last weekend in July

Last weekend in July.  The pre-birthday weekend.  We fit in a lot this weekend, or so it felt.  And yet, that was a nice Saturday afternoon nap, I tell you!  So then, let's talk the weekend that was....

Friday I worked from home, and not having to allow for commuting time, plus getting up early, plus staying at Van's overnight meant that I was able to do a good, long morning walk.  Over 8 miles for me.  Not bad!  My step count for July has been pretty darn good.  I was pooped and sweaty come the end of it. 

I was happy to start the day that way, though.  Nicely done, me!

We absolutely love our friends at the restaurants where we are regulars, but we also find ourselves wanting to go to other restaurants sometimes.  Last Friday was one such time.  We sort of tossed around options for dinner, and I found myself not really wanting any of them, until he reminded me of Perle.  We'd enjoyed our last time there, sitting at the bar, so we decided to go back.  Other than cocktails (the La Plage for me),

we shared everything:  bread and butter, escargots, mussels and fries and green salad, Basque cake for dessert. 

A second round of cocktails (Last Words, thank you!) capped the evening there.  Nice time of it, and not too late a meal. 

It was good to have that little bit of change.

Saturday was an easy day with some self-care.  A more casual walk to start the day, then, of course, Conrad and I made our way to Amara. 

Conrad then took care of odds and ends at home whilst I headed off to a massage, a haircut,

and lunch with a friend before meeting Conrad to do some grocery shopping.  That's where I picked up a nice pair of steaks that turned into an enjoyable dinner in

with a bottle of a Justin reserve Cab to pair with the food. 

Cocktails first, of course

- sometimes I like to sip with Conrad while he watches me cook dinner.

Oh, and there was a cute little gift from Courtney and Robert in the mail,

a farfalle (bow tie, get it?) keychain from Eataly. 

Fun!

I was so looking forward to Sunday.  Van had invited Heath and Nicole over, and he was going to grill burgers for us.  He went to such great lengths to make it a lovely evening, and it all paid off.  We hadn't seen Heath since the cocktail party and Nicole in far longer, so it was terrific having them over.  Bonus:  they brought their dogs.  I only got a shot of Rollie, but what a cutie. 

Olive mostly ignored them, so that was a relief.  Anyway, Van

made us mai tais to start with,

then on came the burgers.  Tasty, especially with tater tots. 

Dessert was a carrot cake that he'd picked up.  It all felt very special, a nice way to end 55.

It's taken me days to get this post written.  I fear that I may lapse into some gaps in posting if I'm not careful.  We shall see what August brings! 

dinner date at Perle

Usually we do sushi on Thursday evenings, and I promise, we still love our friends at Mama M.  That said, neither of us was in a mood for sushi last night.  I also wasn't in a mood to cook (and what I had taken out of the freezer in the morning hadn't fully thawed by the time I got home from work either).  We hemmed and hawed and tossed around ideas and finally settled on using a gift certificate that Conrad and received and treat ourselves to a dinner date at Perle.

It's been a long while since last we went to Perle.  French food, and fine enough.  We had dinner there with Bridget a little over two years ago, and honestly?  It was a nice night for the company.  We haven't been inclined to go back.  But we had the gift certificate in a generous amount, and it turns out that Perle now has a bar instead of just wine and beer.  So we parked on two stools at one end of the bar and were charmed and delighted by Paula, the bar manager.  Cocktails to start, including Conrad having a very very good Vesper (one of my favourite drinks) and me opting for the Marie Antoinette, a gin sour. 

Then came the Dubonnet Frais with dinner,

and yep, Paula really knows her stuff. 

The food was good, too.  I ordered a large dinner, so I just had some baguette and butter before the meal came out.  Conrad went with two smalls, with escargot (which he loves) to start, then a salad lyonnaise for his meal. 

That was substantial enough for him, very satisfying.

As for me, it was the lamb carbonnade, lamb shoulder braised with beer and served in a reduction of the liquid. 

Peas and fries with mayonnaise, and mmmm.  Good stuff.  A big meal.  I was happy.

We skipped dessert, and while Conrad ordered a second Last Word, I had an amaro as a digestif.  I could happily go back and just sit at the bar with a cocktail and fries, but I will enjoy going there for a meal a little more often than every two years. 

Bridget came to town

One thing I've noticed in my now eleven years in southern California is that people come to visit.  Well, not necessarily to visit me/us, but also that.  No, they come to visit SoCal, and we benefit from seeing them.  That was not often the case in Chicago and almost never in my two years in Montreal before that.

Bridget is the latest on that list.  I've known here for, oh, thirty years, since she lived in Terrace and I was in between degrees and cooking at the restaurant.  We reconnected years later when I lived in Chicago and she was in the Milwaukee area.  I think I last saw her in about 2012 when she came down to see us and go to see Noel Gallagher in concert with me.  She's vacationing in southern California this week, having arrived yesterday, and before heading to Santa Barbara tonight (I'm writing this on Monday night before bed, but I'll publish it on Tuesday), she had dinner with Conrad, Van, and me.

Ah, so good seeing her.  Lots of familiar old names came up.  And hey, look at us, both well into our 50s and looking it. 

We met up at Perle, which I hadn't been to in a while.  Good food, as expected, though the gap between the first course and the mains was a little long.  I had some oysters to start and then had the choucroute. 

Tasty, and it didn't feel too rich or heavy.  The four of us split the chocolate souffle

and the tarte tatin for dessert. 

A bottle of red wine for the table, a decaf to finish for me, and that was a lovely little Monday night meal.

We showed Bridget the condo after that, then I walked her back to the parkade so she could reclaim her car and hit the road.  Safe driving and an enjoyable rest of the vacation to her!  I hope we see her again before too long.

birthday/anniversary

The end of October is a special time of year.  No, not Halloween.  I don't give the slightest care about that day.  I won't rain on others' enjoyment on it (and that means a hearty FU to anyone who does that to my enjoyment of Christmas - let each of us enjoy what we enjoy), but I won't join in.  No.

Instead, late October means anniversaries - of the first date that Conrad and I had and then of our wedding - and Conrad's birthday.

And this year, I was out of town for two of those three events.

Conrad did go out for dinner to Perle with Natasha on his birthday and while I was in Tampa.  I was happy to see the photos from that. 

It's not a milestone year, but I am sorry I missed celebrating that one.  He had a good time, though.

Today is our wedding anniversary.  Twelve years.  And we took it easy.  Some housework, a nap.  A breakfast at Amara. 

And then I made us dinner.  Some scallops on a really good, savoury carrot puree and thoughts of how I could have done that differently to make it a better meal. 

Dessert was nice:  olive oil cake with a citrus and rosemary creme anglaise, blood orange sorbet, and a bit of an almond praline. 

We had cocktails before dinner and some Pinot to follow.

A nice Sunday night for the two of us, a nice little loving celebration.  I can edit the food in my head but appreciate that we had the day together so nicely.