Thursday Dinner Round Two

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!