LoveFeast Table

While Kristin was in town for our Minnesota BlogLove event we decided to take a trip to the Southdale Mall to visit and thank Rachael & Patty at Aveda for bringing wonderful hand massages to our BlogLove event.  Aveda added some gifts to our BlogLove swag bags that included a Caribbean Therapy body creme and an empty pure-fume bottle to bring in to be filled at the Aveda store at Southdale.  So, of course we brought our empty bottles with us!!

We had to choose from a tray of different scents to custom blend our perfume.  And, think about this.

We went on a “sensory journey” and smelled all sorts of little bottles with different scents.  Kristin and I both landed on #4.  #4 is a floral scents with jasmine and rose.  It’s not a big shock that we picked the same signature scent.  We’ve been known to pick the same style and color of laundry hamper from half the United States away.  We kinda get along like that.

So, while you’re playing perfume-ologist someone at Aveda will ask you if you’d like a sip of this…

It’s the lovely tea from Aveda that is a caffeine and sugar free, licorice and peppermint blend.  It’s part of what’s called a “Moment of Wellness”-which also includes this…

Now, there is something you should know about the “Moment of Wellness”.   Any guest can have one.  Even if you are not carrying an empty perfume bottle from a BlogLove swag bag!!  You can take your worn-out, shopped-out, kidd-ed out stressed-out self and have a “moment”.  For free.  For reals.

Isn’t that awesome?  We think so.

If you’re not near an Aveda store for a “Moment of Wellness”…where do you find your break in the day?

Love: “I started noticing how stained the pavements are in London. The pavements in Beverly Hills aren’t used; in London, they’re used for everything. It doesn’t matter how much they’re cleaned, they still reflect light.” ~Julie Christie

Feast: We were in New York City, at Gordon Ramsay’s The London Bar.  Four women, gathered at the table.  Three of us had wine while Chris Ann sipped on a Pimm’s.  We ordered an amazing smoked bacon pizza with arugula and Parmesan.  It had a light, crispy crust with just the right balance of saltiness to make any lady happy!  A plate of charcuterie piled high like red stained ribbon and a bowl of manchego cubes,  glistening at just-the-right-room-temperature-goodness, mixed with almonds and olives.

Table: Chris Ann and I, 16 year old friends, were joined by two new friends!   Laura, The Hollywood Housewife, whom Chris Ann had met at Blissdom.  Chris Ann recognized her at Blissdom by her sparkly, to die for, dress and they became instant friends!  And Linda, Baby To Be TV,  a new blogger friend we met on the train to BlogHer ’10.   Linda ended up becoming our roomie for the first night because she could not get a hold of the people she was supposed to stay with. (Their loss…our gain!)

Life: We settled in to our table.  The lights flickered off the countless mirrors and glass.  It didn’t take long for the four of us to roll up the pristine pavement we came in with, only to replace it with well traveled road.  We slowly began to reveal the cracks, the soil and the foot prints tread by ourselves and left by others.  Typically when you meet new people, it takes months if not years to let others see the true architecture of your road…the twists and turns, the wadded up gum stuck and petrified, the broken corners where life’s heavy truck misjudged the load.  We usually spend time sweeping and power washing a section to reveal what we assume others want to see.  Maybe it’s fear of being judged.  Or maybe we’re afraid of giving too much only to be hurt.  Chris Ann and I are artists.  And not, modern, white washed, sterile artists, but the types that love the layers that life gives!  We love a little extra fray on a curtain.  We get excited when we see a painting with an unexpected splash of unrelated color!  It’s those little bits, the surprises that give depth to the art we appreciate!  This night, we left inspired.  For whatever reason, maybe it was the wine or The London’s delectable spread…maybe it was the women gathered or the atmosphere.  I personally think, it was all the above.  I think the women assembled longed to go below the surface of this masterpiece unfolding.  We longed to reveal the true nature of our pavement.  We spent the night looking and listening intently at each piece of surface covered.  We even spilled a few tears, together to help wash away areas that had been hidden by grime.  It didn’t erase the spot, but the beauty of the friendships that were created that night, lent a new light, a new reflection on all of our sidewalks.

When Chris Ann was in town, we decided to take the National Aquarium of Baltimore up on it’s offer to come for a visit.  Lil’ Man has been in love with fish as early as I can remember.  Finding Nemo was his favorite movies and we watched it over and over again.  So, as we headed to the Baltimore Inner Harbor, we knew we were on the hunt to find Nemo!

