Hard pressed to decide

Recently, the always hard working, Handsome Australian was commended by his employer. To show their appreciation for his dedication and capable performance they told him to take his wife to dinner--their shout! These are the kind of rewards I like...ones that include me having a nice dinner somewhere with my handsome food loving husband.

In Melbourne, the proposition of a nice dinner out on the town can be the beginning of a dizzying search for the perfect place. It's so difficult to narrow the choices down to a single venue. Melbourne has so many SPECTACULAR restaurants that choosing only one is well, next to impossible. A lot of careful planning goes into such an important decision.

When faced with this dilemma, the Handsome Australian will always defer to his food bible, The Age Good Food Guide. He'll carefully peruse the pages and thoughtfully consider the advice of John Lethlean and his co-conspirators. Once he's zeroed in on a few possibilities he'll suggest a few to me whilst reading highlights from the review the restaurant received. There will be a debate and most likely a stalemate.

It's at this point, we bring in reinforcements. I'll begin to ring like minded food loving friends and ask them about their recent experiences. Have they been anywhere new and interesting? What's the word on the street? Any hidden gems we should consider?

It was the advice of a friend confirmed by the Handsome Australian's youngest brother that led us to choose The Press Club for our special night out. Of course The Press Club's inclusion in The Age Good Food Guide and its receipt of various awards in said guide was what really cemented the deal with the Handsome Australian. What can I say? He loves the critics. I love the people. In this particular instance--the critics agreed with the people.

The stars were in alignment and we managed to get a booking. Would The Press Club be all that we'd been promised? Only time would tell...