Chez Gaudy Is A Great Place To Have A Birthday

So yes, last Saturday was indeed my birthday (and no, you don't have to shower me with belated wishes). To celebrate the occasion, we decided to organize a group to go out and celebrate.

My first idea was to go to a Greek place. "Hey, I'm Greek," I thought, "so I should celebrate at a Greek restaurant." So we called Vios, but unfortunately they were booked up for a private party. Then, I started to think more open-mindedly. "What's a good place that has good food and drinks, and can hold a 12-top (and is in the neighborhood)? After a few more brainstorms we landed on Chez Gaudy. And, as you're about to see, we're really glad that we did.

We've been to Chez a couple of times, and liked our experience there each time we went. Chez is a relatively new offshoot of Bleu Bistro up on Broadway, with a bit more Italian bent to the food, and more of an antique-wood look to their interior (not to mention more space for more seating). Chez has a lot of similar drinks as Bleu Bistro does, and an atmosphere of quirky friendliness pervades both establishments.

So we made reservations for Saturday night at 7:00pm. Our guest list was varying in size a bit, but the folks at Chez were very forgiving. "Your table can seat about twelve, and it's fine if you have fewer than that."

We start trickling in at 7 and sitting at a large table right near the entrance. Once most of us have arrived, we start ordering drinks (Black Velvet, Gin Fizz, a bottle of Moltepulciano wine, and so on). Our waitress, Erika, was very attentive and casual at the same time. No worries of people arriving in waves and the like. She made good drink recommendations for those who hadn't been to Chez before, and most everyone was pleased with the results.

Soon after, we order a cheese plate appetizer. This thing was amazing; it housed about 6 different types of cheeses, and had some cheddar I've ever eaten (it was flavored with horseradish). Plus, the bread included several rounds of strawberry butter.

Then, it was on to the entrees. The popular choices included veggie meatballs and a cheesy baked ravioli plate. As you can imagine with my circle of friends, the vegetable meatballs were the humor highlight of the evening (in other words, insert ball joke here). A flamed cheese dish was also ordered, which included a lighting right at the table (and, when you light cheese on fire in front of a Greek, you're going to get an "Opa!" in return).

As we were rounding up our meals, someone said "Hey, George is Greek - you should bring him some ouzo!". Erika checked and they didn't have ouzo, but they brought me a birthday drink on the house, comprised of coffee, Frangelico, and some cinnamon. It was quite tasty! After that, the entire table got a round of birthday shots. The exact contents were a mystery, courtesy of the bartender, but chocolate and coffee tastes were paramount. My glass was larger and contain whipped cream above the drink, given I was the birthday boy and all.

Finally, as if that wasn't enough, the folks at Chez brought out an entire trifle for dessert, also flamed at the table. This was also on the house! Everyone got a healthy helping of the creamy, cakey trifle to round out the meal.

Overall we stayed at Chez for about three to four hours and had a terrific time. Plates were broken (by Erika, not us!), things were set on fire, lots of drinks and food were had, and a great dessert topped off the evening. Thanks to Erika and the whole staff at Chez Gaudy on Saturday night for a memorable night. You all went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time, and did so with flair and ease.