Steamed black mussel with pan-roasted sea scallops in a Pesto basil white wine broth
This sparkling Australian wine was so sweet! I loved it.
I got the filet mignon…
…while Dan got the rack of lamb.
Bon appetit!
They gave us a dessert sampler since it was our anniversary. Everything was great!
A beautiful sunset greeted us after our dinner.
It’s been six years since our wedding and over 11 years since the beginning of our journey as a couple. We’re so blessed to have had so many wonderful years and memories together, and we look forward to several more! Can’t wait to see what the future holds. I know it’ll be a beautiful life as long as I have Dan by my side. ♥ Love you, hubby!
Our wedding anniversary is July 26th, but because we’ll be on a plane to Hawaii that day, we decided to celebrate it early this weekend with a dinner date at La Fondue in Saratoga. We drove down to the South Bay and dropped Mio off with the grandparents (since they live in San Jose now) so that we could enjoy a lovely evening to ourselves. It had been a while since we’d had a date night, so it was so nice to just have that time together as a couple, knowing that Mio was in good hands.
Friends had told us about what an amazing dining experience La Fondue was and how it was the perfect restaurant for a romantic dinner and special occasions. I’d been wanting to go for years but we hadn’t because it’s kind of far from the East Bay where we live, and it was too fancy for us to just swing by on past occasions when we did happen to find ourselves in the area. But this year, since we needed to drop Mio off in the South Bay anyway, we decided that it was the perfect opportunity to finally visit what is easily the best fondue restaurant in the Bay Area.
Outside of La Fondue in Saratoga
The decor inside the restaurant was very retro and artsy… I loved it!
Each table had one of these cool lamps, which feature a gold gun as the handle.
We opted for the punsch cooking method, which is spiced red wine with cloves and rosemary.
It was very flavorful, with no fat or broth.
The hubster enjoying the dinner. All the meats were wonderful.
Ever the seafood lover, my favorites were the shrimp and sea scallops!
Dan is overwhelmed by all the options and possible combinations for the chocolate fondue.
After much deliberation over which chocolate fondue we wanted, we decided to go with The Decadent One, which is a dark and milk chocolate bowl, mixed with espresso, kahlua, and creme. The array of desserts they brought for us to dip into the chocolate was very impressive! There were strawberries, bananas, grapes, apples, marshmallows, cream puffs, wafer cookie sticks, cream cheese balls, cookie dough, pound cake, and even Snickers chocolates! And you request extra of your favorites afterwards. (I was too full at the end, but Dan requested extra strawberries.) Even Dan said that as much as he hated to admit it, the dessert was his favorite part of the meal!
A heavenly selection of desserts!
I tried the strawberry first…
…because there are few things that are sweeter than a chocolate-covered strawberry!
marshmallows + chocolate = always amazing!
Our waiter even brought us some champagne on the house for our anniversary! 🙂
Anniversary champagne! The strawberry was a nice touch.
Cheers, hubby!
It was such a memorable, romantic, and delicious dinner! The ambience, the food, the service… everything was so perfect. We both agreed that this was probably our favorite anniversary dinner yet. It’ll be hard to top this one, but we look forward to many more anniversaries together.
Marriage is not always easy — in fact, it can be a pretty bumpy ride and at times unbelievably trying — but it’s been a wonderful journey thusfar, and we wouldn’t change a moment of it. We’re not perfect and don’t pretend to be; marriage is a constant work in progress, but I believe that’s what makes it so exciting and worthwhile. There’s no better partner I could imagine weathering life’s challenges and experiencing all of its wonders and joys with. I’m so thankful every day to have Dan by my side, knowing that he’ll be with me wherever life takes us. Happy (early) anniversary, Dan — I love you! ♥
Yesterday was our three year wedding anniversary, and Dan’s parents offered to watch Mio while Dan and I went out to dinner after work to celebrate! We chose to go to Skates on the Bay in Berkeley, a waterfront restaurant that specializes in seafood. It boasts views of the bay, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay Bridge and San Francisco, and offers up an innovative menu of platters made from fresh market ingredients.
Skates on the Bay in Berkeley
Arriving at the restaurant
We ordered the Skate's Tasting Sampler for the appetizer. In my opinion, it was the best part of the meal!
chili-smoked tiger prawns
teriyaki beef tenderloin
crispy ahi roll
truffle chips
Ready for the main course!
