Taking Time

We celebrated our anniversary this week and our kids' interest is funny to us. Anna announced to her entire class that it was her Mama and Daddy's special day. When I picked them up after school they were tickled as can be and wanted to race home to watch our wedding video (thanks Yo!). We didn't make it around to that but I am sure we will soon. I don't know how long I will have other people who actually WANT to watch our wedding so I will pop the popcorn and snuggle in to watch it with them while they let me.

Photo by Anna (our five year old)

So, the husband and I made it out for an adult dinner. It shouldn't be such a notable affair but lately we haven't been out as much as we used to. We had a standing date night each week but got away from that. Now we go a little bigger when we do make it out.

We dined at Mastros Ocean Club in Newport (Crystal Cove). While we don't usually dine at steakhouses and prefer an intimate setting we were not at all disappointed. Our service was great. The atmosphere was upbeat and pleasant but we still felt we could have an intimate conversation.

The martini was 'top notch' according to the husband and I enjoyed a nice rose bubbly. We certainly enjoyed the pianist as he seemed to read our mood and played some of our favorites (without request). Yes, he played John Mayer! Along with Elton John and Jack Johnson. Classics in our book.

I won't give you a full run down of the food except to say that it was fabulous. We had the Dungeness Crab Cocktail which was served with dry ice. Points for presentation! The portion was not minuscule like you often get and the flavor and freshness superb. Also notable, if you have a chance to dine at Mastros I highly recommend the lemon sole. It melts in your mouth, literally. Scrumptious! It's not a steakhouse without merit. Our turf was so flavorful it was a fair match up to the surf portion of our meal.

So cheers to a great night out. May you also enjoy some intimate time with your special one (and maybe even share your wedding video with your youngins'). Here's to it!