TONY MCKINSTRY gets re-acquainted with an old friend from his past

I dumped Diane in the late Seventies because I was heartily fed up with her. Whenever I went to a restaurant, wine bar, or brasserie she would turn up, uninvited.

She even appeared, unbidden, at dinner parties with boring regularity. But this was her heyday.

Imagine my surprise when she popped up again on a wet, windy Sunday night in York 20 years later. Unlike me, she hadn't changed a bit, still lean yet well-proportioned with that heady, unmistakable fragrance of... brandy.

No getting away from it. It was Steak Diane and no mistake. Funny how some meals bounce back into fashion and stir memories of way back then.

So for old times' sake I agreed to dine with her.

We were in the Go Down Restaurant in Clifford Street, so called because you go down from street level into a cosy, intimate place with seating for 45 - but not for us on the previous night, Saturday, it was fully booked.

Earlyish Sunday night was a different platter of vegetables. Only about four tables were occupied so the pair of us had to act like a crowd.

But let's start with the starters.

My guest was a veggie who sometimes wishes she wasn't so she went for the mushrooms in a cheesy, garlicky sauce. The portion was ample, tasty and well presented in its own little bowl. My tomato and basil soup was just the spoon-hugging consistency I love, but it was a little tart for my tastebuds.

A nice touch was a small, hot and crusty granary loaf on its own bread board along with a sharp knife.

At this point we ordered a bottle of the Go Down house dry white and pleasant it was but it took a little time arriving. We did not complain, the young man and woman waiting tables were helpful and, more importantly, pleasant.

So it was on to the main courses and my chance to savour Diane's delights once more.

The veggie went for... vegetables, stir fried in sweet and sour sauce. Baby sweetcorn, mange tout, julienne carrots and, well, I got so bored looking at them I turned my attentions to my 'saucy' old flame Di.

Years ago she was a fiery number. Snooty waiters in posh restaurants used to bring her in the raw to my table, give her a generous slug of brandy then set fire to her. She loved it but after a while, like everything, the novelty wore off for me. (It became, 'Oh, not flaming Diane again!) In The Go Down she came to me already dressed in brandy, cream and mushrooms. Nonetheless she was a melt-in-the-mouth tasty number. Of the medley of vegetables that came with my meal, boiled plus golden-roast potatoes, cauliflower, carrots etc I was particularly taken with the thin strips of crispy, crunchy red cabbage.

And the veggie? She thought the sweet and sour sauce was delicious but her vegetables were every so slightly over done. I said she should have tried the Wild Boar Sausage, smiled then began to rub my bruised shin under the table.

I went on to icecream for no other reason than I'm not a great fan of desserts. My guest made the more adventurous choice of tiramisu and was immediately glad she did. The marsala wine-flavoured wedge of layered sponge and marscapone cheese was moist, light and had the added advantage of not tasting like vegetables.

The coffee in the cafetiere was superb and all in all the meal was a resounding success, the portions were ample but not overfacing. The bill came to £42.10 for two including wine (£8.95). One thing we both liked about The Go Down was the ample room between tables.

How was it left with Diane?

See you soon, but not that soon, I'm off out for a drink with Margarita.

Restaurant:The Go Down Restaurant

Address:Clifford Street, York

Telephone:01904 640117

Reviewed:28/11/98