For years we have avoided going to Bud's thinking it was a dive bar, we could not have been more wrong. It is quite lovely inside, not lovely like a tea room but clean and modern and a great place to grab a delicious and well-priced lunch. They also have the friendliest staff anywhere.
On Monday and Tuesday, they don't do a soup but they do the rest of the week. They also have specials every day. On the regular menu are humongous deli-style sandwiches. This week I ordered a ham sandwich which comes with the side of your choice and can be soup or fresh fruit or a very good macaroni tuna salad, a bag of chips and a soda if you want. If you don't take the soda and have water it is 50 cents less.
Al ordered the sloppy joe special and as a side, he took the goulash they were offering. Both were excellent.
On a previous visit, Al ordered the turkey club and I had a buffalo chicken wrap with chicken soup. We have been very impressed with the amount of food that we get and also with the quality. It is our new favorite lunch place.
I am happy to report that even the bathroom is stellar, clean and very modern. If you haven't given Bud's a try, I highly recommend it. But not too many of you, we still want to be able to find a seat!!
If you enjoy good food in a historic building, you will certainly enjoy dining here. The beautiful building dates from the 1890's and was a working library for almost 90 years. The Gouveia family who owns the local vineyard have restored the building to its former glory and offer a combination of Portuguese and American cuisine.
We came here for lunch. We didn't have reservations but at 1 p.m. we were able to find a table. You might want to be on the safe side and reserve your table.
Service was excellent and we never wanted for anything, getting our split check correct was a bit of an issue but we finally got it all straight. The four of us tried a variety of dishes. I had the caldo verde which is a Portuguese potato soup with kale and chorizo. It was a perfect choice on a fall day, very comforting. I chose a tapa as my meal, the fried chicken and added the side salad. The chicken was awesome, with maple syrup and Piri Piri sauce for dipping. The salad was small but the balsamic dressing was very good.
Al had the penne ala vodka with chicken. It was a hefty portion and he ended up bringing some home. Irene had the soup and the crab cake sandwich, she opted for the salad as her side over the fries. I didn't taste it but she certainly enjoyed it.
Pete had the mac and cheese and he finished his entire dish, enough said lol.
They have an extensive wine and cocktail list. I had a cappuccino which was made perfectly.
Irene and I shared the rice pudding for dessert and Al had the chocolate mousse. We were not impressed with the rice pudding, it was al dente and rather sticky and overly flavored with rice pudding. We didn't finish it and if you know these two French Canadian girls, we love our dessert. Al was much happier with his mousse. It made us wish we had gotten the apple cobbler or the pumpkin cheesecake.
On the whole, it was lovely. The presentation of the dishes was beautiful and as I said earlier, the service was excellent. The overall atmosphere is very nice as well, very white tablecloth but casual dress is fine. I would give it a solid 4 out of 5 and would come back The Library Wine Bar and Bistro in a heartbeat.
I am a big fan of the Max restaurant group but this was a first-time visit to their flagship restaurant, Max Downtown. It has a very convenient location if you are doing just about anything downtown. They offer complimentary valet parking after 5 p.m. and they validate your parking ticket at City Place so parking won't be an issue.
We arrived a little early for our reservation so we headed over to the bar. Loved the friendly bartender and the munchies, they had these deliciously marinated radishes!! I know, radishes but oh yum!!
We were escorted to our table and soon had menus in our hands. Service was flawless throughout our entire dining experience. The menu had lots of seasonal favorites and a small menu was offered of specials of the day.
I didn't see an entree that said "you must order me" so instead, I put together my own combination. I ordered the fall endive salad, the red squash ravioli and a side of roasted Brussels sprouts. Irene liked what I chose and ordered the first two. Pete got the Max burger and Al order a special the skirt steak and fries.
The salad was a unique combination of endive, poached pear, bleu cheese, and walnut. What I wasn't prepared for was the spice of the honey ginger dressing, it was too spicy and strong, it overpowered the rest of the flavors. Having said that, I cleaned my plate lol
The ravioli were delicious in the squash seed pesto. But for me, it was the Brussel sprouts that really shine, oh dear so well roasted with Marcona almonds, just outstanding. Al's steak was so tender and cooked perfectly. All of our food was beautifully presented and tasted even better than it looked.
Our waiter was amazing and we had fun with him, especially early on before it got really busy. I finished up with a cappuccino, none of us had room for dessert. I brought home some ravioli and some sprouts so I have a great snack to look forward to. It was a lovely evening of good food and fun.
