It’s been seven years since Tim and I said “I do” in front a large crowd. Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Bruce Black, the preacher at Fairfax Church of Christ and the man who performed our wedding ceremony, didn’t make us say anything other than “yes”; no vows, no technical “I dos,” just “yes,” a kiss and an impromptu high-five was what sealed the deal. But I’m glad to say that we’d both do it all over again.
Two years ago, as many of you know, Tim surprised me big time with a marriage vow renewal ceremony (and yes, that time I did have to say more than “yes”). After I recovered from the shock, we partied with some friends, ate a wedding cake (something else that didn’t happen at the first ceremony but I won’t even get into that story now) and then boogied on down to Little Rock for one of the best meals of my life, at a little restaurant called Ferneau. Our plan was to go back on our sixth anniversary, but a little something called food poisoning kept us at home in our pjs, wallowing in pity and large amount of gatorade. This year, though, our plans worked out and we headed back to see what Chef Ferneau had to offer this year. And we were once again very, very pleased with the experience. Indulge me while I recount our meal:
Drink: I decided to celebrate in style with a glass of italian sparkling red wine. I wish I could remember the name but my italian is rusty. 
But I can tell you that it was fabulous and the color was perfect for the romantic dinner and while on the sweet side (my preference, actually) it paired well with my seafood-filled dinner.
Course 1 — we shared an appetizer of mussels in a saffron and lime broth, with fresh cherry tomatoes and grilled bread. We first had mussels in a paella on our honeymoon, but we’ve recently gotten into eating them on their own. These were outstanding because they were fresh and tasted like the sea and because they were swimming in a saffron broth — saffron makes everything better! It’s by far my favorite seasoning — worth the hefty pricetag.
Course 2 – Tim had a Caesar salad with olives and I had cream of wild mushroom soup with a drizzle of chive oil and balsamic reduction. Tim swears it was the best Caesar he’s had and I’ll have to take his word for it, because I’m neither a fan of Caesar salads or olives, so I left it all to him. But we can both attest that the soup was the best mushroom soup we’ve ever had. Sorry mom, yours is good, but this stuff was heavenly. It was very thick and creamy without being heavy and the texture that wild mushrooms lent the soup was superb. I’m not usually a fan of chives (or any uncooked member of the onion family) but the chive oil really added a nice zing, not to mention beautiful color, to the soup.
Course 3 — Tim chose the Dr. Pepper braised beef short ribs served over rosemary smashed potatoes alongside grilled asparagus, heirloom tomatoes and drizzled with the beef jus. I can’t accurately describe stinking good this dish was — the sweetness of the braising liquid paired with the hearty ribs was accented perfectly with ripe heirloom tomatoes; the pairing something akin to the delightful marriage of covering your meatloaf in ketchup (the only scriptural way to eat meatloaf, according to the first book of Erin, chapter 2, verse 8). The meat was so tender, no knife was necessary, which is impressive since I’ve been served countless tough short ribs. And the rosemary smashed potatoes were earthy, creamy, perfectly seasoned and in no way over powering, as rosemary flavored anything tends to be. All in all, a total winner. I guess it was a good thing that the short ribs were the special, otherwise I’d be back down there tonight ordering them myself.
I’m normally the meat orderer in the family, but Tim and I pulled an old switcheroo last night because I ordered the teriyaki glazed Hawaiian swordfish with goat cheese mashed sweet potatoes accompanied by a crab wonton and microgreens. And being a meat lover, the chef could have blindfolded me and I would have sworn I was eating a steak. The texture and flavor of the fish was very comparable to that of a steak — thick and juicy while being firm and tender at the same time. I loved every bite, especially with the sweet, syrupy, somewhat smokey teriyaki sauce (put the bottled stuff to shame, to shame I tell you!). But the real surprise of the evening was the mashed sweet potatoes with goat cheese. I am something of a sweet potato purist — load ‘em high with sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla and even some marshmallows! But I figured the Chef knew what he was doing and boy did he. It was an amazing combination; tart and creamy goat cheese with the naturally sweet and flavorful sweet potato, creamed together and topped with the tiniest, fresh greens, which lent a great texture to the dish. Yum, yum, yum! Yeah, we both were members of the clean plate club.
Course 4 — At this point, neither of us “needed” dessert, but we came determined to sample some fine sweets and we did just that. The waiter thought he was tempting me with the offer of dark chocolate Godiva cheesecake but he did not know his audience! I went for the bananas fosters and Tim predictably chose the key lime pie. Both were spectacular! My bananas fosters was served on a frozen plate with a huge scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream, studded with chocolate straws and a strawberry, surrounded by sliced bananas swimming in a deliciously thick boozed-lazed caramel sauce. It’s the first time I’ve even seen it served that way; normally half of a banana is covered in a thin sauce that tastes more of lighter fluid than rum and is topped with ice cream on a warm plate, which causes the ice cream to become a soggy puddle before you even have a chance to put it in your mouth. This was the best — better than that I had in New Orleans (although that could be in large part due to the fact that my surroundings didn’t smell like urine and vomit, but again, that’s another story).
Tim’s key lime pie was excellent — cold, creamy and tasted of a fresh lime, rather than the bottled stuff. It was drizzled with a raspberry coulis and mint oil — delicious! Now I’m not normally a crust person, but the crust on this pie was great. It was a cookie-based crust, but it wasn’t crumbly, dry or crunchy. I’d love to know the chef’s trick for pulling that off!
After consuming our entire week’s worth of calories, we waddled out the door two very happy customers, determined that we’ll be back again next year even if we do get food poisoning again! It’s that worth it!
The only disappointing part of the evening came from our choice of movie. We went and suffered through Fool’s Gold. Boy is that one horrible movie. A chick flick isn’t supposed to have nudity or tons of cursing, but this one did. Lame plots and cheesy lines, yes, I’m used to that and even OK with that, but when Theo from the Cosby Show is the bad guy, you’ve made a mistake in movie-making. I think the disappointment was heightened because we don’t get to the movies that often together anymore — neither of us could even remember the last movie we’d seen together — so to finally get the chance to go and have to sit through that nonsense was maddening. I think we would have left the theater it was that bad, but neither of us could move while in our food coma!
A big thanks to Kena and Chelsea who took care of the munchkin and then snuck out of the house without taking their money. Believe me girls, that money will find its way to your pockets if I have to beat you both over the head to do so.
Our seventh year was great, filled with good times with family and friends and our precious daughter. I’m excited to see what God has in store for us during year eight. I love you Tim!
