December Good Dinner: Mad Tomato Italian Kitchen, 12/20

December's good dinner was at Mad Tomato in Clayton, and it was Good Dinner Club President Shelby's pick. The Tomato just opened this May, and is a restaurant with a conscience, serving local and organically farmed food and sustainable fish and seafood. We didn't do the group evaluations this time around, so I'll share with you my impression of the restaurant and some overall impressions from the group.

The Mad Tomato is a small quaint corner restaurant. I liked the restaurant's atmosphere overall, especially the big butcher block farm table we sat at, however we were right by the front windows (seated there b/c our group makes for some good eye candy I'm sure :)), and it was kind of drafty. That may sound a bit snooty, but honestly it's hard to really enjoy a meal when you can't quite get warm.

December's group was small, most likely because of the hustle of the holiday season, and although I too had a personal to-do list set aside for this outing, I am glad I took the time to dine in good company with good food. For my entree I selected the Lobster Ravioli, and Oh. My. Gosh. - it was sooooo good. This is one of those meals I'm sure to have cravings for in the future. The ravioli was in a bisque-like creamy sauce and the food just melted in my mouth! And for desert - get this - a goat cheese cheesecake topped with walnuts, apple slices and caramel. My resolution to eat healthy over the holidays got kicked out the door and down the street, but it was worth it, at least until I get on my scale. The restaurant is certainly doing something right with its commitment to fresh quality food and ingredients. You can taste the difference.

One issue, however, experienced by my hubby, the Dinner Club's Chair of Alcohol Affairs, was a lack of a varied drink selection. I think he requested about 4 different drink mixes before the waitress could affirm they had the drink ingredients on hand. That seems like kind of a silly thing for a restaurant to lack. Alcohol as far as I know has a pretty long shelf life, so buy a bottle of something so you at least have it on hand ... and in case you were wondering, it wasn't like he was requesting some vintage "circa" something drink. It was also comical that we were told there was just one serving of the lamb meatballs left, if anyone wanted it. That however, I understand, as it's harder to stay stocked up on something like that. This isn't McDonalds with a crate of frozen patties sitting in back.

As far as service at the Tomato goes, it was ok. Nothing to write home about, and at one point I think our server might have gotten annoyed with our requests, but she came around. Ok, one more thing actually: We were provided some flavorful bread rolls while waiting for our entrees, and it was kind of funny as we weren't offered butter or olive oil - we had to ask for some. That along with the drink limitations, I got a little vibe of "stinginess." Good thing the food was incredible, as that saved this experience for me. Most other diners were happy with their meal, but a couple people said their entrees were bland. Seems like when the Mad Tomato chefs get something right, they get it really right, but other items may fall short.

So I'm giving this Tomato 3 spoons. That's it for me. What do you think? Rate and post comments below!

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