This summer, if you are planning a visit to Baltimore, this stop is a must!! The National Aquarium of Baltimore sits right on the water.  It is flanked by an old power plant that is now home to restaurants like Hard Rock Cafe and ESPN Zone.  There is also a submarine you can explore and water taxis that will take you all around the Baltimore Inner Harbor!

Lil’ Man waited patiently until the doors opened.

One of the first things you see when you arrive at the Baltimore National Aquarium is a large tank full of sting rays, sword fish and other large, beautiful fish.

Being so close to creatures that are foreign to our regular routine, was absolutely mesmerizing.

Lil’ Man loved the sharks!  We stood there for a while and fielded his many questions!

We ventured on to see the other sights the Baltimore Aquarium had to offer, still in search of Nemo!

Wandering from tank to tank, a certain cadence and calm set in.  The underwater world is amazing! At one point, we pulled aside one of the workers to ask if what we were seeing was real.  He laughed!
“Everything you see is real and living!”  Some of the colors are so bright and vivid, one would think they were spray painted or embellished!

Lil’ Man began to ask about the dolphins, because he knew we were going to see the dolphin show!  We headed down the long breezeway that gives you an amazing view of the Inner Harbor.  We settled into our seats, a number of rows back…because if you sit too close, your sure to get wet!

Chris Ann and I weren’t the only ones mesmerized!

There were a few people I overheard, saying they thought the show was too short.  I disagree.  As a mom of a toddler, I thought the length of the show was just right.  He was riveted the entire time and never lost interest.  He wanted to know how the dolphins jump, where they live, if we could touch them and many more questions!

The final exhibit, I had heard so much about, was the Jellyfish Exhibit.  The National Aquarium, in my opinion, saved the best for last!  These little beauties were exotic and really reminded me of a living painting!  They were fluid and soft.  Their colors in contrast to their surroundings were breathtaking!  I don’t think our photos do them justice!  So, if you are in Baltimore, you have to take our word for it, and go see this exhibit!

Before we knew it, we had spent hours at the Aquarium!  We didn’t even get to see it all!  They also have a new 4D Immersion Theater where you are brought closer to sights, sounds and smells!  You will even experience wind and mist.  I’d like to plan another trip with all my kids!  I think even my teenagers would enjoy this!

We stopped by the gift shop and in true Chris Ann and Kristin fashion, we hunted for anything fancy!  Of course we found a few items worthy!  What a great way to bring the ocean to your Table!

Oh! I almost forgot, we did find Nemo, so our trip was a complete success!

After attending the FRESH Farm to Table Event at Lucia’s Restaurant a little more than a week ago,  I decided to cap off the evening with dinner there, with my husband.

Lucia’s has a soothing neighborly atmosphere, the perfect place for dinner at the end of the week.

First, I ordered this salad.  It was Mixed Greens with Baby Arugula, Radicchio, Pastures-A-Plenty Cottage Bacon, 6-Year Aged Cheddar Cheese, Currants, Apricots, and Riesling Vinaigrette.  It was salad heaven. Look at that bite of bacon closely and pretend your savoring every bite.  Heaven.

This bean soup was hearty and delicious.

The Roasted Chicken Breast With Wild Ramp and Ricotta Stuffing, had a Fresh Thyme Demi-Glaze, and Spring Vegetables.  The flavors were wonderful and I was inspired just looking at the beautiful plate of color before me.

Todd had the Day Boat Halibut with Chardonnay-Chervil-Chive Butter Sauce and Wild Rice Pancakes.  A bite of the fish was succulent, buttery and satisfying.

The dishes at Lucia’s communicate the care and hospitality that is put into them.  The plates were beautifully and colorfully arranged, yet they didn’t say ta-da look at me.  They instead seemed to humbly offer a warm satisfying and tasty meal that satisfied both the palate and the soul.  True hospitality.

Finished to the end with goodness.

After our our day out at the Macy’s Flower Show a couple of weeks ago, Kristen and I decided to walk down the block to have lunch at Barrio.

The weather was unseasonably warm so we were thinking about sitting outside.

Barrio has been on my list so I was excited to eat there!

They had a great lunch special going on too!

The table next to us was having the special with Sangria.  We said, “We will have what they’re having!!”  It looked wonderful…especially the Sangria.  We’re fans of sangria.

Can’t say enough about the Sangria!  It was so refreshing it inspired me to go home and brew a batch up.

