Three Latest and Best

Having OD'd last weekend on greasy, rich food, I had to take a break this week and stick to fresh, simple and delicious. With the bounty of summer, it wasn't hard.

Lunch at Cafe Patachou: I hadn't been to the venerable 49th and Penn location in a while and it was pleasant to see it freshened up a bit with some new paint and new chalkboards on the wall up front. We had a casual business lunch over an incredible fresh turkey sandwich (*real* turkey, sliced from the bird) on thick wheat bread with good crunchy veggies, and fresh fruit.

Dinner at Elements: Facing only a week to go of Restaurant Week, we put together a small group to hit a tested favorite, Elements. Greg did a lovely job with the three course menu including a cold two-color beat soup, entrees of Copper River salmon, chicken with truffle jus, and a meatloaf with thick mashed potatoes and a delicious smoky maple sauce. Get thee in for restaurant week -- only a few more days left!

RBistro: This downtown classic is becoming one of my favorite lunch spots. And yesterday, deviating from my favorite applewood bacon panini, I tried the vegetarian special -- a delicious "stroganoff" of wild mushrooms served over basmati rice. Worth skipping dessert for.