The Proof is in the Pudding

When I saw there was

an opportunity to give back to the community by eating out, it took me approximately 2 seconds to start

asking around to find a friend to eat dinner with me. Luckily, it didn't take me long to find someone, and she and I were drawn to the same place on the list of participating restaurants. Proof lived up to all

expectations, especially considering 35% of our bill was going to help fight the AIDS epidemic in DC.

After my first (almost) full week of work, I needed a good

glass of wine. Thankfully our waiter was able to skillfully guide me through the novel of a wine list. He helped me pick out a wonderful glass of riesling, which he warned me was very tart. It's a good thing that I am the type of person that likes to eat lemons. But really, it was a great glass of wine that I would happily order again... except for the small fact that I forgot to write down the name of it. Oh well, you live and learn.

Gnocchi has been one of my favorites since I tried it on my first trip to New York City for my 12th birthday. I love a good traditional preparation, but sometimes it's the unusual ingredients that just push an amazing dish beyond the stratosphere. Proof serves a version prepared with sauteed Yukon gold potatoes. I was in culinary heaven and it was a comfort to know that one can get good pasta outside of Italy and Manhattan.

A few years ago, Haagen Daz held a competition to have the public come up with the next flavor that they should make. The winning flavor was sticky toffee pudding, which is a dessert of British origin that is this lovely mix of a brown sugar cake and a toffee sauce. Up until that night at Proof I had never had the real dessert, but I can't imagine having a better version than that one. My friend and I devoured the cake, savoring every morsel.

Proof is a wonderful restaurant, if a bit pricy (but totally worth it for donating to a good cause). It's not a place that I would frequent often, but it is certainly a place that I would recommend for a good glass of wine, some dessert and a good conversation with a friend. And, after all, isn't that the most important thing?

image: myvintagewedding