Kitchen 64

1/4/13:

     It's Friday night. Beginning of January. EG and I both had long days at work. We needed something to do. Anything that got us out of the house with a beer in our hand. So, I sent out about 100 messages to see what folks were into. Some had dinner parties. Some were going to weddings. Some were out of town. And one, DS, invited us to join him, EJ and some work people for drinks at Kitchen 64. And then he added we would be chilling with an up and coming pop star. Well, if you insist...

     So, we headed to Kitchen 64 (Kitchen 64) for 7:30. I'll start out by saying that the parking situation there is... interesting, to say the least. The main parking lot was jam packed, which is good to see. But that left us to park in the "overflow" part of the lot. That's fine, but it was dark and the spots were poorly marked. I had a slight concern the whole time that we would come out and my car would have been towed. That's not something that's huge, but it's a concern none the less.

     For all those who have never been to Kitchen 64 I just want to give you a heads up to avoid looking awkward. The entrance is the side door. The one in the front doesn't open. We made that mistake. Just looking out for ya. And I will say that the side door entrance is much better then what I imagine the front door one could be. It is convenient to both the front seating area and the back with room for a hostess station. So, kudos to the designer on that one.

     After we actually figured out how to get in, we quickly found our friends in a pretty full restaurant. Always a positive sign. I've learned 3 solid rules in my many years of eating:
1) Never eat in a chinese buffet where there are no asian patrons.
2) Any restaurant visited frequently by the local police and fire companies is bound to be good.
3) If your restaurant is not packed on a Friday night, you are doing something wrong.
Kitchen 64 is doing something right. All tables and bar seats were full. There were a few people waiting. I was happy to see that.

     The waitress quickly added one more table to the already giant table we had. The waitstaff is very accommodating  which was great. Our waitress was friendly and attentive. She took our drink orders and was very attentive to refills. DS told us to order whatever we wanted, food and drink wise. Well, I suppose I can manage a few morsels... and I was a bit parched... EG and I both ordered brews, because that's what we do. Plus, they helped wash down the stupid amount of shots and bombs that were being bought. Then we sat and learned about the person this dinner was all about. We were attending a quiet radio promotion for Conor Maynard. Now, not being a 12 year old girl, I will admit I didn't know how he was. He is out of the UK. He is a very nice, down to earth kid. I will gladly promote him here as he was nice enough to indulge my questions. Here is his website and the link to his latest hit with Ne-Yo (Conor Maynard & "Turn Around" feat. Ne-Yo).

     The food we ordered came out relatively quickly. There were appetizers and entrees everywhere. And all of them were HUGE! And for the most part, pretty damn good. Even the french fries and I don't like french fries. But they were well cooked and seasoned beautifully. I personally got buffalo shrimp, a dish I hardly ever order on my own. The shrimp were big and the sauce was tasty. I also appreciated all of the accoutrements they added to the plate. Gave me something to vary the flavor with. I was very very pleased with my selection. EJ got a burger with a fried egg on it, per the waitresses suggestion. He said the burger was cooked exactly how he wanted and that the egg was a perfect topping. One of our other table-mates got a club sandwich that was the size of my head if it was an inch. He only got through half before tapping out and getting a box. He was pleased to have leftovers for lunch. Our only complaint was that the veggie quesadilla that DS ordered was soggy. We concluded that this was likely due to the spinach in it not being properly drained. A rookie mistake in the kitchen to be sure. Aside from that, they do great work.

     We had a great great time at Kitchen 64. This place moved very high-up on my list of return visits. I suggest you branch out away from the usual tonight and head to Kitchen 64. Just remember, the entrance is on the side.