The Bee And Thistle Inn

Located in Old Lyme.

Our evening did not begin auspiciously.
We arrived timely for our 7:30 reservation. Our hostess, a very young-teenager?-girl directed us politely, but without explanation to a nicely appointed ante room.
We seated ourselves on the sofa facing the blazing fireplace.And waited.
Eventually the girl returned and offered us drinks. We waited. The young man who would be our server brought our drinks.
Finally, we inquired as to the status of our table and were promptly seated.

The Bee & Thistle is another Connecticut charmer.
Decorated simply and traditionally, elegant without being pretentious, it oozes New England.

We had another good Sancerre.

I started with the quail with carmelized squash and roasted grapes. I had never had quail before, and did not know what to expect. It was excellent, having a nice grilled flavor. The squash and grapes were a nice accompaniment.
My wife had the goat cheese and heirloom tomato salad. While it was certainly good, the cheese was nice and creamy, it was nothing to write home about.

For mains, I had the pistachio and dijon encrusted rack of lamb, and my wife had the diver scallops.

The lamb ranks as the best I have had. Perfectly cooked, nicely flavored, excellent.
My goat cheese stuffed red bliss potatoes were also excellent.
It's one of the better meals I've had.

My wife had the diver scallops...unfortunately. We both love scallops. What's not to love about these sweet, succulent sea dwellers.
However, these scallops tasted "fishy." Perhaps they had been stored in too close a proximity to some fish. Shame.

For dessert, I had the lemon custard sponge cake, being a fan of all things lemon. It did not disappoint. Nice, lemony without being overpowering. Lovely.
My wife had the pear ginger crisp and was well satisfied.

All in all, a nice meal.