Definitely  we’ll be back to Barrio.  As you can see the food was fresh and delicious, the wait staff friendly and funny and the outdoor seating so fun. (Oh, and did I mention that the chef/owner Tim McKee was a 2009 Best Chef Midwest – James Beard Award winner?)   What’s not to love?  It’s a perfect lunch downtown Minneapolis.

Two weeks ago, I was invited to a blogger event at Phillips Restaurant in Baltimore!  I was excited about attending!  I called to RSVP and explained my story.  The invitation was quickly extended to include my husband.  We found a sitter and headed down to Phillips Restaurant.

We walked hand in hand, around the Inner Harbor, recounting some of our Phillips Crab House days!

When we arrived and told the hostess why we were there, she looked at us blankly.  She made a quick call to the manager, Sandy who quickly apologized and explained that the date for the blogger event had been changed to the following week.  She asked what she could do for us.  I responded, “You invited us, you tell me what we can do for you.”  Sandy went quickly into action!  She escorted us to a table and excused herself.  Within a few minutes she was back with menus, introduced us to our server and told us dinner would be on the house.  She had already put in an appetizer specially made by the chef.  We each ordered an Evolution Craft beer and before it came, we were greeted by general manager, Michael.  Michael quickly became a friend and even pulled up a chair to answer our questions!

We had a great conversation and told him our story!  He was not surprised that we had found love at Phillips, as there have been many matches made there over the years!  He showed us some of the menu changes that Phillips had recently made, like reducing the size of the menu so it’s not so overwhelming.  Devon and I agreed, this was a great change!  They also added on some fun specials, like WineDown on Thursday nights where you can get 1/2 price bottle of wine!  He told us a little about new chef Arturo Paz. We loved the new wine menu and thought the Bawlmerese pronunciations were perfect!  Just in case you’re from out of town, if you want to order a glass of Merlot, here in Baltimore, you order a “Mare low” or if you want a Pinot Noir, order “pee-noe Nawhr”.

We ordered the Baby Spinach and Arugula Salad with red onions, eggs, tomatoes and warm apple smoked bacon dressing.  We devoured every bit of this salad.  It was a great blend with the bite of the arugula and the sweet/salty bacon dressing!

We also split an order of broiled Shirley Phillips’ Traditional Chesapeake Crab Cakes!  These have chunks of back fin crab!  They were just like we remembered!

We said our goodbyes!  Having thoroughly enjoyed our time at Phillips Restaurant in Baltimore!

I returned the following week to meet some fellow bloggers and sample more of Chef Paz’s food!

This time, I was greeted by Michelle Torres, Phillips Corporate Director of Marketing.  I slid into a chair next to Chesapeake Foodie!  She quickly moved our first course towards me to sample.  The tuna tartare was simple perfection, the King Crab legs are always enjoyed and I seriously can’t get enough of shrimp cocktail.

Being thirsty, I ordered Evolution’s Exile beer (again!) and Chesapeake Foodie began to share how much she loves the guys at Evolution!  You can watch her interview with founder here!  Lars Rusin introduced himself and I quickly recognized him from his Baltimore Foodie Group!

We were then served the second course of Steamed Mojito Clams.

Let me pause here to share that this was  my one disappointment of the evening.  While the flavor was great, the clams were gritty.  I don’t do gritty, just ask Devon!  I tried two, to see if I had just eaten one that was looked over, but they were both laced with sand.  I moved back to my beer!

At that point another guest joined the table, news anchor, Donna Hamilton!  She had just survived Baltimore rush hour traffic and said it was worth pushing through knowing her good friend from Chesapeake Foodie would be there!

We received our third course, which I have to say is such an improvement on the traditional!  We had Mini Lobster Corn Dogs.  These were sweet and delightful! I could have polished off a whole plate of these!

These little beauties, along with crab mac and cheese lollipops or crab cakes sliders, can be enjoyed in the lounge where you can relax and listen to live music or watch a game.

I got up and moved to the other end of the table to visit with friend, MinxEats and hubby!  Then had the privilege of meeting Breslow Partners mom and daughter team!  We shared stories over the final course Chesapeake Crab Cakes.  These Crab Cakes are as timeless as Phillips Restaurant!

Phillips holds a special place in my heart (in case you didn’t read about it, click here).  But, I think I am still able to be objective!  It’s a must go to if you are visiting Baltimore or Ocean City, Maryland to get a taste of what makes our state special.  (They also have many other locations!)  Phillips Restaurants are affordable and consistent!  They staff is friendly and the atmosphere is welcoming and inviting.  And who knows, if you are on the hunt for a life partner, you just might find one here!

