Dine locally -- before it's too late

Friday night, we had dinner at the Earle Uptown, in the Bell Tower Hotel. This is an off shoot of the old, original Earle, downtown on Washington street. It's generally more French in its menu and somewhat more upscale in decor. Probably has about 15 tables, seats maybe 60 people.

We got there at 7:00, and we were the ONLY diners. When we left an hour and a half later, we were still the ONLY diners. This on a Friday night. Now I grant you, it was the day after New Years', but come on ...

And by the way, the dinner was just fine. Good shrimp bisque, good braised short ribs. I admit I smiled at the menu a bit, simply because it seemed as though someone had recently read the Balthazar cookbook, but that's not a drawback. I like McNally's version of Brasserie food, and I'm happy if someone here wants to purvey it. But serving two covers on a Friday night, any Friday night, does not bode well. Whip out those credit cards, folks, and support your local bistros while they're still here.