26 JulFine Dining

Tom and I go out to dinner a lot. It’s almost like a bad habit of ours. We should break that habit and try cooking at home more often…one day. But it’s not that often that we go out for a fancy dinner. If we really wanna woop it up we go to the Outback. But when Blonde Things (Melissa) told me about the restaurant she works at on the weekends I decided it was time to splurge.

Melissa and I work together at a 9-5 job but she also works at the Red Barn which is located in a whole other county. I often get teased for not going places “on the other side of the river” which in my case means either the Hudson or Mohawk. What can I say I’m a city girl and crossing these rivers is a symbol of entering suburbia (unless of course you’re headed to Boston or Montreal, and then there’s the BIG Marshalls and outlet shopping – so exceptions can be made). Therefore the trip to Columbia County was an adventure in itself. Tom and I had a lovely meal and Melissa was a delightful waitress who impressed us with her ability to rattle off all the whiskeys in Tom’s honor. The personally prepared fresh food went perfectly with the country night. But I took the adventure one step further with my meal. I ordered the lobster salad. Um. Not quite the same as pipping hot lobster dipped in melted butter. I was a little surprised at just how different cold lobster was compared to hot lobster. I would like to go back again to try something more familiar since everything else that night tasted exceptional. So it’s a date…we’ll be back…next summer.

I thought that night would pretty much encompass my fine dining for the summer. I predicted our next dinner splurge would be our anniversary dinner in January. Then my friend Bree came to town. Bree and I went to High School together. She lives out of state but has family ties to the area. Her three adorable children have a grandma here. We set a night and agreed on dinner, just the two of us. A girls night out if you will. I envisioned cold beers and french fries and then I get this email, “I made reservations for you and I for dinner at 7:15 at 677 Prime. My treat.” Seriously? Just take a second to peruse the dinner menu to realize just what a generous offer this was. Done drooling?

I met Bree at her hotel room, said hi to the family and we were on our way to 677. I was going to drive us to the restaurant until Bree said, “But I want you to get drunk with me.” How could I let her down? So we walked. At dinner we drank, and ate, and talked, and drank and drank and drank. The girl got me drunk…on a Tuesday night! But it was worth every sip. We let our hair down, enjoyed the fabulous surroundings and each others company. We eventually (three hours later) walk stumbled back to the hotel when I realize I need to get home. Tom was more than happy to pick me up, but there was just one catch, my car was parked on the street and there was NO WAY I would be able to pick it by 8 a.m. when the meter started ticking. So Bree takes my keys, hands them to the valet and says, “See that car parked across the street? Can you put it in the garage for the night?” Good thinking girlfriend. I eventually bailed my car out around 2:00 the next day. And if you ever get a chance to go to 677 Prime I highly recommend the lemon drop martinis and melt in your mouth cheesecake (but then again everything in between was amazingly good too – just a little fuzzy).

I feel pretty confident that my next three digit dinner will be on my wedding anniversary. Unless it’s your treat!