New to the Bee Tree: a night out on the town next door

We are delighted to report that our neighboring town of Westwood's Ciara Bistro has donated a $75 gift card to the Bee Tree.

My husband and I went to Chiara not long ago, to celebrate our anniversary. We chose it initially because of its generosity to the Library House Tour, but I have to confess that before I made the reservation I did check out their menu and wine list: http://www.chiarabistro.com/menus/ (what can I say--I am lucky enough to be married to a wine connoisseur, and these things matter).

We had a wonderful evening. I spend way too much time of my daily life sitting in traffic on Route 109, but once you walk through Chiara's door, you leave that all behind. The atmosphere is warm and friendly, the waitstaff was attentive and hospitable, and we had a delicious dinner. One of us had red meat and one had fish, so we (ahem) had to order a bottle of champagne to go with dinner (my resident expert assures me that champagne goes with everything, and I am not about to argue). The meal and the wine were excellent--we could have been in Boston, except for the ease in parking.

A lovely finish: at the end of the meal we split a decadent chocolate dessert, which arrived with "Happy Anniverary" written in chocolate on the edge of the plate.

The restaurant is named after the chef's grandmother, and it is also the Italian word for "clear". Whoever is lucky enough to walk away with Chiara's gift card is a clear winner, that's for sure. When you go--as the gift card winner or for another occasion--please remember to thank the folks at Chiara Bistro for their generosity to your library.