Dinner out with the girls

Monday night was Girl's Night Out.

No men.

No children.

Just us girls, chatting, eating and having fun without having to deal with our children.

It is our one evening where we are sure to eat our meals while the are still hot, and don't have to reach accross to cut someone's meat or dash off in the middle of dinner for yet another drink.

One of the unwritten rules of Girls Night Out is to try not to repeat a restaurant that we've been to before. So Monday night we headed out to try Milestones Bar and Grill.

I'll apologize in advance regarding my pictures. Milestones has "intimate" lighting for each table, so it was dark, which meant every picture required a flash, which my dining companions can tell you was very bright.

Most of us are not known for alchoholic drinks, so we started our evening with some non-alchoholic versions of some funky twists on traditional summer drinks.

Blood Orange, non-alchololic Mojitos. Also available in Passion fruit and Prickly Pear flavors.

Described by one woman as a perfect summer drink.

Pomegranate Margarita, served on the rocks, without the alchohol. Also available in Blood Orange, Prickly Pear, Passionfruit, Traditional Lime and Strawberry.

This is more my idea of a perfect summer drink. Cool yet slightly tart. Very refreshing. I could have drunk 3 of these easily.

Milestones Famous Hot Spinach and Artichoke dip, served with fresh cut salsa, sour cream and red tortillas chips.

Tastier than it looked, though what purpose the salsa and sour cream served, we don't know. Alot more chips than were needed for this smallish portion of dip.

Signature Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad.

See that brownish blog near the top of the salad? That is roasted garlic. There is another blog hidden under the dressed romaine leaves. A lot of garlic. Too much? Not for me! And no mere grating of fresh parmesan cheese but generous shavings.

Certified Angus Beef 8 oz Top Sirloin, fire grilled, served with tiger prawns simmered in a Brazilian Lime Sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

This was the main course for three of the four women that evening. (The one woman who didn't order it is allergic to shrimp so had the steak without the shrimp.) The steak and shrimp were both cooked to perfection, the steak a mouth melting medium rare, the lime sauce a smooth accompaniment. The garlic potatoes, however, were blah, boring potatoes with no garlic flavors. The seasonal vegetables were boring green beans with strips of white onion, both steamed, a smallish piece of red and yellow pepper each, also steamed, also boring. It was edible, but if you like fresh vegetables, and I do, it was a sad end to what should have been fresh and vibrant side.

Ganache Torte, with pecan crust, served with caramel sauce.

What this torte lacked in strong chocolate flavor, it made up for in richness. The pecans seemed a bit overwhelming to me, but then I didn't order this and only tasted it, so it wasn't there to please me.

White chocolate cheesecake.

Cheesecake is normally my go to dessert as I love it in just about any form. Had I not had my eye on something else already, this would have easily satisfied me. It was creamy and rich, not too overwhelming in white chocolate.

I'm sorry to say I can't remember what the name of this desert is! A chocolate lava cake, topped with vanilla ice cream, caramalized goats milk, whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

I was debating between this and the butterscotch pot au creme when the server said this one had oozing chocolate in the center. That was the kicker, mind made up, I'll have one of those please! Every bite of this warm cake was wonderful, the flavors mingling together to melt into your mouth. The contrast between warm cake, soft, cool ice cream and room temperature caramel worked perfectly. My desert plate was empty, and I'm sure I could have eaten another even though I was quite full.

All together Milestones was a pleasant night out. The prices were high, the music too loud but despite that, we girls had an enjoyable evening out, and not just because we got to leave our children at home with their fathers.