Mystery Date

   Since we were not able to celebrate our anniversary on our actual anniversary date, we celebrated yesterday. Since both of us have been spending a lot of time indoors,we decided that a bike ride was in order. We decided to bike around the lakes in Minneapolis. I like Lake of the Isles. It's a pretty area with a lot of nice homes. We also decided to bike around Lake Harriet and Lake Bde Maka Ska. The bike paths are very good and the walking trails are separate from the bike path.  It gets pretty crowded on the weekends, but yesterday was not so bad. There were a few other bikers and people on scooters all enjoying the nice weather and the view of the lakes.
  We biked around Lake of the Isles first. We wanted to go all the way around but part of the trail was underwater and too deep to bike through. We cut across to Lake Harriet. There is a small snack stand there. We stopped to get a treat. We got some ice cream and ate it while looking at the sailboats on the lake. Some of the boats were tied up as their owners  were probably working. We got back on our bikes again and rode a little more. While we were riding C mentioned that he had made a dinner reservation. I would need to dress up. He wanted it to be a surprise.
  We got home in plenty of time to clean up. I asked C if he had any preference as to what I wore. He didn't so I chose my favourite, It's a long sleeveless purple dress. I wear it with a light purple shrug. I have a rhinestone and pearl necklace and earring set that I wear on special occasions. I pulled them out and put them on. I decided to wear my hair up. I've been doing that more now that it's grown back. It actually looks good that way. I found a silver and pearl barrett to secure it with. I must admit I looked pretty glamorous. C donned a nice looking shirt and pair of pants.
  When we got into the car, C asked me to close my eyes. He put on the Frank Sinatra station and we were on our way. C asked me if I knew where we were going. I told him that I think we're going someplace in St. Paul because he said it would take about 15 minutes to get there. He replied that we could be going to Eagan. That's true,but I don't know of any restaurants in Eagan where we would need to dress up. The car made several turns and twists. I'm directionally challenged with my eyes open, there was no way I was going to figure it out with my eyes closed. C made a few comments that made me think that he might have gotten a little turned around. Could this be a new place? Somewhere we've not been to before? I was curious but kept my eyes shut. I am a woman of my word.
   Pretty soon it started to feel like we were parking. C told me to stay in the car and he would get me out. He reminded me to keep my eyes closed. I sat in the car until he opened the door and helped me out. I was standing on some grass. C helped me turn around and get onto a sidewalk. He told me to open my eyes. We were in St. Paul and near one of my favourite restaurants. I had no idea. We walked to the restaurant and were shown to a table on the patio. It was a nice evening to be outside.
   We ordered something to drink and I asked for the Chef's Tasting Menu. It's what I order every time we go there for dinner. It's expensive, but the experience is worth it. I've had so many things I never would have tried. When I got the menu I almost wanted to order something else. There was ham and pork on the menu. I don't eat either one. I decided to do it anyway.
   The first course was a glass of sparkling water infused with cucumber and spice. On the rim of the glass was a piece of watermelon that had been prepared by being placed in a vacuum packet.  The second course was the ham. It wasn't like ham from the deli. It was closer to bacon or maybe prosciutto an Italian spiced ham. It was served with a toasted baguette. I liked it. The next course was a small piece of halibut served with grapefruit and a small fried rice cake also very good. Then came the main course. It was a large piece of pork with kale and wild rice on the side. I carefully cut a piece and took a bite. I couldn't believe it. It was good. I finished the whole thing with enthusiasm. I offered a piece to C. The cheese course was a cheese made from sheep and goat's milk. It was served with lavosh crackers,a few mixed nuts, a strawberry and a little honey. It wasn't bad but nothing I'd want to eat on a regular basis. My dessert was a flan made of hops. It was kind of like a pudding with gooseberry puree on top. I hadn't had gooseberries since I was a kid and I picked them off of the bush growing at my parent's house.
  I had a wonderful time.  (C did too.)