• Baked feta, olives, red pepper, olive oil, toasted french bread $6.50 (shared)
• Arugula w/ parmesan cheese, pine nuts, vinaigrette $5
• Gnocchi w/beef tenderloin, gorgonzola sauce $14.50
• Chocolate bread pudding $4.50

I am not going to beat around the bush. I was not very impressed with First Course. There are so many great restaurants in that area, that I am not sure why you would go back there.

The feta appetizer was either overbaked or not good quality feta. The salad was not too bad, but nothing special. The entree was pretty bad overall. The sauce was way too salty and the beef while cooked about right was very chewy. The chocolate bread pudding was not really worth the calories (of course I still ate the whole thing, because it was chocolate).

I actually read some reviews after we went and they seemed to be relatively positive so perhaps this is one of those restaurants that we just went on the bad night.

• 5 Onion Soup w/ crostini $4.50
• Linguine w/ 3 scallops, pesto $14.50
• Grilled pineapple w/ macadamia nuts and ice cream $4.50

After several great restaurants this year, I was worried that I was losing my palate for substandard food. First Course reminded me that sub par ingredients and overcooking can kill what looks good on a menu.

A short list of overcooked items: the baked feta (dried out, tasteless), scallops (ruined), and linguine (a pity).

The wine and bread were good; everything else was fair or poor.