For my birthday, which isn’t for another two days, the husband took me to Pair. Hooray! At long last. We have been meaning to go since it opened … two or more years ago. Each time we planned to go it just didn’t seem right. Today was right. Beautiful weather all day, with highs in the 70s (The Weather Bug on our desktop is now telling me it’s 80 but I can’t believe it).

The restaurant is closed Sundays and Mondays (thus celebrating the birthday two days early). We arrived soon after it opened at 5 p.m., the first customers of the evening. At first I was a bit embarrased to be the early bird, but as we walked out an hour and a half later, I was glad we arrived when we did, as the restaurant, with room for about 10 tables (including 2 – 3 tables of 6), was packed with a line quickly forming. Pair does not take reservations for parties less than 6, so arriving early will never be an embarrassment for me again.

Pair serves delicate small plates and has a robust wine list to choose from. We both planned to have just one glass, and based on the waitress’ suggestion, I tried the Forgeron (it was a cabernet blend) from Walla Walla. I’m not a wine fanatic, but this one was a great pick. Incredibly smooth. Even the husband was impressed (his palate is a bit more refined than mine, so to me that means a lot).

So, the small plates. We started with a Cambozola Fondue, served with crostini and thinly sliced apple.

Nice surprise here. The cheese was smooth and rich, and just the right temperature (don’t you hate extra hot fondue burning your tongue). A great mix of flavors, the apple and blue cheese (it’s a blue cheese, right? Sure tasted like one).

Next up, Spot Prawn Beignets with a spicy mayo sauce:

Before I could take a photo we were nearly done! Incredibly light and fluffy considering they’ve deep fried the dough. What a fun take on the beignet. What an inventive way to make it their own. I’m getting this one again.

Our next two dishes came together: The evening’s special, Beef Bourguignon with Porcini Gnocchi:

and this greens dish whose name I can’t remember:

The beef dish was cooked to perfection. The husband commented that they must have been cooking that beef all day. It was so tender and smooth. Had there been a bone, the beef would have falled off it. The gnocchi a great complement, not too overpowering, but absorbed the right flavors, of the porcini mushrooms as well as the amazingly cooked beef. The greens dish was also impressive. I’m not used to hazelnuts being sprinkled on my vegetables, but this worked. In addition to a salty pork, tiny currants also decorated the plate, leaving your mouth with a salty-sweet combination to ponder.

Finally, as it was my birthday, I demanded that we should order dessert. A staff favorite was chosen, the Banana Bread Pudding:

Decadent presentation! The pudding was “drizzled” in caramel sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream. Lightly toasted walnuts was the final touch. The familiar taste of banana bread, combined with the texture of a bread pudding made this unique dish a new favorite. “I love toasted walnuts in caramel sauce,” I told the husband, as if I had experienced it before. Perhaps I had but this evening’s dish was created to perfection and made it seem entirely new to me.

I think that was the theme of the evening. Each dish was cooked to perfection. No complaints here.

If you didn’t get the hints throughout this post, we’ll be back at Pair soon enough. I already know a few of the dishes I plan to try: the duck, the potato and cauliflower gratin, and of course the famous mac and cheese.