Weekend Update

Friday
Chris has been working late hours these days (I’ve joked that he might as well still be in China, for as much as I’m seeing him), and Friday was no exception. Some friends had invited us to join them for dinner in our neighborhood, as they were going to be in the area, and Chris had declined due to work. At the time, I thought, “But I don’t have to work!” Thankfully, they thought the same thing, and called me from the restaurant. I met them and had a lovely dinner at a local French place better known for its breakfasts and pastries. I can now attest to the fact that they’re no slouches when it comes to dinner, either.

Saturday
Chris was at work for several hours on Saturday as well, so a friend and I went to the farmer’s market without him. Because of all the rain we’ve had lately, my favorite stand actually already had gorgeous (and huge!) strawberries for sale. I bought two containers, thinking of ice cream.

Chris did take me on a “date” on Saturday night to make up for all the time he’d been out of touch the past week. I’d been inspired after my French dinner on Friday, so we went to Carafe – a place we’ve been hearing about from a friend (who’s also a friend of the chef), and never got around to trying. We had a splendid meal, and the waitstaff was great – the atmosphere is very Parisian café, and as she handed us the bill our waitress even said, “No hurry, take your time, we’re here all night.” Very unlike many of the American-ised places that try to usher people in and out to cram more guests into one night. Nice to be able to relax, finish our wine, and enjoy being out. It’s a place we’ll definitely return to, and one where we’ll take friends.

Sunday
We got to sleep in – which is the kind of thing that feels decadent, even on a Sunday – and then had a late brunch with some friends at the new(ish) M&S Grill in the new (and mostly still incomplete) Bridgeport Village shopping center. We only realized later how lucky we were to get a parking spot – when we left M&S, everywhere we walked after that as we checked out the stores, there were countless cars circling the various parking lots. Yes, it was the “grand opening” weekend, so I’d expect it to be a bit busier than a normal Sunday afternoon… But if it’s already this hard to find parking, I’m not encouraged about shopping there later on when all the stores are open or (I shudder to think) during the holiday shopping season. I’ll reserve judgment until later on, but Sunday’s experience doesn’t bode well.

I ended up making not one, but two kinds of ice cream Sunday night – strawberry (with the berries from the market), and chocolate. It was the first time I’d tried to make chocolate ice cream, and I’m happy to say it turned out to be divine. Now I have to try to remember what the hell I did...