Dan enjoying his beer
We had a view overlooking the water.
...and got to watch the sun set on the waters.
The waitress sucked at taking photos; hence the blurry picture.
Dan ready to dig into his seared ahi.
I love seafood! Excited to dig in.
The seafood linguini. It wasn't my top choice - I had wanted the mixed grilled seafood platter but they were out of the ingredients so I had this instead. It was a little underwhelming....
But it ended on an unexpectedly positive note. There was a group of ladies at the table next to us who were chattering away, and I noticed that they kept looking over at us but I just dismissed it, thinking that they were just admiring the view outside the window (which they probably were, most of the time). But as we were getting ready to leave, their table was also standing up to go and one of the young ladies came over to us and said, “I just wanted to say that you two are a very cute couple.” The stranger’s sweet comment took us by surprise, and it was a good reminder that although not everything will always go so smoothly, it doesn’t matter as long as we are happy together and can bring smiles to those around us.
After the women left, Dan added, “Little do they know that this very cute couple has a very cute baby!” and with that, we hurried home to see our little munchkin.
Mio just woke up when we got home.
"Did you miss me, Mio?"
This anniversary was all the more special with you in our lives, Mio!
People would tell us that once you have a child, everything changes. And they were right; it does. But while I expected the sort of change in which we would become so consumed by the responsibilities and challenges of parenthood that we wouldn’t have time to even really look at each other, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Beholding the little miracle before our eyes, who is half one of you and half the other, it brings you closer in a way you never would have imagined. And watching your partner transform from a husband to a father and seeing the way he pours out his love and affection for this baby is a truly eye-opening experience. You see a whole new side to the person you thought you knew so well, and you find yourself falling in love all over again. Becoming a parent opens up a completely new dimension and depth of love in yourself, and it has been amazing to watch not only ourselves but our relationship as a couple grow because of it. We thought that we had come so far in our journey together, but now we’re realizing that it has only just begun…. Happy anniversary, and here’s to all the years of continued laughter and joy to come.
On Monday, Dan and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary! We of course both had to work since it was a Monday, but we went to dinner at the world renowned Chez Panisse. Located in the “Gourmet Ghetto” of Berkeley and founded by the famous Alice Waters, it is credited as the birthplace of California cuisine. It frequently makes it into the ranks of the top 50 restaurants in the world, and reservations fill up very quickly. Dan and I were lucky to get a reservation in 8:45… pretty late for dinner, but Chez Panisse was well worth the wait!
Dan surprised me with flowers before dinner!
Pretty anniversary flowers.
Chez Panisse! The mecca for foodies in the Bay Area.
The dinner course for the evening.
Olive tapenade before the dinner.
Candlelight dinner. Note the pretty etching on the glass!
The first course.
Taku river sockeye salmon carpaccio with cucumber and anise hyssop
The carpaccio transported me to heaven.
The hubby loved the carpaccio, too! Patiently waiting for the main course...
Wolfe Ranch quail grilled over fig branches with sweet corn pudding and pepperonata
Chez Panisse's dessert drink menu... everything sounds so good!
Pêche Melba: Peaches in raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream.
A delicious dessert to end an unforgettable dinner!
They gave us cocoa-covered toasted almonds with candied blood orange peel to munch on before we left. These were really good too! (I only remembered to take the photo when we were almost done with it... oops!)
Happy 2 Years hubby! ♥
It’s been an amazing two years, and although this puts a cap on our status as “newlyweds,” we’re very excited for the many more years to come and all the anniversaries that we’ll get to celebrate with each passing year. We are constantly reminded that it is thanks to our family and friends and all their love and support that we are who we are today, and we feel humbled and so grateful for having all of you as such an important, ever-present, and precious presence in our lives. We can’t wait to build more amazing memories together with each other, as well as with you!
Before February 8th is over, I just wanted to wish my parents a happy wedding anniversary. It’s been 35 years since February 8, 1975. I can’t imagine how it feels to be married for so long, since Dan and I have only celebrated one wedding anniversary thusfar, but I hope that in 34 years, we can be just as cute as them.
