Creative Food, Good Conversation and Family

Tonight we had the pleasure of dining in a fabulous restaurant…with our kids. Gasp! I know, many people believe kids simply have no place in certain five star restaurants, but we believed they were ready.

I’m happy to say that they made us proud.

We enjoyed good conversation, told stories and shared perspectives on life (granted, my kids are almost teenagers). But what we most enjoyed discussing was the food. Item after item delivered to our table was a culinary delight but also wowed us with its artistry. I love good presentation. I especially appreciate food which is aesthetically pleasing as well as outstandingly delectable. Tonight, our kids experienced countless plates and platters of gorgeous food. Here’s one example: (note: it’s not a very good photograph (taken with a camera phone in very low light) but it will help illustrate the chef’s exceptional presentation).

Whipped cream serves as a base, then layers of meringue filled with vanilla ice cream, a dark chocolate hat (filled with marzipan) and a marzipan scarf, all sprinkled with enough powdered sugar to make a young boy  dream of the coming winter. In fact, the look on my son’s face made it clear that he wished the snow were real and he had made the snowman himself. Outside. In our yard. Didn’t happen last year. Maybe he’ll be luckier this year. In the meantime, he had to settle for this work of art that also functioned as his dessert.

I have no idea how much time went into making the many creations we devoured, but I am grateful for the effort. Special celebrations deserve memorable food and good conversation. It’s particularly gratifying when both involve your family.

I’m feeling very blessed and grateful today.

My mom always told us to put happy, wonderful memories up on a shelf to take down on those inevitable gloomy days. I’m happy to say that this day gave me a few more boxes worth of joy for my gloomy day shelf.

Although I have to admit…I hope it snows soon.

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