And now back to my regularly scheduled programming.

Sorry I haven’t been checking in regularly this week! Leave it to my Mom to get worried about me for not posting last night and today :) I had a work event the past two days, which is why I left you with my wonderful Greatest Love of All parody. Glad you got a kick out of it!

While I won’t be filling you in my past few meals, I did want to share my anniversary dinner with you. It was magnificent!

We have been wanting to try Magnolia Grill for quite some time, and our friends were kind enough to get us a gift certificate there for watching their dog all week. Thanks Jen and Mark! Magnolia’s has a southern flair and is big on local and seasonal cooking. The owners work with a network of local  farmers, livestock producers. I thought the atmosphere was quite charming and elegant. Chris and I had a nice private table in the back corner which was nice.

Since we were celebrating, I ordered a glass of champagne.I love champagne! But only one or two glasses. Otherwise it starts to taste too sweet and I usually end up with a headache :)

Chris went with a beer.I forget which one though! Most likely a pale ale.

For an appetizer I ordered the Celebrity Dairy Goat Cheese with Lemon Thyme-Roasted Peregrine Farm Beets, Spring Greens with Walnuts & Marinated Pickled Onions. The pickled onions were right up my alley! There was the perfect amount of dressing and it tasted extremely fresh.

While I thought my salad was delicious, Chris’s appetizer was outstanding!He ordered the Rare-Seared, Spice-Crusted Yellowfin Tuna in Red Chile Sauce on
Peanut & Bean Thread Noodle Salad in Coconut Vinaigrette.

The tuna melted in our mouths. No joke. His appetizer was the clear winner.

We asked our waitress which entrees she recommended, and since she seemed very knowledgeable, I went with her suggestion. Since they change their menu so often I don’t have the exact name of the dish, but it was cornmeal crusted flounder in a green chile sauce with a vegetable rice that had a delicious smoky flavor. The fish was light and tender and the sauce had the perfect amount of spice.

Which I enjoyed with a sangiovese. I realize a white wine would have paired better with my fish but I was in the mood for red.

Chris ordered pan-roast muscovy duck breast with sweet potato gnocchi and spring vegetables.I tried a bite of his duck and while the flavor was delicious, I didn’t love the chewy texture. The sweet potato gnocchi on the other hand were fantastic!

Oh boy, I cannot wait to share dessert with you! And I’m not even a dessert person!

There were so many yummy options to chose from. There was also one thing on the menu that reminded me of April Fools Day. Bacon peanut brittle!! See, bacon really is used in desserts :)

I went with the strawberry rhubarb shortcake with buttermilk vanilla bean ice cream. The strawberries were hand picked from neighboring Creedmor Farm.

Oh my…. no words. I have no words. Mmmmmmm……

Chris ordered brown sugar pineapple pecan crisp with ginger ice cream. He very  much enjoyed it, but I didn’t love the cooked pineapple. The ginger ice cream on the other hand was amazing!

Chris and I really enjoyed Magnolia’s and would definitely return!

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And now, since it has been such a hectic week, I am unwinding with one of these.Only it’s a Blue Moon, not a Pale Moon. And I always enjoy mine with a big, fat lemon.

Not sure what’s for dinner tonight but I once I figure it out I will be sure to share with you tomorrow!

Happy weekend!