A friend and I ate at Bistro Nota this evening. It wasn't very busy at 5:30 on a Wednesday evening so we were seated quickly. It's a small French restaurant on Calhoun Street, two buildings north of Riegel's Tobacco Shop. I had never heard of this restaurant before but a sign inside said it was founded in 1929. Maybe, but I don't think it's been in Fort Wayne that long. While we were waiting for our food I asked my friend what 'nota' means. He promptly replied that it is a Latin adjective meaning 'familiar.' I was impressed with his knowledge, he has studied some French after all, until I realized he was reading from a sign on the wall behind me. The food was delicious. We each had a small plate item. My friend had the Croque Madame, a dish he had seen prepared on a TV cooking show - a lavish ham and cheese sandwich with a special sauce and a sunny side up egg on top. He said it was good although he would have liked a little more sauce. I had a braised Brussel sprouts concoction with lots of fine chopped vegetables in a peppery, very tasty sauce. In fact the sauce was so good that I asked our server for some bread and admitted to him that I was going to use it to mop up the sauce left in the bottom of the bowl. He thought that was a fine and very understandable idea. I thought it would be a little more couth than licking the bowl. The bread, by the way, was also delicious, dense and flavorful, with a salty crust, and it was sliced. I didn't have to struggle to cut hunks off a loaf. All in all a pleasant dining experience.
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