an evening to remember

Wow. We had an incredible time last night. It rivaled the 10-course dinner mom and I had with my aunt in some obscure French town back in 2001.

We got all dressed up and dropped the kids off with a sitter. We made our way downtown and went to the 26th floor of the skyscraper. It had the most gorgeous view imaginable. Fort Wayne has a lot of thick trees much like MN. It was so pretty. We sat down in the bar area and had our first round of adult beverages. I had a pomegranite martini (my drink of choice). Mmmm. It was so good. Then we made our way to our table which was right next to the huge windows. It was breathtaking. This restaurant is called Summit Club, and it's basically like a country club without the golf course. Only people who are members can eat there and it's really expensive. Fine dining. Mom's the accountant so she pretty much knows all the servers, bartenders, hosts, etc. They love her (who doesn't?). When we sat down we were offered another round of drinks. I ordered their newest drink. It's called an absinthe martini. Absinthe is a liquor that has been outlawed in the states for a very long time because of it's apparent hallucinatory affects. I will neither confirm nor deny those allegations. I'll just say that it was stinking amazing. After the first martini started to take affect I had already downed the second one. On an empty stomach. By the time our first course was delivered I was feelin' mighty fine. We ordered 2 appetizers: crab cakes and calamari. Sooooo good. Then we were brought a starter which was a teeny tiny little salad made with what looked like clover leaves and a balsamic vinegarette that was to die for and two bites of some hard, strong cheese. Yum. Then we got the most delicious cup of french onion soup I have ever eaten. Then we had amazing caesar salads. Mom got the fruit and nut salad which was sooooo good. Now, I know that sounds like a lot even before the main course. But at this time we've been there for about an hour and a half. Then we got a teeny tiny scoop of strawberry sorbet, which is a palate cleanser, before they brought on the main course. I ordered the scallops with a sweet potato cake thing and asparagus. It was unbelievable. Covered in butter sauce. Sooo good. Ok, I realize I have now typed that 3 times. I'll stop. After dinner we had to order dessert. So we each got something different. I got the 3 kinds of creme brulee (vanilla, currant--the best one--, and coffee.) I was so full I thought I'd barf. But I didn't. :-) Our table was decorated with little "Happy Birthday" confetti and a special birthday candle on our table. The conversation was really fun. We laughed the whole time. I'm so lucky that my parents are also my close friends. We have such a good time with them. We closed the restaurant down at about 9pm. We actually rode down the elevator with the chef. Very cool guy.

It was an awesome experience that I will never forget. Today we had a great breakfast out and have just taken it easy all day. Mom's got a big neighborhood BBQ planned in our honor tonight. Their neighbors love them. (who doesn't?) It's going to be really fun. The weather has been perfect all weekend. What a great vacation this has been. Tomorrow we're leaving early to go home. Yuck, not looking forward to that drive!