The Raft

Last night I took my husband out on a date.  It was a celebration of his accompolishment.  After 3 years of hard work, he finished his Bachelor's Degree.
He managed his career (upwards), his family and his personal life while managing to fit class after class after class into the mix.  Not to mention paying tuition out of his own pocket at the same time.
It took sacrifice on his, on our, part.  We had to think of the financial aspect of it, the stress aspect and the time aspect.
There were often nights that we didn't see Daddy.  He had work then he had schoolwork.  He also needed time to relax - don't we all - and let it all slide off him.  We worked around him.  We supported him.  We loved and cheered him.  But, ultimately, he did the work and he earned the degree.
I couldn't be prouder of him, of his determination, his perseverance and his good old-fashioned work ethic.
These are qualities I have admired in him for all of the years I have known him.  These are the qualities that have brought us to where we were (broke twenty-somethings living on ramen noodles and canned beer) to where we are...  which is a much better place.

So, I took my man out for a decadent evening.
We started at the Raw Bar where we drank pints and sucked oysters out of their shells.
Then, we sat in our romantic booth where we were greeted by my (previously arranged) gift of chilled champagne.
Our waiter, Carrig, popped the cork and wished us well.  We toasted, drank and chatted through the bottle.

Our first courses were, for me, an Iceberg Wedge with Blue Cheese & Tomatoes (I opted out of the bacon) and, for Jay, Lobster Bisque.
My salad was crisp, cold but not too cold, and loaded with creamy, delicious blue cheese dressing.  Jay's soup was hot, creamy and loaded with lobster chunks. 
We already had the raw bar and were almost through our champagne so this really would have been enough.
But we marched on!

Jay ordered the Soft Shelled Crab and I had the Filet Mignon.  Both dinners were melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  Served hot and perfect, exactly as we ordered them.  The timing was perfect, as well.  We were neither rushed nor left without.  As waiters walked by our table, they poured our champagne for us.  A separate server brought our Raw Bar, our appetizers and still another came by with well-wishes from Brian, the manager that I had arranged the reservation with that morning.  We were treated like special guests with plenty of attention without being made to feel overwhelmed.

On my plate with my filet was wilted spinach with garlic and just a touch of salt.  And a "baked potato with gorgonzola & bacon".  Let me tell you about this "baked potato".
It was, by FAR, the most amazing potato dish I have ever put into my mouth.
I am having trouble finding the words to describe to you how amazingly, mouth watering, extravagant-ly delicious it was.  I gushed on and on to Carrig about it as he smiled knowingly.
It was sort of shaped like a muffin.  It must have been baked in a cup of some sort.  It wasn't your traditional baked potato it was simply potato that had been baked.  But first it was mashed, creamed and had garlic, gorgonzola and bacon mixed into it.  Then it was brushed with butter or something equally delicious that made a slight crust around the cup shaped potato.  When I put my fork into it, it oozed like lava cake.  I couldn't eat it as fast as I wanted to because it was so hot.  Really, I could have stripped naked and rolled around in it - it was that good.

We chose Max Fish because as far as restaurants go in this great state, you can not go wrong when you choose a Max.
The service is always impeccable, the food is always impressive, the atmosphere always welcoming and classy.
When I look back at my career in Sales, the one and only thing I will ever admit to missing is the dinners, drinks and social hours.  And Max played a huge part in that.

So, we chose wisely, but to say we were not disappointed is the understatement of the year.
From the Raw Bar to the Irish Coffees and the unbelievable "Hot Fudge to the Max" dessert, this visit was Legendary.