Thank you Phillips Family for playing such an important part of my life!

~Kip

Todd was in town a few weeks ago.  We have a tradition of meeting him in Washington, DC and finding an interesting spot for dinner! Last time, Chris Ann was with him and we checked out Potenza.  This time, Todd had CityZen on the radar.  CityZen is at the Mandarin Hotel in DC.  It was the middle of the week and the streets were quiet, so was the hotel.  We were greeted kindly by the doorman and walked in.  The matrie d’ greeted us and politely explained to us that we would have to sit at the bar.  You see, Devon and I had jeans on…expensive, Joe’s jeans, but in CityZen world, jeans are jeans.  We glanced around and quickly assessed it wasn’t too busy, there were empty tables.  But, matrie d’ went on to explain that if he made an exception for us, he’d have to do it for everyone.  We looked behind us to see if there was a line that had somehow formed without our knowledge.  Nope.

Devon and Todd indignantly took their seats at the bar.

And when we were handed the “bar menu” that is only for those step children banished because of their jeans, the boys were ready to move on to a more welcoming jaunt.  But, me, being a blogger, sniffed a good story in what was unfolding!  We stayed.  After asking the bartender, Sharon for the “real” menu, explaining our money was as good as suit-wearing-dude’s seated in the main restaurant, she excused herself to see if an “exception” could be made.

She returned with new menus.  My camera came out.  She asked to take our drink orders and we asked what she recommended.  She quickly explained the beauty of the Manhattan she had mastered.  The tension began to dissipate as we settled in and watched her work her magic!  Todd and Devon were still exchanging a few remarks under their breaths, “This better be as good as they say!”

One sip of the Manhattan and we began to open our minds to CityZen a little.  I have to pause here and tell you, typically, Devon and I enjoy sitting at the bar of a restaurant because the bartender usually is loaded with information about the establishment and willing to talk.  You see, we like it relaxed ie jeans, but we also appreciate the finer things!

The menu really was masterfully put together! But, what do you expect from a James Beard award winner?  Chef Eric Zeibold won the “Mid-Atlantic, Chef of the Year” James Beard award in 2008, among many other awards!

We began to pour over the menu. The decisions were hard, but the three of us chose different items in order to sample everything our heart’s desired!

Our appetizers were served.  I ordered the Warm Salad of Butternut Squash.  Oh my!  The cipollini onions were like candy!  Those coupled with butternut squash pierogi, fennel and baby mache made me swoon!  This was no ordinary restaurant.  This dish was created by an artist.  It was immediately apparent Chef Zeibold’s techniques were honed and refined!  Devon agreed.

He had Confit of North Atlantic Octopus.   This was an elegant dish of fresh octopus with fingerling potato confit, preserved meyer lemon and bottarga de mullet.

Todd started with Clam Chowder Crepe Soufflee.  This amazing dish was balanced with salty, flavorful applewood smoked bacon and fresh clams in a soft crepe.  It was a soft envelope full of love.

We ordered a bottle of 2007 Catena Malbec.  Andy Meyers, sommilier presented and served the wine.

…all joking about jeans had dissipated.  We were being won over.

The second course was ushered out with “white glove” excellence.  Our eyes began to sparkle as we set them upon the latest gifts.  I had Crepinette of Florida Red Snapper with caramelized savoy cabbage, applewood smoked bacon, pearl onions and grain mustard sauce.  This snapper held it’s own and tempered the powerful flavors the other ingredients brought to the dish!

Devon had the Roasted Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Rib-Eye.  This crispy lamb flank was served with toasted farro and baby turnips.  I’m not sure Devon wanted to share bites with us.  He kind of went into his own little world, savoring every bite!

Todd was presented with Beef Tenderloin with abalone mushrooms.  It melted in his mouth!

Can I just pause again?  When our meal was delivered, so was a little wooden box.  Another present!  I carefully lifted the lid and was delighted with mini, steaming, Parker House rolls.  This dinner elevated to a whole new level!

