626160 Mon Jun 08 13:08:17 -0700 2009 1 6 Southwest 0 4753675 Had a great time on a beautiful Sunday at a couple of restaurants in the Southbridge area. We started off with watching the game at Metro before the "Top Bar Chef" mixology competition at Canal last night. E was a bit under the weather so he stuck to ginger ale, while I started with a nice champagne cocktail, La Vie en Rose with rosé champagne and rose water, and later had a Metro Martini made with gin, lillet blanc, and herbed goat-cheese stuffed olives. I was tempted by the daily special of the jambalaya for two, but we decided to share a few appetizers: Classic French onion soup gratin with brioche topped with gruyere, potted pork confit served with toasted bread, whole grain mustard, and pickled vegetables - okra, carrots, and potatoes - and the Alsatian tart with cheese, onion, and bacon. A friend later joined us, and she and I shared the fried green tomatoes topped with blue crab with fresh tarragon and remoulade. We enjoyed everything, with my favorites being the pork confit, and the tomatoes and blue crab. I also wanted to try Metro's banh mi, but we were too full so that's for next time. We ate at the bar, and had excellent service from Cathy. Also, one of my favorite bartenders, Josh (who was one of the winners later in the evening), let me try his new spicy scotch bonnet infused simple syrup with cinnamon. WOW. Can't wait to try that in a cocktail. Canal was bustling for the mixology competition. There were 12 bartenders competing, and "secret ingredients" included Wild Turkey and sake. Our group of five were able to get a cozy booth with a great view of the video wall to watch the bartenders. The cover charge of $10 included a Skyy vodka cocktail and a variety of appetizers that were passed around - we tried the crispy corn cakes, steak skewers, and ahi tuna on wontons. We had a lot of fun and were able to chat with some of my favorite bartenders, like Sam from Digestif and Tyler from MBar, who also competed. It was a friendly crowd and we met a lot of nice people. We saw a few local chefs such as Aaron Mays and James Porter, and my favorite chef - the wonderful Payton Curry from Digestif - sat down with us for a while. A lot of fun, though I was glad I work from home and didn't have to get up early today! Mon Jun 08 13:08:17 -0700 2009 10271 Rubee 1 4765654 Sounds like a great time. Bummer to find out after the fact. Maybe they should do this once a month and build a core group of regulars! Fri Jun 12 00:24:24 -0700 2009 4753675 15036 tastyjon