Applewood

Here's some unsolicited advice, reader: if you want to enjoy a nice dinner out, don't plan it. I think the unhappiest experiences people have eating out are cases where it's overplanned--the expectations are so high that something's bound to disappoint. But when you wander out of your apartment, as Craig and I did last week to enjoy the nice weather, and you stumble upon the well-regarded Park Slope restaurant Applewood on 7th Ave. and 11th Street, you'd do well to embrace this as an opportunity for a positive dining experience.

Factors that ensure it'll be a positive experience:

* There are tables outside.

* There are no expectations.

* The menu looks good.

And sure enough, this was a really pleasant experience.

Here's Craig at the table:

Here's the bread they gave us:

And here's lentil spread, butter and maybe hummus--the presentation, is, I think, unfortunate and reminiscent of dog poo:

Craig and I share a half-bottle of Malbec, an affordable choice that has surprising depth and flavor:

To start, we shared a serviceable salad--only notable for its charred garlic scrapes (hard to make out in the picture):