Happy Anniversary

This past weekend, Tary and I celebrated our first anniversary as a married couple. It was relatively quiet compared to previous weekends but it was nice for the two of us to just enjoy being together.

Saturday's highlight was a late-night dinner at the Capital Grille in Burlington, MA. It's a very expensive restaurant that Tary and I would normally never go to but we received a gift card last year as a wedding gift. As we pulled up, I was reminded of how out of place these establishments made me feel. The restaurant had complimentary valet parking which immediately triggered a barrage of questions in my head:

1. Where am I supposed to drive?
2. Will the valet come to me or do I have to get closer to the restaurant?
3. What is an appropriate tip when he returns my car?

Ahhh! The restaurant actually shared the same parking lot as Borders. I would have preferred to just park the car myself. There's a lot less thinking involved.

I had made reservations for 8:45 PM but they weren't ready for us so we had to wait in the bar/lounge area. It was cramped and noisy. There was a lot of activity around the bar. As we looked around, this restaurant would have been a perfect place for a self-proclaimed "yuppie" like me except that we were surrounded by old people. Definitely not my scene.

After a while, we were led to a small circular table tucked away in the back corner of a room. It wasn't very romantic being in such a tight little space. Even though we were out of our element, I was just happy being with my wife.

We started off with some pan-fried calamari with hot cherry peppers. I was surprised that it had some kick to it. However, I think the calamari at Longhorn tastes better.

For our entrees, I ordered the seared tenderloin with butter poached lobster with a side of fresh asparagus and hollandaise sauce. My tenderloin was simply seasoned and perfectly cooked but pretty small. Also, my dish only came with a few scant pieces of lobster. The asparagus was sloppily prepared and still had the tough, fibrous ends still on them.

Tary ordered the double-cut lamb rib chops with a side of lobster mac 'n' cheese. The lamb was a little gamey but the accompanying wine reduction sauce was delicious. I was a little skeptical of the lobster mac 'n' cheese but that was also delicious. However, I was envious that her mac 'n' cheese had more lobster in it than my main dish!

For dessert, we shared a flourless chocolate espresso cake and it was amazing. I also finished with a cappuccino with frothed milk, a dusting of cinnamon, and a rock candy stir. I think I am getting old but I now look forward to coffee after meals.

As for the service, our waitress must have had something else on her mind. She initially forgot to bring a 2nd napkin for me. She then forgot to give us knives with our meals. When she tried serving the calamari on our plates, she kept dropping food and utensils around Tary. After the meal, she reached to clear our plates but she was still holding a knife in her hand which came dangerously close to my jugular.

Let's be honest; the Capital Grille just isn't our kind of place. A rib joint like the Smokey Bones is more our style. Even though the service was terrible, our table was tiny, the meal was expensive, and the food was just okay, I still had a great time with Tary. I love just being with Tary.

On Sunday, after church we had our usual lunch at my parents' house. We left Daniel there while Tary and I continued our anniversary weekend together.

We went to catch the 1:30 PM showing of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Overall, the movie was enjoyable when Bella wasn't always trying to kill herself. The love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob became increasingly uncomfortable for me. The action and special effects were pretty good. I guess that's where the movie's entire budget was spent because they apparently ran out when it came to Jacob's wardrobe. Just because the guy got a haircut, did a few pushups, and drank protein shakes, that didn't justify flaunting him throughout the movie like some big-nosed Abercrombie model. Besides, his skin doesn't sparkle.

In another blow to my manhood, I thought it was "romantic" how Edward proposed to Bella. I guess I can somewhat relate to Edward's character in that I have that same, "I would do anything for you" feeling for Tary. How fitting on our first anniversary.

Tary, even though I'm not fast or strong like these movie characters, I'd still do anything for you. And as far as I know, Edward and Jacob can't write a mean Python script like I can. It's been a wonderful first year together with so many memorable moments. We have each other and now our little Daniel has become a part of our family. I can't wait to see what next year brings our way. I love you so much! Happy anniversary!