Ahh, what a hidden gem the Lyon's Den is! Like Hazlenut, we also enjoyed Lauren the server at our pre-Meadowbrook dinner last night. Poor gal was swamped with parties but her service was not at all indicative of the number of people she was handling at one time. Our reservations meant a lovely table at the window (viewing a not so lovely stormy evening), reservations pay off, people!!
We started off with the appetizer sampler, which was a nice assortment. The stuffed mushrooms were excellent, they were firm and delicious - I hate overcooked fungi and these were perfect. I loved the citrus sauce that came with the shrimp, the crab cake and it's accompanying remoulade was excellent, and the sauteed artichokes were in a buttery, garlicy heaven that was perfect for dipping the dinner rolls in. I can't quite imagine the sauteed artichokes on their own without rolls or crackers, I'd ask for some if you order that on it's own. As we worked our way through that, my husband also wolfed down some onion soup. As his bowl was completely empty, I have to assume it passed muster
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For entrees, I went back and forth and finally just ordered a filet since my mind couldn't be made up. It was a perfect filet, done right on the cusp of rare and medium rare, and the bearnaise accompanied it, rather than overpowered it. I love bearnaise, but it's often heavy and salty and drowns out a nice filet. This was lighter than expected, subtle flavors, almost a touch sweet - it allowed the filet to stand out. My husband had the duck special with boisenberry sauce. He spent all of his time chewing and none of it verbalizing, but he almost licked his plate clean so you can interpret that quite easily. Our entrees were accompanied by carrots which weren't hard and weren't mushy - yum! I had roasted potatoes which were moist and very good, my husband picked his usual rice on the side. Not a grain was left uneaten.
We finished dinner with a good cup of coffee; he had a chocolate bomb which I had to sample for forum review purposes
and it was wonderful. I had the creme brulee, and will have to disagree with Mrs. Hazlenut as it should not be warmed up prior to eating. If you warm it up, you'll never get your sugar caramelized on top. What good is creme brulee without poking your spoon through the crusty caramelized sugar?
I didn't get a chance to chat with Lauren (the owner), but I did tell Lauren (the server) that the forum sent me (and to tell Lauren that McDude said hi!) and how pleased we were that everyone was on the mark. We had a lovely time, and won't be waiting until we hit Meadowbrook to go back again.
On a side note and as someone who works in the industry: if a restaurant takes reservations, you should make reservations. Doesn't matter if it's Wednesday at 6 or Saturday at 8, reservations will pay off in terms of your table and the restaurant's ability to prepare for your arrival. Pick up your phones, people. Or I'll always get the nice table by the window
