Sunday evening, Ryan and I found ourselves in search of food and as usual, landed in our favorite spot. One of Ethan Stowell’s restaurants — and I might add, my favorite of his thus far — How to Cook a Wolf. Non-assuming and unpretentious from the outside, it’s a small restaurant containing a counter and just a few tables, and their food is impeccable. We have eaten there numerous times and never once had an item that we did not enjoy.

One of my favorite rituals is to sit at the counter and watch the chef, Matt, arrange food on plates. It’s an art in and of itself. Each masterpiece is assorted and perfected before being sent out to the appropriate table. Often watching him make desserts throughout our meal makes our choice of which dessert to try. Each of the entrées and appetizers is meant to be served family style, which means each person is able to try a variety of items. Some people loathe this manner of serving food, yet I love it for its adventurous nature.

Their menu is a seasonal one, meaning that it changes quite regularly. Yet our favorite item is the anchovy spaghetti and is always available, even if not listed on the menu. What’s funny is that I don’t even like anchovies, but this pasta dish is amazing. The anchovies are chopped small and the red pepper flakes give it a kick.

But back to Sunday, going there just before closing on a Sunday evening was fantastic. The crew was finishing up for the night, and turned up the music pretty high — we were the only ones left by the end of the meal — and they were dancing and singing to the music. Billy Ocean, “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car”… so great.

Image from How to Cook a Wolf.