Alex walks into the kitchen and they won't say a word about it to him.Back at the hospital, Mousey has a new hair cut! I really like it. She is on Bailey's service for the day and Bailey is pissed.
Tonight Debbie Allen returned as Catherine Avery. I love her in this role. She wants Jackson to come to Boston. In that conversation Jackson and Richard band together to challenge her which was kind of cute.
Alana has brokered a deal with Pegasus that is scheduled to close the next day at 8:00am. Meanwhile, our gang is pitching their purchase plan to a venture capitalist, Julian Crest. My first instinct was that one of our doctors was going to be a former flame of Crest's, but that didn't turn out to be the case. Bummer.The first two people they meet with our young guys in sweatshirts. Callie says, "Will they give us an answer before or after their nap time?"
Back at the hospital, Mousey overhears Alana tell the board president that they are selling the hospital to Pegasus for parts - firing people, transferring equipment, etc. She tells Bailey, then she tells her intern friends, then the chief approaches the interns for the dirt. The chief finally meets up with Bailey and she sighs, "I thought I'd be chief of surgery some day." Awww, Bailey!
Back at Crest Capital, our crew meets with Julian Crest himself. He had researched each and every one of them and determined that there is no real management experience among them. They head back to the hospital to try and remedy that problem. Meredith approaches the chief, and Cristina approaches Owen.
Hunt agrees to help and begs the board for one more day to submit a competitive deal. Meanwhile, Derek and the chief board Julian Crest's helicopter to try and convince him once and for all.Back at the hospital, Jo starts to realize she isn't going to work at Seattle Grace anymore. After witnessing Alex wow a little boy and his family, she starts to cry. Around the corner, Alex tries to comfort her but she can't be cheered up. She confesses, "I don't want to never see you again." I really thought Alex was going to kiss her right then!
Meanwhile, our gang learns that Julian Crest didn't bite. He "just wasn't feeling it." Our team is deflated, especially Callie who starts talking about selling Mark's condo and moving. I was happy to finally see Sophia and Zola in this episode! They were missing for the last few weeks!At the close of the episode, the chief confides in Catherine that their hospital deal fell through. Was it just me, or was it weird to watch the chief having pillow talk with someone other than Adele? It felt too soon.
In the final scene, Catherine calls the gang together and tells them the Harper Avery Foundation is going to be their investor. I so did not see that coming! My friend who was watching with me called it as soon as Richard told her the situation.
The catch? She wants Jackson to sit on the hospital board as the foundation's representative, which means he is our gang's boss. You could physically see all of their faces go from elation to fury.
Then, in the best line of the entire episode, Catherine says to a stunned Jackson, "Give your mama a kiss, she just bought you a hospital."
Things just got very interesting!
*Images courtesy of TV Fanatic.
The restaurant gets its name from the former use of the building, which was the Puritan Cake Company in the early 1900s. In another homage to that heritage, the hostess stand is actually an old fashioned oven.
The L shaped bar is the first thing you see when you walk into the space. The bar is split between patrons who are just enjoying cocktails, wine and beer and those having a drink while they wait for a table.
The dining room has a Restoration Hardware feel to it. The tables are a natural blond wood while the light fixtures are dark and industrial.
The dining room is completely open, all the way to the prep bar and kitchen. I have to say, Puritan & Company feels like a Manhattan restaurant. It has that bustling, energetic vibe that you always feel in New York, but rarely feel in Boston.
We were seated at a communal table (which I have to admit, I kind of hate). As soon as we took our seats I noticed the funky chandelier above our table made from glass jars.
The Puritan & Company menus comes in a light brown folder with the restaurant's name stamped across the front in red. It was like being handed top secret files.
I have to admit, I was unfamiliar with many of the ingredients and cooking preparations, which made the menu feel inaccessible. This is coming from a girl who reads a new menu every night. I think I'm a very seasoned diner and if I wasn't, I be intimidated by this menu.
To begin, every table is presented with a plate of rolls. I kid you not when I say these rolls are hands down the best part of the Puritan experience.
Each roll was warm and lightly salted on the top. They had a consistency similar to a popover. There are places people go just for the bread (i.e. Not Your Average Joe's) and these rolls certainly add Puritan to that list.
On its own the soup was creamy and flavorful, but when you sent a piece of a roll swimming in there, it was total perfection.
Two of the ladies at dinner decided to sample the grilled oysters. The oysters were enormous and you could see the char marks from the grill.
They raved about the freshness of the oysters and complimented the smoky flavor.
Towards the end of our main course, our waitress noticed that one of the duck orderers really didn't even eat half of her plate (again, because it was too rare for her taste) and she asked if everything was ok with the dish. My friend honestly answered, "I know this a beautiful preparation, but it was just too rare for me personally." Our waitress scurried to the kitchen and came right back saying, "Thank you for telling me, we've taken it off the bill." Wow, talk about customer service!
The second flounder orderer shared, "Despite the surprising presentation, the fish was cooked very well. It was flaky and moist."
The dressing for this dish was actually on the bottom, as opposed to drizzled over the top. You had to be sure to twirl each spear through the dressing first before taking a bite. The broccoli was topped with paper thin croutons that added a nice hint of crunch to the dish.
Lastly, one of the girls and I shared a side order of the carrots and they were fantastic! This was one of my favorite dishes all night. My friend hit the nail on the head when she said, "If you can make something simple like a carrot sexy, then you are a master."
Despite a tremendously filling first three rounds, you know I had to have dessert. We decided to go for broke and just try everything that appealed to us.
The Toll House cookie sundae is a literal block of cookie dough, coated in chocolate, topped with cherry and served in a sea of milk. It's outstanding.
The chocolate cake with caramel frozen yogurt was rich, but couldn't compare to the wow factor of the cookie dough.
The last dessert, a gift from the chef, was a lemon curd. I am not normally into fruit dessert (as you all know), but this was actually quite tasty.
Will never did dessert at Garden at the Cellar and I was super disappointed in the desserts at Adrian's, but these desserts were a dramatic improvement. Bravo to chef Will and team!
Overall, our experience at Puritan & Company was a great one. I love the Manhattan vibe of the space. The touches like the old fashioned oven, the menu in a branded folder and the recipe card all give Puritan a distinct personality.
Valentine's Day fashion can take many directions. This year I'm feeling extra girly. I'm not sure if it's because it's our first Valentine's Day as a married couple, but I can't get enough pink and red. I've painted my nails in Essie's "Really Red" and plan on making these Valentine's Day treats. I know, it's all very mushy and gross. I promise to get back to my normal self very soon.