Did a thing last night…

Yes, it was valentines day, and yes, I typically tout valentines dinner at home… but hear me out.

For years. Years. We did valentines at home, because in order to go out for valentines, you have to have a sitter. And that sitter has to not have their own plans on valentines day. And only rarely does that happen. I think maybe once in 16 years of celebrating valentines with children, were we able to go out. And of course we went to george’s.

Which brings me to my next problem with eating out on valentines. Pre fix menus. And not for the reason you’d think. I like sampling many dishes. When the hubs and I go out, we typically order shared apps, and many of them, v/s a main. We like to share and experience all sorts of food. And the problem with pre fix is that it’s typically the exact same food right down the line. Not a lot of choices. And because it’s the same thing, most are prepared ahead of time, and quite frankly not as tasty.

Which brings me back to george’s, which never disappoints, has a prefix menu with options, so no one is getting the same thing, and we get to sample lots of different items. It’s basically the only place I’ll go to on valentines…

Plus, since they’ve closed modern (the bottom level), which was our favorite restaurant of all time, it was a way for us to experience eating there once again, and pretend we were back at our beloved TBL3. Shout out to our favorite waiter pat. Between him and mike the gm, it felt like old times.

We got there a little early, so had some drinks at the bar. Which was a giant trip of nostalgia in and of itself.

We were very amused by the starter, which came with a complimentary glass of champs. And by the table next to us, who tried to convince their waiter that it was complimentary refills of said glass of champs all night.

Y’all know how I feel about oysters, and this one was no different. Fresh, clean and bright is the best way to describe it. And champagne foam… speaking my love language for sure.

The tart too was excellent. I was expecting a hot bite, so it took me by surprise. In a good way.

We were surprised by a plate of piping hot, fresh focaccia, since it wasn’t on the menu. And pleasantly so. Oh my gosh you guys. Seriously the best focaccia ever. So much so, Jamie had me stop what I was doing to text aly immediately and let her know that he’s not a bread guy, but this bread? Was everything.

It was crispy and salty, and fluffy, and just like mary poppins, perfectly perfect in every way.

The carpaccio was amazing. I don’t know if I’ve sung the praises of the sunchoke ‘round here, but it’s one of my most favorite, and under represented vegetables. Looks like ginger, tastes like an artichoke heart, if that artichoke was the best you’ve ever had.

The fact that the beef was draped over the sunchokes, which were left whole, and not puréed as too many places want to do, made for the perfect bite.

This dish changed my stance on raw halibut. I thought I wasn’t a fan of it raw. Correction. Apparently I love raw halibut… I’d just never had it prepared correctly.

I’ll be making onion rings each and every time I make new york steaks from now on. This is the only way it should be done. Please and thank you. I can’t even tell you just how good this unexpected pairing elevated the steak. Yea, there were mushrooms, and fantastic béarnaise… both necessary… but the onion ring was the piece de resistance.

And can we take a moment to appreciate that I loved the creamed spinach, and in real life, I don’t eat cooked spinach of any kind. Ever. It’s a weird me thing.

We basically fought over who got to eat more of this dish. That is all.

This strawberry and cream dessert was like the worlds best ice cream cake ever invented… I absolutely adored each and every bite. Which is a good thing, because Jamie tasted the next dessert, and basically refused to share. Allowing me one bite, and one bite only for “flavor profiling purposes.”

“Tell me what’s happening here,” were his exact words, when he let me have a tiny taste. The hazel nut and chocolate together were amazing. It reminded me of these fudge wafer things, my dad used to love and would hide in the fridge. Everything worked together to create the perfect bite. And now, Jamie’s obsessed and wants it over and over again.