The Normandy

My mom is a fan of any and all things French, so I knew we had to try the new French restaurant in town: The Normandy.  It's located on the Northwest corner of 17th and Van Dorn, in a quaint little building that many may remember as the former site of El Sitio. Inside, we felt right at home at a table in the back corner.

The menu offered a selection of French comfort foods. Lunch was reasonably priced.  We each chose the $10 option which included an entree + appetizer.  For $15 you receive an entree + dessert.  Aaron ordered from the kids' menu which entailed a choice of entree with either an app or dessert for a total of $10.
Mom, Amy, and I each went for the creamy potato soup followed by the quiche du jour which happened to be Asparagus...a Chin family favorite veggie.  The quiche was served with a small salad of mixed greens and 2 tomato wedges seasoned simply with salt and pepper.

 Adam opted for the boeuf bourguignon, a hearty, classic French stew-like dish full of tender morsels of beef, carrots, and potato in a rich gravy.

He enjoyed the red wine flavor that shone through the sauce and actually admitted the potatoes were "not bad," a shocking statement from a man who has never liked potatoes. 

Aaron went for a grilled ham and cheese sans béchamel sauce. I'm pretty sure the FOUR mini desserts he received were the highlight of his meal!!

Savory or sweet, we all agreed our lunch  was delicieux and plan to return hopefully sooner rather than later!

Family Friday

My mom and brother decided to come down to Lincoln for part of their mid-winter break from school this past weekend.  We had quite a bit of fun planned: my sister Amy's birthday, the first annual PBL/March of Dimes Run/Walk for Babies on UNL's campus, a belated movie date for Aaron's February birthday, Malaysian Night, and my half-birthday.

As per usual, the highlights of my weekend were food experiences.  Friday night, Amy's 20th birthday, we headed out to The Parthenon, a popular local Greek restaurant.  Adam & I had been there once before for a holiday party, but it was the first time for everyone else.  As we were too busy talking, eating, and having a grand old time, I neglected to take any pictures, save for this shot taken by my camera-shy husband.

Note the insane amount of food we received.  Everything was delicious.  The standout dishes were the special lenten sides, most notably the broccoli with hazelnut butter and green beans with lemon-shallot butter.  Lip smacking good.  The standout of the evening was witnessing the following:
Waiter: What about you, buddy?  Know what you want?
Aaron: Leg of Lamb...
For those of you who know my family, this 12 year old boy always, ALWAYS, sticks to some sort of fried chicken or pizza at restaurants.  It made his food loving big(gest) sister so happy to see him brave the unknown!  Even better, he loved it!  Basically, we had the best time telling stories and laughing until our faces hurt.  Next time, we hope to bring Dad along.

Stay tuned, as we move from Greece to France on Saturday.