Ken has been working hard for the past several months. By hard, I mean his face was beginning to fade from my memory. Most nights he does not step foot into this house until 9pm and there have been a few (perhaps too many) nights when I am ready for bed before he walks in or he takes a phone call that lasts until midnight.
In hopes of refreshing my memory of who I married, Ken and I made a date to go to dinner this last evening. I arranged for the babysitter and was THRILLED at the thought of 3 hours without the kids just Ken and I. But oh, it seemed the gods of love we not with me! Just as we were preparing to head out the door, Ken’s cell phone rang. The call cut 30 minutes into my much cherished 3 hours of bliss. I was starting to weigh the fear factor of eating by myself at the French restaurant. Could I do it alone?
I decided the fear factor was too great and opted for another tactic…. evil eye! I sent a few Ken’s way and lickity-split he finished his call! We were off and out the door!
There is a chain of restaurants here called The Maitre Kanter that serves eastern French (= from the Alsace region) cuisine. Basically, it is more German than French. Our town has been blessed with a new opening of the chain right here, and we have been blessed with being within walking distance of it. I was a little afraid of the fact that it was the first week of business and that we would be some of their first guinea pigs.
I walked in and was immediately impressed with the place. The decor was fantastic! the walls were done in a city center theme with windows, shutters, and half timbered logs. There were even street signs! I felt as if I were standing in a real street looking at buildings.
We were offered a menu and the waiter got right down to business by asking if we wanted a pre-dinner drink. Ken said I needed to try a Sangria-like drink made with apples, juice, and alcohol. It was rather good and I downed it pretty fast. Ken and I both ordered a steak smothered in a green pepper and cognac sauce served with fries. I added to my pre-dinner drink by ordering wine. The more time that went by I began to look at those walls and make plans for how to copy it into my home. Not sure if it was a really great idea or if it was the alcohol talking. This after all, was the most alcohol I had had in a very long time.
Dinner was delicious and we were beginning to notice the place starting to fill up. It was 9pm and time for the French to eat. We had beat the rush by showing up at 7:00. *note to self: ALWAYS go to dinner early in France!! We also noticed that at every table someone with grey hair occupied a seat (including our own — Ken’s!! I DO NOT have grey hair and don’t let Ken tell you otherwise!). Apparently, this was not the place for youngsters. Had we just stumbled onto the French version of MCL?
The dessert menu was offered to us and I immediately spotted crepes suzette. I have made them several times at home but the one and only time I have had them in a restaurant was 6 years ago in Cozumel, Mexico. (If you can imagine that!!!) Ken passed on the floating islands as big as your head (egg whites in a vanilla sauce) only because i wanted to try the chocolate cream puffs and talked him into those instead. Lucky for me, they arrived with chocolate crepes instead and we sent them back. This left me free to feast on Ken’s dessert and not miss out because he was hogging it all. When my dessert finally arrived, I sat back and waited for the flame show to burn off the alcohol but it never happened. Just as fast as the man dropped the plate off, he was gone and out of sight. Maybe it was the alcohol talking again but I dove right in! The content of the alcohol in the first bite alone sent me into a spin. It sent Ken too for that matter! Damn! Where did that chocolate crepe go? I wanted it back!! By this point I had surpassed my alcohol limit and became immune to it. We finished the crepes off and paid our bill.
The walk home was interesting. First: it was a GOOD THING we walked! Second: I was really wishing I had not worn boots with heels! Not only was it hard to walk straight but my feet hurt too! I can’t remember the last time I sported a pair of heels. Sitting at home does not require anything more than sneakers. Yeah, I need to get out more and this proves it!!
I had a fantastic night and it refreshed my memory on why I married Ken. He is a great guy I think I will keep him a bit longer. (At least until he takes me back to get pictures of the inside of the restaurant)
