Filet mignon medallions with a pear=balsamic reduction and grilled zuchhini

Stuffed chicken

“Look at this,” said my son, the chef, pointing to the ‘2 for $20 dinners on Takeout Tuesday’ sign as we exited the restaurant. “That’s a great deal for excellent food.”

That’s when I knew I’d picked a winner for dinner last night in the HG Bistro on East Main Avenue in Puyallup (pronounced pew-all-up).

Even though we hadn’t made reservations, we were seated immediately. Later in the evening the scenario would have been different, but we were early – around 5:30 p.m. Our server said the specials wouldn’t be ready until later.

I scanned the room to see if I might spot what I wanted to order on someone else’s plate and noticed the gentleman dining next to me had left nothing on his plate – it looked as though it could go right back on the shelf without even being washed. Whatever he had must have been good.

Then the crackling of fire drew our attention to the server carrying the S’more plate to another table behind us. I should have stolen a dessert menu so I could tell you what was in the dish, but it certainly was an attention catcher.

The four of us settled in with our drinks and read the menu several times before we decided on our entrees – Two steak-type dinners, a stuffed chicken and one Dungeness Crab mac with three cheeses.

I opted for the 5-ounce Top Sirloin with mashed russets and grilled broccolini. This entrée was as comfortable as a well-worn recliner. Potatoes with good flavor don’t need garlic or shreds of peels or anything else in them and these mashed gems brought back memories of simpler times. My teeth slid through the steak (I love that they have several sizes to choose from) like butter. I ordered an extra of port demi and gorgonzola, which blended into a gravy that added a savory touch to the potatoes.

My son, his wife and my husband all raved about their choices, too. And like the diner I mentioned before, we all became charter members of the clean plate club.

Raspberry Panna Cotta

For dessert we shared a raspberry panna cotta, the perfect palate cleanser to end the meal.