativity; we heard many more obscure tracks than big hits, always a plus in my book.

And yet again, I was rewarded with an enthusiastic "Good for you!" when he learned that I don't have a cell phone.

It never ceases to amaze me how impressed some people are when they discover I live my life without one.

Despite The Track having been the setting for a memorable first date, it was never high on my list of regular destinations.

If my next meal at Bonvenu is as impressive as tonight's was, that won't be the case with Bonvenu.