With dinner done and plates licked clean, (ok, not really, but those rolls soaked up every last drip!) I ordered coffee.  To me, if the meal finishes with a good cup of coffee, if every step of the way is thought out, then they are exceptional! (There is nothing worse than having an incredible meal and it’s finished with a cup of freeze dried coffee! Ugh!) Can I just say, not only was my coffee delish, but they brought my cup out with a small plate of cardamom cakes!  Ok, now the banishment because of our jeans had faded like a distant memory and was replaced by jewels…little, spongy, delectable, cardamom jewels!  Chef Zeibold, for me this little gift was the highlight of my visit to your table bar!

We did have amazing desserts to round out the evening!  I had the Mont Blanc Souffle.  The Valrhona Chocolate Ganache, kissed the souffle!

Devon had Banana Fritters with Creme Brulee ice cream and mocha coulis.

AAA gave CityZen five diamonds in 2008 and 2009.  I couldn’t agree more…ok, maybe four and a half…a half taken off for not allowing us the full experience of sitting in the dining room!  Nonetheless, this was a denim to diamonds experience for us!

Well…I got out Tuesday night!  And…not just out….out-out! Sort of left my bubble…as some would say! Suburbia Man came home from work…I put on my new top from Hot Mama and hit the road on my way to the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis.  I was headed to a Minnesota Blog Pantry event at A La Salsa.  The event was planned by Molly of Tastebud Tart.

Kristin and I have been on a blogging events roll….first with me attending Blissdom.  Then, Kristin attended SITS girl’s Bloggy Bootcamp.  And, now I was at this event for the Minnesota Blog Pantry group of women bloggers.  For those of you that are readers and not bloggers…let me tell you that meeting other bloggers in person after you have met them online is quite the fun!  I was so excited to meet Kate from Kate In the Kitchen in person.  Kate was our first guest blogger.

Allison of O My Family came out.  I met Allison last fall at MckMama’s Mudd Lake gathering.

Across the table from me sat Trish who writes Off Camera.  The margaritas were delish! Cheers, Trish!

And, the food was great as well!

Finally, I got to meet Liz, The Kitchen Pantry Scientist and Creative Mama blogger for Hot Mama.

Lenore of Mom Culture chatted with Jennifer of Unplanned Cooking.

There was a bit of Twittering underway!  And, Kate let her wild side out!

Also in attendance was Cindy of From Seeds to Sunflowers, Crystal from Cafe Cyan, Kathy of A Good Appetite and Ellisa of Little Bean Photography.

Then as the evening came to a close Molly handed out a Midtown Global Market swag bag!!

The evening was over and as I was driving out of the parking ramp I saw one blogger I didn’t get a chance to meet!  I made a quick decision to pull my van along side her car and introduce myself.  It was Stephanie the writer of Fresh Tart.   We had a nice long chat as you can see!

Then, I drove home listening to U2 and when I got there I opened up my swag bag filled with this…

and promptly took my Salty Tart Bakery treat and hid it in a tall cupboard where no one can find it.

The Salty Tart’s tarts were something I had waited a long time to try and it was gonna be mine all mine!

*****

Thank you to Molly and Jennifer for planning a great night out for us all!!

*****

There may be a few of you that I missed in my post…if I did, please leave a comment, introduce yourself and leave a link to your blog!!

This past weekend, a few sistahs, rolled into my hood!  Honestly, I didn’t even see them coming!  But, these sistahs look out for one another and I happened to have met one of them through my toddler’s play group.  Cara from Land of Bean, who happened to take home #1 for best family blog in the Mobbie’s Awards last year, (just tootin’ her horn for her!) was kind enough to let me know about the Bloggy Bootcamp coming to Baltimore!  Bloggy Bootcamp was hosted by one of the SITSgirls!  And can I just pause and say here, that SITSgirl is quite the hostess!  (Ok, I’m gonna toot her horn too!)  Tiffany, AKA SITSgirl, amazed me from the moment I walked in to the restaurant on Friday night and she pulled out a chair right next to her and invited me to sit!  I was made to feel immediately like one of the family!  (In a natural, sister kinda way…not a creepy, tryin’ too hard kinda way!)  About 30 gals shared dinner together at McCormick and Schmick’s.  It was a blast!  We exchanged stories, talked about our kids, drank Sangria and were attentively served by Derek!

Now, I have to take a commercial break here for a moment and give a short review of the restaurant, ’cause we are a food blog after all!  I asked Tiffany how the restaurant was to work with.  She said, “Amazing!”  Tiffany set out to have a blogging conference with a low budget because she understands how moms typically don’t have a lot of extra cash to play with.  So, she approached the restaurant with a pretty slim (in my opinion)  budget.  The restaurant had something double that price, in mind.  But, being gifted with the ability to have others believe the SITS vision, Tiffany quickly had them seeing the benefits of keeping the cost affordable.  She negotiated a three course meal for $25.

