Three posts, one day? I really am turning over a new leaf
with this blogging thing. And while I still have a to-do list that is a mile
long (though it’s full of relatively fun things), I feel like my mind can
finally concentrate on other things. So, that lends itself to more time for one
of my favorite hobbies – writing.
And because Dylan was such a star throughout this
semester, treating me to our first and only Thursday night dinner of the
semester the day I finished my student teaching, it was the least I could do to
return the favor. And lucky for us, it happened to be another Thursday night.
Workout
Before dinner, though, I did hit the gym for yet another
evening spin class that didn’t let my legs rest even for one minute. Thomas
tends to focus on speed work in his spin classes, which is always tough for me,
but it also always makes me feel pretty great afterwards. So, I pushed myself
to exhaustion for those 50 minutes, knowing I would be able to reward myself
with a delicious dinner later that night.
Dinner
After spin class, I headed straight home to shower,
finish the pop tarts, watch some of the NFL draft, and get ready to pick up
Dylan for dinner once he finished with his final. We didn’t leave to go to the
restaurant until close to 9pm, but we got there pretty quickly, and were seated
at a table by the water immediately. The restaurant I chose was Chavez,
which is a recently-opened restaurant in the same family as Olive and June and
Parkside, so I had a pretty good feeling that we would like it.
We started out by ordering something off the drink menu –
sangria for me, and an old fashioned for him. The old fashioned was a little
strong for my taste, but I was a huge fan of my sangria. Though I started
feeling it pretty quickly (classic case of drinking a little too much before
the food came), it subsided quickly and I was able to finish it off like a
champ.
Appetizer
We had decided on the guacamole board, but our California
waiter sold us on the Sopes de Carnitas, which were filled with pork, black
beans, tomatillo, and lime. No cheese, though, of course.
I’m going to go ahead and say that we made a great
decision, because they were excellent, and I would love to learn how to make
things like this.
Entrée + Sides
For our main dishes, I went with the Herb Crusted Mahi
Mahi, which was seasoned with pineapple, salsa negro, turnips, and scallion.
I loved it, and I was a bit disappointed in myself for
not being able to finish all of it off. That might have been a result of the
side of Brussels sprouts that I essentially ate all by myself (oops), but even
though they were a little bit salty, I clearly still loved them. And let’s not
forget that Dylan is the one who introduced me to what is now one of my top
three favorite vegetables.
For his entrée, Dylan went with the Carne Asada, which
looked incredible. What I love about this family of restaurants is the
presentation of the food as it is brought out to the table. It’s perfect for
someone who loves to capture food pictures.
And I didn’t feel quite as bad about the fact that I ate
most of the Brussels sprouts, because I let Dylan enjoy the full effect of the
ranch beans and cornbread, which he said only got better the more that he ate.
I’d call it a successful dinner date, and to Dylan
(because I know you’ll read this), I
am so very proud of you and all that you have accomplished this year. And the
fact that you went out to dinner on the night of the draft? I’m honored. And now I'm for real signing off until tomorrow. Enjoy your Friday evening!
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