an anniversary dinner downtown

Van's sister Cathy and her husband Bob came to town this weekend, a short trip to California for them to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary.  How lovely to see them!  And as a treat to them (and to us), Van bought all of us dinner at 71Above.

I think I've written about the restaurant before.  We took Van for his last birthday, I believe.  It's a handsome space perched on the 71st floor of the US Bank building, which is almost on the highest part of downtown LA.  The food is terrific, the service is great, the views are stunning.  Cathy and Bob were pretty floored by it all.

Our table was at the window, but not facing the rest of downtown and the sunset.  Instead, we were almost atop the Disney Hall and had views up toward Pasadena, which felt right somehow.  We made sure that Cathy and Bob had the window seats, and settled in to enjoy a very good and unrushed dinner.

Cocktails first!  The Buena Park for me, which had rye, rum, Aperol, lemon, and blueberry. 

A nice drink, not too sweet.  However, I also opted for the wine pairings (with the menu, you pay a set price and choose one each from the appetizers, mains, and desserts, so you can also have the wine pairings), and when they poured the first one, I realized that I very much had not needed that cocktail!  The pourings were generous, I was delighted to see.

I didn't get photos to the others' meals.  I never do that.  I did taste a little of Cathy's pork, and I liked it a lot.  Conrad's dumpling appetizer was also outstanding.  For my part, I had the Caledonian shrimp, which were smoky and salty and served with a cabbage foam.  Yum! 

My main was the ribeye, an unusual choice for me, but I felt like red meat.  I liked it. 

My dessert was a sabayon with peaches, and although I wished the peaches were a little more caramelized (as described on the menu), the sabayon itself was a treat.

All in all, an outstanding meal, and I think Cathy and Bob enjoyed it a lot, felt very special because of it.  71Above is a superb choice for a special occasion, after all, but you know, it would also make for a lovely date night in and of itself.

When we got back down to ground level and awaited the car,

I grabbed a few photos of the buildings of DTLA,

including the LA Public Library across the street. 

The night was mild, and we were home in Pasadena by shortly after 10.  Thank you so much to Van for his generous treat.  It was a delight through and through.