Out to eat: Teller's

Teller's in Hyde Park serves Buffalo Chicken Eggrolls and Pacific Rim Salmon, soy miso glazed salmon, carrot-ginger puree and Asian vegetables. (Credit: Jeff Swinger | Metromix)

Friday is my favorite night to dine on the town. We're out of home meals. Everyone's ready to forget about the work, whether it's lovely or not. It's a great time to overindulge.

It was 8:30 p.m. Friday when Wes, Lisa, Jess and I checked into Teller's of Hyde Park, a bank-turned-restaurant with a knack for pasta, pizzas and craft beers. We had a reservation. The lights were dim, and the tables were filled on the first and second floors, and so was the patio.

That's where we wanted to sit, though we did have reservations for inside. It was a breezy evening, plus the patio was on the second floor, in the open air. Casual, we thought.

Three parties were ahead of us, the hostess said. We canceled our reservation and made one with the patio hostess, then we grabbed drinks at the first-floor bar. Wes and I gave the open seats to our ladies, while the bartender gave them a drink list.

I found it outstanding. I opted for a draft of Old Speckled Hen ($5.50), a creamy ale from England, and Jess ordered a glass of house pinot noir ($9). Our friends had Founders Centennial IPA and Dupont Redor Pils, both of which, with their hops and all that fun stuff, were sipping brews, they said.

About 20 minutes later, we settled into a table outside. The servers there were casual, wearing sneakers, khaki shorts and blue polos. The patio was bustling, with clicking glasses and plates and conversations filling the air. It was busy, to say the least.

Maybe that's why our server was a bit hasty? She didn't mention the evening's specials, suggest drinks or recommend dishes, and she left if we took more than a moment to place an order. In this jam-packed environment, maybe she didn't feel the need to be so nice. Outside was more like a bar, with very few servers and very many people.

Still, we enjoyed the atmosphere as much as the fare. Our first appetizer was flatbread served with baked brie, roasted garlic cloves and apple-cranberry chutney ($11), a delectable combination.

The brie melted like butter; the garlic was like spread and the chutney left a sweet aftertaste. We loved this, maybe so much that we thought little of the Scallop-n-Apple, our second appetizer ($12).

The scallops came with creamy polenta, apple slaw and a base of cider sauce. But it was a mix that simply didn't work for us. Next time, we thought, we might keep the flatbread and try the calamari.

Like that first appetizer, our entrées were luscious. Wes and Lisa had Teller's Filet, which is dressed in potato purée, sautéed spinach, confit onions and truffle béarnaise sauce.

Jess had Wild Mushroom Bucatini, a spaghetti-like pasta complemented with wild mushrooms, arugula, Parmesan and pecorino cheese ($16).

I had Teller's Mac, the richest dish of the table ($15). It was torchio (curly) pasta mixed with minced pork, horseradish cheddar and bread crumbs. I loved it, and I had a mountain of leftovers the next day.

We asked for boxes and another round of drinks, the only new one being Left Hand's Wake Up Dead brew ($6), a stout reminiscent of coffee and Smithwick's.

It went well with dessert, another highlight of the night. Without hesitation, the four of us agreed to sample the Beignet Basket, or what should be an award-winning pairing of apple butter and fried, cinnamon-covered dough ($6).

After that, the night's verdict was simple: Teller's is a great place to overindulge in fine foods and libations, and the patio is perfect for summer.