Committed

The real reason we're in Denver: Martin and Mark's commitment ceremony.

I've known Martin for some 5 or so years now, and Mark for almost a year. We met Mark, in fact, in the midst of the Appendix Crisis of 2006 when he showed up in Chicago and went to dinner with us at Osteria Via Stato. A really nice evening with him, and it's funny to think that the whole time my ruptured appendix was getting infected. I'm so blithely unaware of so many things, I sometimes think.

Anyway, this is not about my funky anatomy. It's about two terrific guys meeting, falling in love, and a year later inviting over 200 friends and family to join them on a warm Saturday evening at an art gallery in Denver to witness their commitment to each other.

I'll say it now: Mark made me cry, though not as much as he cried. Martin's song to Mark was a delightful twist on the vows, but Mark's cracking voice, streaming tears, and simple words were what got me choked up.

The gallery was a good venue for people to mix and mingle. We didn't eat much while there, though the cake was tasty (and handsome)(and the cookies made for a good nightcap this evening at our hotel).
There were a few ALA and other people we knew, which was nice as well. And Conrad was mistaken for Martin's uncle. The balding thing, I guess, but I don't see a resemblance.

In any case, lovely sounds like a lame word to use, but it truly applies. We had a very nice time, and were so glad to be part of it.



And then we went out for dinner.

How do you cap an evening that featured such an emotional highpoint? A fine dinner at one of the best restaurants in town.We showed up at Kevin Taylor and got a table without trouble. It was Conrad's choice, and an excellent one at that.

Gorgeous dining room, terrific service (we quite enjoyed chatting with the sommelier a few times - he steered us to a Martinborough Pinot Noir that was a good match for our dinners). The food was quite fine. The cauliflower veloute caught my eye,and it was a smart choice. The duck was also very good, with the kim chi red cabbage and pomegranate combining to bring out a luscious richness in the wine.I sound like I'm writing a Harlequin Romance! Conrad was very pleased with his salad of mixed greens and the halibut.Oh, and the amuse-bouche of lobster in a vanilla creme anglaise with a poached kumquat and fennel salad on the side was a great start. No dessert, but we were given a couple of homemade chocolates that we didn't turn down. Oddly, we didn't photograph dinner - we just wanted to enjoy it. We did capitulate when the chocolates arrived, though. Alas, the photos are not good.Ah well.

Back to Chicago tomorrow and a couple of weeks at home. I'll see Martin in DC, of course, at the end of the month, and we're keen to see the happy couple again before too long in the future!