A Saturday Trio

Wow, this past Saturday was BUSY ! But really good busy. 
     To start, Frank and I met our friend Andrea, Pat (a co-worker of Frank's), and Bill (Pat's husband) at The Chihuly Collection, the new gallery on Beach Drive in downtown St. Petersburg, devoted to works by Dale Chihuly. It is a small gallery specifically designed to showcase the individual works, which are all amazing. 
     Next stop was Cassis, a relatively new French-style brasserie on Beach Drive where we were joined by Frank's sister, Mary Ann. We all enjoyed our food, but some of the items seems a little "heavy". Frank and Bill ordered the BLT which had a basil cream sauce. Both felt they could have cut back on the sauce. I ordered the Croque Madame, a "grilled" ham and cheese with bechamel sauce and topped with a fried egg. It was crusted with cheese, and almost seemed deep fried. Tasty, but not quite what I expected. I want to try the dinner menu sometime. And we had a celebrity sighting... Emeril Lagasse was having lunch at Cassis. (Whoopee) He was  probably in town pushing his products on Home Shopping Network. 
     More food... that evening, Paul and Libby, of Paul & Libby's World of Travel fame, traveled from the far reaches of Pasco County to St. Petersburg. We dined at another new restaurant, The Hanger, at Albert Whitted Airport. The early reviews have been good, and the owner also has Parkshore Grill and 400 Beach. When this opened, I thought it was a strange location, since the airport only has private planes, and it is not in the "heart" of the downtown action. I felt he was taking a chance on opening a new restaurant at this location in difficult economic times. But, hey, what do I know... it was busy all evening Saturday. Libby ordered the Fried Chicken and Waffle, served with maple syrup AND gravy. Paul, Frank, and I each ordered the Hanger Steak with Smashed Potatoes. How can you eat at The Hanger, and not order hanger steak, eh? At least they were bright enough to include this cut on the menu. My steak was perfect, properly cooked, with a nice flavor. We were all pleased with our meals.
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