Omnivore - Babette’s: please don’t hide your prix-fixe menu

• Cliff Bostock’s iPhone

I’ve been a longtime fan of Babette’s Cafe. The dining room literally glows, the service has always been among the city’s best, and you can actually conduct a conversation there. Chef/owner Maria Adams’ prepares a menu of Euro-style favorites.

I mean, how can you not immediately love a restaurant named after Isak Dinesen’s story, “Babette’s Feast.” It is one of the world’s great narratives about culinary hedonism and asceticism, the spiritual connections between the two, and much more. (It was made into an exquisite movie in 1987.)

All of that said...

I had a not-so-good meal at the restaurant last week with my friend Frank and his visitor from DC, Dave, who used to live in Atlanta. Babette’s was his favorite restaurant. So it was a good opp to visit the restaurant, where I’d not dined in several years.

I ordered piroshki (right) for my starter. Stuffed with pork and veal, the classic Russian pastries are deep-fried until slightly crispy. Served with a tarragon-butter sauce, they were pretty bland. If you’re all about texture, you’ll love them.