Vegan Mofo 19.1: Dinner Out

I loved this picture of a maple tree I took yesterday. It should have been included in the prior post. How did I forget this?

When I got home from my walk I wanted a glass of water. When I left the room I came back to this. Yes that is Nicco (Binky) with his head in my glass. No spoiled cats in this house. *rolls eyes* Can you tell how accustomed they are to doing exactly what they want to do? LOL, I am not a good feline disciplinarian.

I mentioned in the last post that Dan wanted to go out to dinner last night. My first reaction was we should stay home but then I came to my senses. Who in their right mind would say no I would really rather cook and clean at home. Needless to say we went out for dinner. ;-)

Since it was a Thursday night we didn’t think reservations were necessary. Clearly that was a mistake. When we got to the restaurant there was a line for seating, on a Thursday. What? It wasn’t a long wait thought so it was fine. We also got a chance to see a few of the regulars from wine tasting that we hadn’t seen in close to a year and a half. It was wonderful to see them. We chatted with Allan (one of the owners) while we waited for a table to open up. Then we got the news that Ian was off. Dinner without a hug from the chef is just not right. Clearly we need to go back soon when he is there. ;-)  Dan had to remind me that I got hugs from 10 other people so I shouldn't be complaining.  He does have a point about that, LOL.  In case you hadn't noticed the restaurant is like our version of "Cheers".

Here is a pic of Dan scanning the menu. Sorry about the quality of the picture I took it without the flash so I didn’t disturb other diners. I had Dan take some pictures of me but none of them are any good. Some of the pics were so bad I thought of including them because they are really funny. I adore my husband but photography is not one of his strengths. LOL

We are becoming creatures of habit when we dine out. *shakes head* I hope that isn’t us becoming set in our ways. On no, is that a sure sign we are getting, or have already gotten old.  Eek! ;-)
 

First we ordered the spicy black bean soup that was a special last night that is vegan though not advertised as such. Dan ordered a bowl and I had a cup.  His bowl made a better picture.

Next we split our favorite marinated mushrooms. These are so good I really need to try making them Ian’s way with soy and truffle because it is a wonderful flavor combination. You have to love that this is another naturally vegan item.

Dan thought we “needed” whole wheat pizza. This time we had them include: marinara, red onions, olives, capers, artichokes and shitakes. It was a good pizza combination and Dan came up with it. I think he is getting the hang of this.

After dinner we decided to swing by the college gym to see how crowded it was at night. At 10:30pm there were probably 40 cars in the parking lot. However from what we could see through the window it wasn’t crowded which is a good thing for us. Since both Dan and I are both night owls there is a good chance we will be working out late at night. I am hoping to get him to the gym before work but realistically we may end up being late night exercisers.

The gym building is much larger than either of us envisioned. Our plan now is to stop there tonight after work, get the tour and sign up. Dan is looking forward to the indoor climbing wall, and the circuit weights. I am excited about the pool, sauna and indoor squash courts. Can you believe a school gym has all this? I am still amazed since when I went to school there I don’t remember much of a gym. There was an indoor pool but it was tough to use since the swim team seemed to practice all the time. Things have really changed since we graduated back in the Stone Age.  ;-)

Happy thoughts:

Yesterday was a great day which means I have plenty to be thankful for this morning:

• Dinner out was great. The food was wonderful and we got a chance to see some old friends.

• We also made a new friend at the restaurant. We had a different server last night who was very sweet. Since we go to the restaurant we have our usual servers as well as foods. It is always nice to meet new people.

• Last night I slept like a rock which I really needed. I haven’t been sleeping well (no reason) so I needed the rest.

• Dan and I are thinking about going to a vegan meet up next month that is organized by the same group that is sponsoring the “Forks Over Knives” screening. We have avoided these since we expected to be the “elder states people” but we are considering giving it a try. I will keep you informed on this. It is absolutely out of our comfort zone. That is why I think it will be good for us.

Signing out:

It is Friday which means errand day for me. I will be back later with two recipes from Wednesday night. I am getting behind on my cooking posts and this is still a food blog. Right?  LOL

I hope everyone had a great week and has something fun planned for the weekend. Talk to you again later today.  Happy Friday!