)We went out to Corbett's today, intent on checking this principle out, and sure enough, their regular lunch menu offers a lot of really interesting apps and salads mostly in the under-$10 range, and entrees and luncheon sandwiches mostly $10 to $15 or so. This is a pretty good neighborhood for a fine-dining restaurant that is going to set you back a bit more than that at dinner time.
But then came the jaw-dropping news: They've recently started a three course prix fixe lunch! Three courses, appetizer, entree, dessert and (non-alcoholic) drink, for a flat $20 plus tax. Mary and I both went for it, of course - I'll report more in a formal review, likely for the Voice-Tribune next week, but to make a long story short, there was Dean's famous mushroom fumé, there was an addictive spinach salad with honey-dijon dressing, bacon and cherry tomatoes. There was an upscale downhome presentation of rich, beefy meatloaf, creamy mashed potatoes and green beans, and there was a subtly sophisticated shrimp linguine with spinach, red and yellow tomatoes, feta and pine nuts. There was a orange-chocolate creme brulee topped with a mound of fresh berries, and there was a blueberry cobbler like Grandmother used to make, topped with crunchy crumbs and a little ball of vanilla ice cream. And there was strong, fresh iced tea, amber and transparent ... incredible lunch, and $20 a head plus tax and tip for everything.
Franly, lunch service wasn't up to dinner. It was friendly and cordial, but timing was slow and bussing issues like clearing plates and refilling drinks were lacking. That's a ding. But the food? OMG, the food. And the price! And the lovely setting of the old Von Allmen house. There's an awful lot to like about Corbett's, and the $20 prix fixe lunch just makes it that much easier to experience it.
Go. You'll be glad you did.
it was all heart-stoppingly good.
