Valentine's Sweets & Eats

Since Firoze and I both had to work on February 14th, we moved our Valentine's celebration to Tuesday and Wednesday... our "weekend" off together. That was our real present, just to have the luxury of two days off together.

No matter what gifts were exchanged, or the words that were written in the cards, or the amazing meal we shared, we both know... real love is when your husband or wife says "shhh, it's ok, you sleep... I'll get the baby." When Dean woke up teething at 4:00am, Firoze let me sleep in. When he woke back up at 5:00am, it was my turn to show some love!


Maybe it was because it was so early, but when I laid him on the bed, he didn't squirm or flip over like he normally does... he just chilled. He looked so cute, just flopped out and peaceful, so I had to take a few pics.


I LOVE baby wrist indentations and hand dimples... how cute and chubby he is... makes me want to eat him up!


You would hardly believe this child was just screaming 5 minutes before???


Baby tube socks. Cute. End of story!

So, anyways, back to the real morning... when the sun actually came up and normal people get out of bed and enjoy breakfast...

I went old school, before the kids, back to the days when we were newlyweds... Why does that seem sooooo long ago? :) Anyways, back in the good old days, I would make Firoze a fresh smoothie filled with all kinds of his favorite fruits every morning for breakfast. I'm sure you can guess why the last time he had a fresh smoothie for breakfast was 4 and a half years ago...



So, for Valentine's Day, I brought back the smoothie and surprised Firoze with the start to our newlyweds breakfast.


It was filled with mango, strawberry, and banana... oh my!

And he surprised me with something VERY sweet... literally sweet...


It has been on "my list" - that would be my very important "things to eat" list. Doesn't everyone have a list like that? Hmmm...


After you see this photo, you'll know why it was on "my list." Seriously, these are little works of art. Who needs to go to the museum? Wouldn't you rather look at beautiful food? I would. These are amazing chocolates and I suggest you try them on a special occasion - they are called Norman Love Confections and I really hope they will send me some free chocolate when this blog gets 10,000 followers and they see my glorious review (ok, that is in my dreams).

After a nice morning spent with the boys, I went for my Valentine's gift... to get my hair highlighted. For me, this is truly the definition of luxury - to have a few free hours to sit in a chair, reading gossip magazines and have someone make my hair look pretty. It doesn't happen often, about twice a year to be exact, but when it does, it is SO good.


So, I'm back to being a natural blonde again. Ha.

After more time with the boys, we headed out on... gasp... a date!

It's a Valentine's Day miracle!

A real date... to a very fancy restaurant for a dream meal with My Love. Ahhh... if only every day could be Valentine's Day.

Our Valentine's Day meal was actually our Christmas gift from Aaron and Bethany and they truly spoiled us with an evening of bliss at Bacchanalia. Valentine's Day, Christmas, Martin Luther King Day, Yom Kippur (who knows if I'm even spelling that right? ha!), or any other holiday... doesn't matter what day it is... go there... eat AMAZINGLY for 3 hours... you'll be VERY happy you did and you'll feel very pampered! Thanks A&B - you are the best!

Now, here's the disclaimer... if you are not a foodie, just stop here. Otherwise, you might think I'm crazy. However, if you are a foodie, you have probably dined at Bacchanalia and you probably brought your camera. I looked around and saw you... and you were taking pictures too. And I knew I fit right in... So, here's the play by play... (P.S. These photos are a little blurry because we were dining in "romance lighting" - not the same thing as "McDonald's lighting," which might have made the pictures crystal clear.)

Course 1: Amuse Bouche...

I was definitely amused. I was delighted. This was one of the most memorable parts of the evening. It was a two parter... Part 1... mini cheese puffs (or gougeres, as they are properly known). Unfortunately, they were popped in our mouths and gobbled up before my camera even made it out of my purse. This was a tragedy, since I need to have these again. I MUST have these again. If you know me, then you know I'll be attempting to make mini cheese puffs sometime in the next 7 days. Please chef, I'm sure you are reading my blog and you'll send me your recipe.


