Eight at Seven

Believe it or not, NS and I have been married for eight years. I recently commented to a friend that it seems like I always imagine an age or a milestone as feeling different than it does it reality. When I was 18, it seemed like 25 was a long way off and I'd be a heck of a lot older and different by the time seven years passed. But then I turned 25 and realized I was still myself - hopefully a changed, improved self, but still a recognizable me (for better or for worse). That's kind of how I feel about eight years of marriage. Time passes, and we must have changed, but we're still the same people. That's fine with me; I really liked the guy I married eight years ago, and I really like him now. (And for the record, I'm no longer 25.)

Here we are celebrating! But I'm getting ahead of myself.

NS humored a mini-photo shoot before we left for dinner. I really like the way this part of the condo property is landscaped, but I sort of forget to wander through it on occasion. I guess I just needed an important event to remind me to take advantage of the surroundings.

No photos of NS, you say? No interest. Oh well.

To celebrate, we ended up at the Ritz Carlton's Seven Prime Cuts and Sunsets. (What a mouthful that name is!) For short, we in Cayman call it "Seven". We wouldn't have thought to go here, except a co-worker told me that Seven was running a special: Buy the promoted cut of steak (a different one every night), and your soup/salad and side dish is included. Deal! What was even better was that the filet mignon was the cut of the night. Winning!

Here are some pre-food photos:

        

It's the little things, really, that make me happy at a restaurant. If I'm going out to a reputable place, I have the expectation of perfectly cooked food, friendly service, and appropriate ambiance. But the Ritz knows how to take things one step further. They offer you a hook for your handbag. They ensure not just one but several servers are available to meet your every need. They offer you pre-dinner bread - with mango in it. And while we're on the topic of little things that make me happy, that pinky-in-the-air move above comes standard. Bonus.

I loved this salad with warm goat cheese and roasted peppers. I loved it so much, that I almost forgot to take this photo until it was half gone. Oops.

And while we waited for our main course, we enjoyed the beach sunset. Never mind that it was partially obstructed; palm trees are never "in the way" in my book.

Now I'm in the way. Oh well.

And for the signature dish of any steakhouse: The meat. True to form, the Ritz delivered on this point.

His New York Strip on the left; my filet on the right.

Not to make you carnivores out there drool, but I'd say this is a perfect medium rare.

The side dishes were (almost) equally amazing. I have trouble ever passing up sweet potato fries, so was happy to see these placed in front of me:

NS can't do steak without mashed potatoes, and the ginger sugar snaps sounded right up our alley. Loved our mix of sides!

You'll notice in the next photo that our table looks a bit different. We moved indoors right before our main course was served, because the mosquitoes were having a feast on us outside. It's just a chronic issue in Cayman this time of year, particularly around dusk. Fortunately, the Ritz staff seemed more than happy to move us to a more comfortable table. I quite enjoyed having fresh linens and water glasses half way through the evening. It felt like I was starting dinner all over again!

Yes, I know it's blurry. No, I didn't feel like scolding the server for mishandling the DSLR.
It happens to the best of us.

We enjoyed yet another visit to the amazing Ritz Carlton. It's nice to have special occasions to give us an excuse to try out another fabulous Cayman restaurant. But lest the readership begins to think that I require steak at the Ritz on every anniversary or birthday, I'll just say that every year, my first idea for celebration is, "How about we just cook in? You'll grill, I'll make dessert, maybe I'll find some candles for the table..." Simplicity works just as well as extravagance. Because NS truly is my best friend. And quality time spent with him always feels like a date, even when we don't leave our own four walls. Eating at the Ritz might make me giddy, but only NS still gives me butterflies. And eight years in, that's a pretty good feeling.