393248 Wed Apr 18 22:16:21 -0700 2007 0 3 California 0 2494847 My husband & I had dinner at Artisan on Wed. night last week, and it was fabulous! We began with a gouda/porter fondue, served with toast, andouille sausage & broccolini; as well as the calamari, served with a vinegar aioli & chipotle cocktail sauce. For our main courses, the hubby had the venison Wellington, cooked to medium rare perfection, served with the most amazing sauteed baby vegetables (the tiny turnips were our favorite). I had the flatiron steak, which was also perfectly prepared, with a cabernet butter, pomme frites (they call it shoestring potatoes) & yummy spinach. The fries come with homemade ketchup, which I believe has some sundried tomato in it. We had a bottle of Scharffenberger brut sparkling wine with our meal, and ended with the Scharffenberger brownies (our favorite chocolate), and lattes. Incredibly, our meal only came to $117 before tip. A bargain for such a fine dinner. The staff is very friendly, and our bus girl made a point to include fresh sauces for our calamari (we took half home, as it was a large helping). The wine list has some very nice options, and the corkage is only $10/bottle (limit two bottles). We rarely get to have dinner out with just the two of us, so it really meant a lot to us to get to enjoy such a wonderful meal. I highly recommend this restaurant, and can't wait to return. We also did some wine tasting last week (belong to 5 Paso wine clubs), and really enjoyed Tablas Creek (had never tasted there before). Wed Apr 18 22:16:21 -0700 2007 64009 LANative