Valentine's Day

Doug and I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day on Friday, partially because that was the day we could get a babysitter and partially because we thought the restaurants wouldn't be quite as crowded. We wanted to go somewhere that most people wouldn't think of going. We try this approach every year, or most years and it saves us hours of waiting.

We had eaten at the Inn On the Creek in Midway a few years ago for Doug's birthday. It was really good food and we ended up being the only people in the restaurant. So I called to make a reservation there but I was informed that the restaurant was "temporarily closed". Strange. My next thought was the Blue Boar Inn Restaurant in Midway. I got a reservation there for 6:15pm.

The setting was Swiss country with a nice fire going in the fireplace. For the first course I got the House Cured Gravlax, I wasn't sure what gravlax was so I had Doug look that one up on his phone before I ordered it. It was the way the samon was prepared. Out came several slices of gravlax, egg chopped up fine with the white and yolk separated, chopped shallots, capers and gravlaxsas (a dill and mustard sauce) with pumpernickel toast. It was good and simple. Doug had seared scallops with a mango puree and a kiwi relish. They looked like they had more to them than the ones I had a month ago for our anniversary at La Caille--I won't be going back there any time soon, but that's another story!

For our second course we both had the same thing, Soup du Jour, which was a leek soup. It tasted like it had some pureed potato in it. It made me want to go home and try making some leek soup, something I have never done before, maybe because I don't have a good recipe for it!

Heather's Seafood Risotto

For the third course Doug had Seared Salmon with Rock Shrimp & Quinoa Risotto, Grilled Asparagus and Red Wine Gastrique. Quinoa must have been the grain type base that the salmon sat on. Doug thought it might have been barley. Again here was something on the menu that needed looking up. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), is a grain that comes from the Andes Mountains of South America. Quinoa's origins are truly ancient. It was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, of the Inca civilization! The things you can learn when you go to a restaurant! For my third course I had a Seafood Risotto. the special for the night.

We were so full at the end of the night that we shared a Creme Brulee.

I love to go to restaurants that I have never been to before but many times I'm hesitant because I don't want to pay a bunch of money for something I'm not going to be pleased with. This Valentines Day was pretty good though. Thanks Doug for taking me out for a nice evening, and then making Lobster bisque the next night!