Five Dozen Roses and Five Years of Wedded Bliss... Mostly
Oct. 30, 2009 7:57 pm
Updated: Feb. 8, 2010 8:22 am
I was so bummed earlier. I had written my entire blog to have it disappear. (What I didn't realize then was that it was all for good reason)
I knew I wanted to wait until I had something special to share before starting to blog and what could be more special than my fifth anniversary with my wonderful DH? How about five dozen long stem multi-colored roses?
Yesterday about 2PM I heard a knock at my door. Of course Midas beat me to the door. I finally got all 130 lbs of him out of the way and peered out of the peephole to find DH standing there. I thought "he forgot his keys" so I opened the door for him. OMG! He was standing there holding the biggest most beautiful bouquet of roses that I have ever seen. I was in awe! I don't even think I said a word, but my expression was worth a thousand words. I could have literally picked my chin up off the floor. I have never seen, much less received that many flowers. I love flowers. All flowers, but roses are exceptionally beautiful and DH knows that if we had room in our garden I would have one of each and every variety. And when 60 of them show up it's kind of surreal!
I am a lucky girl... yes, I will toot my own horn and admit that, but I didn't realize how "extraordinary" he really thought I was. Don't get me wrong, we have an excellent life and we love each other as much as any two people possibly can, but somehow he reaches me more than anyone ever could. He and I have an unspoken language and we just "get" each other. It's not always bliss, but mostly.... so when I saw the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on standing there with the biggest most beautiful bouquet of flowers that I have ever seen I felt so loved and IN LOVE. After five years and nine together we aren't always the newlyweds that I ALWAYS want to be... but mostly we are.
He is a lucky guy too. (I know horn toot #2, but come on, he is!). We "get" each other. He makes a mess and I clean it up. I b*tch and he listens. He pleads the fifth and that's cool with me. I want to shop and he's cool staying home and watching football. And at 5 o'clock the two of us come together.... mostly every night. That is where we realized our magic happens. We love to cook together. We love nothing more than drinking a bottle (or two, Shhhhhhh) of wine together and hanging out, making a gourmet meal each and every night. We literally spend HOURS in the kitchen each evening. And if we don't I'm sad and missing it.
However, tonight for our fifth anniversary DH left the cooking (and cleaning) to someone else. We had dinner at Vintage 301. OMG! From the moment we walked through the door you would have thought we were celebrities. We had a whole room that was set up just for us; complete with dining table, conversing table, and a couch. The staff was wonderful! We were (me, yet again) in awe. We sat. The first person to greet us at the table was the Chef. He said "I have been thinking about this all week; may I make a suggestion"? We replied "Of course". He recommended doing an off the menu "Chef's tasting menu" and we quickly agreed. He walked away and all we have to worry about is beverages, which is good for us because we could spend all day making a decision sometimes. The "normal" menu is seasonal right now. It's obviously based upon a fall menu. We were speculating over what to expect and so eager to indulge. Our first course arrives which are seared scallops, served over a ginger and soy type sauce (sorry I am so terrible with names; esp after wine) with sprouts. OMG! The sauce was lovely and the scallops (which are not my fave) were the most delicately cooked scallops that I have ever had. Perfect! Next, came a beef dish. This was a close fave. It was served with a chili paste and was the perfect "hotness". It was not a prime cut of beef, but it was some of the most tender beef I have ever received dining out. Totally Filet Mignon tenderness, but in a flank steak. OMG! Third was my fave which is crazy because I DON'T eat raw (not even medium) fish. It was a lightly seared tuna, with a pouched egg, green pepper relish, and crispy chorizo. Splendid! Next, was a pork dish served over polenta. Wow, both of us are overwhelmed by the creativity and uniqueness in each dish. We totally felt like judges on Top Chef. Lastly, came our dessert which was a chocolate cake, with Boston Cream and almond brulee sauce. We have never had this kind of attention. He created each dish for us and no one else dining had the same options. What an amazing experience. I will definitely be writing a good old fashioned "Thank You" card this week. And we will definitely be back to support this "best kept secret". Please if you are in the area, check out Chef Sullivan and Vintage 301 (www.vintage301.com) in downtown Greensboro. It will be the BEST experience you have treated yourself to... and you deserve it.
Thanks again Chef Sullivan, Julia, and everyone one else at Vintage 301, you all made our anniversary SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO special and we cannot thank you enough!
Here's to Five Years! And many many more to come! Here's to good food, friends, love, and health. May you all have each.... always!
(I would have missed being able to share the best part... the food if it would have all worked out to begin with....I'm glad it didn't.)
Five Years and Five Dozen Roses
Five Years Five Dozen Roses #2
