Year 38: Day One

Mike and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary yesterday.  We don't usually give one another gifts, and this year was no different.  We do splurge for a nice dinner out.  Last night, we selected the one elegant restaurant in our little town of Newberg, Oregon, called The Painted Lady.  What a lovely evening we had.

The folks at the restaurant went out of their way to make it special for us.  Interestingly, there was another couple seated at the table next to us who were also celebrating an anniversary.

The Painted Lady began as a loving restoration of an old home.  They also have a guest cottage that can be rented for special events.  They are in the heart of Oregon wine country, after all.  

This is the dining room.  It grew busier as the evening went on, which was surprising because we didn't arrive until 7:00 p.m.

Our waiter kindly offered to take our picture when he spied my camera on the table.

We even dressed up a little.

They brought us this lovely little appetizer of spiced nuts, some sort of little parmesan puff, and a flatbread with hummus.

We had a nice bottle of wine from one of the local wineries, Domaine Drouhin, where we are members.  The vineyards are owned by a French family that we met at an event once.  They were very charming.

Then they brought us this little "amuse".  Of course we had to break out the iPhone and look up the difference between an "amuse" and an "appetizer".  As it turns out, an appetizer is ordered off the menu, while an amuse is served up at the pleasure of the chef.  Who knew?

The Painted Lady features a prix fixe menu, meaning we paid one price and chose between options spread over four courses.  I started with dessert, of course.  Not really.  I decided to order a combination of dishes from the vegetarian and carnivore's menu.  (So, what exactly is it if it's not vegetarian?  Huh?)

Mine started with this Composition of Beets, Tarragon Vinaigrette and Chevre Mousse.  It contained regular beets like you might expect them to be served, but there were also roasted-to-a-crisp beets on top of the frisee and watercress greens, and that is beet powder off to the right.  (Beet powder!  A staple in my kitchen.)

Then we moved on to the "mid-course" which for me was a Seared Diver Scallop over Cauliflower Puree, Capers and Beurre Noisette.  ("Beurre Noisette" which probably means something like "noisy butter".)

Then I moved back to the vegetarian menu for this dish of Cardamom Scented Crepes with Roasted Vegetables, Cous Cous, and Red Wine Soubise.   ("Soubise" . . . no idea.)

Then I had some amaretto in a snifter, which I enjoyed very much.

And then, dessert.  Just to remind you:

What else?  A Trio of Chocolate Decadence.  I love a dessert with the word "decadence" in the name, don't you?  This happens to be a little hot lava cake, a sort of chocolate peanut butterfinger kind of little cake, and at the top a little chevre mousse with chocolate caviar.  (Chocolate caviar from chocolate fish, no doubt.)

And then, because we hadn't had nearly enough to eat, they brought us this little tray of goodies along with some late harvest reisling.

On the top shelf were two chocolate-dipped Oregon strawberries . . . the first Oregon strawberries of the season!  Really!  The actual first two strawberries.  Served to us.  For our anniversary.  (Actually, they are the first Oregon berries we've had this season.  Dee-lish!)

As we left, I noticed this rose growing through the slats of the garden gate.  Perfect.  Really.  It was a perfect evening.