We had seafood chowder, a choice of chicken or stuffed flounder and an amazingly, generous slice of upside down apple pie.

Our server, Derek was thoughtful and on top of things.  He doted on Tiffany, making sure her sangria glass was never empty for long!  (Oh…the sangria! I’m still dreaming about it!)  That night I met Jacob’s Cure lead twitter girl, Sarah and Dianna from Kennedy’s With 2 Girls. It was a blast and just a little taster of what was to come!

The next day was Bloggy Bootcamp!  It was a day packed with great speakers and enough information to leave a red head dizzy!  It was also beautifully orchestrated!  With each new speaker, we switched tables so we were able to meet and network with tons of women by the end of the day!  Did I mention what a terrific hostess Tiffany was?  The first session was with Scary Mommy, MamaKat from Mama’s Losin’ It! and of course, SITSgirl!  Unfortunately, the first table I sat at, was the last one in the room, so I don’t have any fabulous picks of the three of them…so, you’ll just have to take my word for it, they were fabulous!  They covered so many topics, from branding to comments and communities to twitter.

We stopped for lunch and I met some more sistahs!  I met Motherhood & Me gal!  I know we will be blogger friends as she totally spoke my language!  She went to pastry school at CIA Napa!!  (drool!)  I also met Francesca from Mayhem and Moxie.  I swear she brought a bit of sunshine with her from Cali!  A local pr rep who happens to blog, Numbers Not Invited.  (Congratulations to you and your new hubby!)  And totally adorable Today’s Cliche girl!

After lunch we heard from Resourceful Mommy. She took us on a little journey!  She spread out a PR road map and walked us through each step…getting ready, hitting the PR highway with a plan, setting some directions by knowing our strengths, and troubleshooting should we hit a “Bad Pitch” in the road!  This was a juicy session!

Just when I didn’t think I could pack in any more info in my red head, Tara from Feels Like Home, broke down SEO (search engine optimization) into terms that translated…somehow…into my non technical, all artsy, computer illiterate (ok, truth be told, that’s the old me) brain! (Somehow, Chris Ann and I are actually feeling comfortable with our PCs…or in Chris Ann’s case, imac.)  Thanks to Tara, I now know the difference between good urls and bad ones.  I know the power that a keyword carries!  And I know she loves Sara Lee!

We had a little Jello break (no, there were no shooters!) Where we were given fun, stuffed swag bags!  And I met Desperately Seeking Silence and am so glad she came and we met in person!!

Then there was serious business shared about FTC regulations!  No, really it’s not as scary as you might think.  We were given great advice from attorney Stacey Ferguson, found @justicefergie, on how to be responsible with product reviews and give aways.

Overall?  Amazing!

Take away point…”Know Your Worth”.

New friends?  Many, too many to mention!

Do I recommend Bloggy Bootcamp?  Absolutely!

Value? priceless

Good memories and times at the table can often be traced back to a place, the atmosphere, and of course great food.  Heidi’s Restaurant was just the type of place to leave you with with memorable moments.  Sadly, on the same day Stewart Woodman was chosen as a 2010 James Beard Award semifinalist for best Midwestern chef, Heidi’s Restaurant was destroyed in a terrible fire.  We were so shocked and sad to hear this news, since Heidi’s was one of our favorite restaurants.

Through the years, LoveFeast Table has had many special times at the table.  These are times when the conversation flows, the food is beyond wonderful, the atmosphere and decor just perfect… the servers so charming.  When a restaurant hits all these pieces in perfect cadence, the meal becomes a pleasurable dance and the memory a treasure.

This was our experience at Heidi’s.  We had been there a couple of times in the past.  Todd and I knew for sure when Kristin and Devon visited us again this was a place we were taking them.  Our expectations for a perfect night were not disappointed.

We hope that Stewart, Heidi, and Frank and the charming and delightful servers that we enjoyed so much will continue on to create yet another place that pulls together so many wonderful elements for a memorable night out.

We are saddened by your loss.  And our hope for you is that you will go on to create another beautiful place and bring those talents again, to the table.  We thank you for what you gave us…a special night, a treasured memory and a story to tell.

Charming, Delightful, Delicious, and Memorable.

That’s the way it was.