Part 2 - radishes with something salty and crunchy on top. Come on people, I was too hungry to take photos and detailed notes!


Firoze started with a Moscow Mule. Didn't you hear on Oprah... Moscow Mule is the new black! Or the new Cosmopolitan. Or the new Bloody Mary. Whatever. It's new and it's very cool, therefore Firoze had to try it. And it comes in it's own signature copper mug - what could be cooler than that? Other than the fact it's served over an entire mug of shaved ice! For those that are wondering, it's house made ginger beer, gin, mint and lime.

Soup Course:


It was beet soup with crispy fried beet curls on top. Doesn't that sound delicious? Not really? Well, let me just tell you... this was frickin' fantastic! It was silky and sweet and savory and AMAZING. I drank mine, and then I finished Firoze's off too... yay me!

Appetizer Course:
Did you think we already ate appetizers... no, we are just getting started here!


Firoze had foie gras. Debbie, eat your heart out! It was politely molded and placed on the plate to be demolished and spread on fresh brioche toast points.


I had the "Blue Crab Fritter," otherwise known as the jumbo crab ball. Oh my goodness... this was full of sweet crab meat without a single piece of filler to be found. How do you shape a baseball of crab meat into a ball and keep it together and deep fry it until it is hot and crispy on the outside? That's a secret that only a chef at Bacchanalia knows, that's for sure! Yes chef, I'll have another.


Cheers Love! I wouldn't want to dine with anyone but you! XOXO

Main Course:


Firoze got the lamb. He loves lamb more than he loves me. Maybe not, but pretty high up there! This lamb was da bomb! That's what Firoze would say if he was a rapper circa 1992. It was covered in about 10 different things like sauces, foams, reductions, spices... if only I knew what they all were.


I got the scallops. I don't normally order scallops, but I thought "take a chance" "be a risk taker." This is not the place to order chicken fingers people!!!! Order what you don't normally order! These are highly trained chefs - they will make it taste good. And they did. It was phenomenal! Imagine... you are on an Adirondack chair on the beach in Nantucket and the catch of the day was fresh scallops. Now imagine butter and cream and potatoes and goodness of the sea. Yep, now you get it.

Cheese Course:

Oh. my. gosh. Where the heck are my pictures of the cheese course? Is it possible that I was so busy enamored with eating cheese that I forgot to take pictures?

Yes.

So, it was truly spectacular. I especially liked Firoze's cheddar with julienned apples and pecans. Too bad there is no photo to tempt you. :(

Palate Cleanser:

Forget about measly sorbets! SORBET, SORBET... GO AWAY! (That's what I imagine the chefs shouting as they came up with this!)


Our palate cleanser was a hot chocolate! Do you love it, or what?! And this was the real deal - thick, creamy... decadent.

Dessert Course:


French press coffee for me. Coffee with dessert says "no kids are present." It's date night after all! Time to relax and enjoy three hours of conversation with my favorite person, three hours of incredible food and great service.




Baba au Rhum. Barefoot Contessa loves it, so therefore I made Firoze order it and told him "you'll love it, trust me." And he did love it. That's why we're a match made in heaven... because I can order for him and I know he'll love it. Awwww... does that make you want to smack us? It's Valentine's Day... just go with it. Spread the love.


Chocolate Molten Cake. This was my choice for dessert and I'm standing by it. I don't care that every restaurant in the history of the world serves it. I like it and I wanted to eat it the best way it could be prepared. Valrhona chocolate... dark, hot... oozy. Oh yes!

So our Valentine's ended very sweetly. It was the perfect day actually. I'm so truly thankful for the love I feel for Devon and Dean. Even more, I'm so thankful for the love that Firoze and I share after 6 years of marriage and two babies. It's the real deal. You can't ask for more than that! I feel blessed and felt very loved on Valentine's Day. I hope your day was filled with love... and chocolate!