Epic Dinner Date Night Weekend

Happy Monday, friends!  We had quite the productive weekend this weekend and also had some fun as well. 

Friday evening was absolute perfection.  We picked up a pizza, opened a bottle of wine, and had dinner on the back porch under the twinkle lights.  The weather was amazing – 70ish and sunny, there was a breeze a blowin’, and we turned on the new Lumineers album that Brian got me for my birthday.  The kiddos were both in excellent moods so there were no tantrums, no whining, and no arguing.  Just a bunch of laughing and loving. 

Saturday B and I worked out on the back porch all afternoon – we got the fan hung, all of the furniture cleaned off, the porch swept, and most of the new decorations hung up and put out.  It was a crazy productive day!  We were so exhausted from doing all the things that we were worried we weren’t going to have any fun on our date night.

We had a six o’clock reservation at the fanciest restaurant in our entire city.  I’ve been dying to go, but we’ve just never gotten around to it since it opened a couple of years ago.  But friends, let me tell you, the wait was well worth it.  Well worth it.  We’re not very fancy people on most days, but I sure do love being fancy every once in a while.  

We walked in and I was just blown away.  The restaurant is in an old mill so there was lots of exposed brick, an impressively high ceiling, and massive floor to ceiling windows which they had covered with shades to give the restaurant a very dim and intimate feeling.  There was a gorgeous bar up front and a row of booths down the side.  The décor looked like somewhat of a posh, upscale nightclub and it had a very modern feel. 

The waitress checked my coat and then led us to our table – a booth toward the back, which was just how I like it.  The backs of the booths were massive – probably twice as tall as Brian, so we felt itty bitty sitting at the table.  Our table was bathed in the warm glow from a single chandelier and a single candle.  It was the perfect intimate setting for a date night with my favorite.

Our waiter came to the table in a tux (crazy) and brought our menus.  He went over the drink menu and explained that the whole restaurant has a book theme so the meal was going to be divided into chapters, as well as the drink and meal menus.  Each cocktail was named after a book.  Brian ordered the “A Tale of Two Cities” which was their version of a Moscow Mule, and I ordered the “Beauty and the Beast” which was a strawberry mint cocktail and a “mystery side car.”  Well, ladies, my cocktail was like a little slice of heaven, and it was, by far, the best cocktail I’ve ever had in my entire life.  And I’ve had a lot of cocktails.  It was made of vodka and a strawberry mint syrup, and garnished with a sprig of mint.  It is now my life’s mission to figure out how to make this for myself at home.  It was so fantastic that I hardly paid attention to the “mystery sidecar” which was a glass of Milwaukee’s Best. 

After we ordered our cocktails, the waiter brought out a gift from the chef – an amuse bouche of potato, truffles, and caviar.  Well folks, I’ve never had caviar in my life, but let me tell you that I downed that sucker without so much as a second thought.  And it was very tasty. 

After the amuse bouche was consumed, the waiter brought out a tray of the softest warm bread accompanied by our choice of either herbs and olive oil or a pat of maple syrup butter.  I tried the oil first and it was so delicious, but the maple syrup butter?  Only two words came to mind - oh my.  Best bread and butter of my life!  I could have made a meal out of just that.  Needless to say, I didn't even give the herbs and olive oil another glance!

The first chapter of the meal was appetizers.  Brian and I both ordered the Fried Green Tomato Salad at the recommendation of his mom and step-dad who have been there before, and it was so delicious.  I know a lot of my readers are probably not from the south, but if you’ve never had a fried green tomato, then you are really missing out.

After the apps, we ordered a couple of glasses of merlot to pair with our main courses, or chapter two if you will, (see, I’ve got that fancy talk down pat now!) and the waiter pulled what looked like a very thick, old book off of the back of our booth.  He opened it up and pulled out two of the fanciest, sharpest knives I’ve ever seen and placed them at the top of our placemats.  Shortly after that our main courses came out.  Brian and I actually ordered the same thing – the Filet of Beef with Fava Bean Risotto, Zephyr Squash, Parsnips, and Madeira Reduction.  I don’t even know what half of those words mean, but every single bit of it was excellent.  The steak was cooked to perfection and the knife sliced through it like butter.  Not an ounce of fat in sight.  We also ordered a side of the Truffled Mac and Cheese with Herb Crumbs and, oh man, best mac and cheese of all time.  Ever.  I can’t imagine anybody ever making mac and cheese that's better than that.

Chapter three was dessert.  Brian and I were so stuffed by then, but being the dessert lovers that we are, we weren’t about to leave without trying something.  We decided to forgo the coffee and dessert cocktails (which by the way, included a $280 glass of cognac – I mean, has anybody seriously ever ordered that?!) and we decided to share one dessert.  We were torn between the Contemporary Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Peppercorn Macerated Strawberries or the Key Lime Mousse topped with Banana-Lime Essence and Blood Orange Sorbet with a Rugelach Crisp.  Lordy those are both a mouthful!  We went with the Key Lime Mousse and the chef sent it out with a single candle and a happy birthday message for me.  So fancy!  And again, so delicious!

The entire meal, or presentation as I should probably call it, took about 2.5 hours so you can’t try to go there if you’re in a hurry, that’s for sure.  Brian and I had nothing else planned, so we just talked and laughed and drank and stuffed our faces, and it was the best time.  I sure do love getting to do life with him!

Sunday was spent with family – our usual lunch with B’s fam and dinner with my fam, and we switched it up and had my family over to our house instead of going to theirs. The weather was perfection again, so we had dinner on the back porch under the twinkle lights, turned on some jazz, and enjoyed each other’s company.  It was a picture perfect weekend and I don’t wanna go back to work!  But I guess somebody’s gotta work to pay for that fancy dinner we had! 

I hope you all have a great day!  I’ll be back tomorrow for – wait for it – my office tour!  Eeeek.  Finally.

*Linking up with B Loved Boston for Weekending.