a frenchy anniversary

B and I celebrated our 34th anniversary on Saturday March 20, the first day of spring. I have always wanted to have dinner at Rue Franklin. B remembered that and made reservations there. It is such a Frenchy little place. Even the waiters and the hostess sounded French. I think the hostess may have been the owner...kind of a pushy little woman who demanded our coats and informed us that it was warm in the restaurant and we wouldn't be needing them.



The waiters were fixated on their little baskets of silverware. They scooped away all our silverware after each course and replaced it. There was a little garden outside the three French doors.


the evening's salad menu


and entree menu


a view of the little garden outside our window

B brought along a gift for me. I wasn't really expecting anything.



And he surprised me again by remembering the colognes that I had lingered over when we were shopping in Neiman Marcus in Chicago. He remembered my two favorites.


Lime, Basil and Mandarin...a fruity summer scent and Amber and Lavender...a spicy scent. I have always loved lavender and the addition of amber tones down the sharpness of the lavender and gives it a spicy sexy tone. These both smell oh so good.


my beet salad


my baby halibut with tomatoes and fennel....note the adorable yellow squash fish scales. I'll have to try this at home. The waiter gave me an oddly shaped wide flat knife with a big notch in it for this entree.


B's amande gateau with apricot sabayon


my chocolate terrine with cardamon anglaise



This is me in my best ever thrift store find. A black knit exclusively misook dress with lace and rhinestone sleeves. When I bought this dress for about $5 a year or so ago, I came home and googled it only to find that the very dress was on Nordstrom's website somewhere in the vicinity of $350. After dinner B and I went to the Imax to see Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. It was fantasical.