.edmonton review: nineteen.

on saturday night, the hubby and i got a babysitter for jack [thank you babcia!] and we had ourselves a proper date night. and woah, was it needed.

it had been ages since pete and i had sat down, just the two of us, over some good food and wine and just chatted, without distraction from a certain wee little fella. just us two adults, enjoying each others company.

after unsuccessfully getting a reservation at another place [maybe next time!], we crossed our fingers and tried to book a table at another fairly new restaurant, called XIX [Nineteen] that has been on my 'to-visit' list for a while. and as luck would have it, they squeezed us in!

as we arrived, i was pretty impressed with the decor. it was dark and moody and just the sort of romantic atmosphere we were looking for. the clientele on the other hand, ranged a little older than expected [think early to mid 50's-ish] and a very classy bunch. then after we thought about it we weren't that surprised at all considering the owners come from blackhawk golf course [a private swanky club], so it's kind of expected.
the menu was filled with many creative dishes, especially the appetizers [holy moly, we wanted all of them!] and we had a hard time choosing what we wanted to order simply because they were all drool-worthy. after settling on some mussels [smothered in a gorgonzola cream sauce] and ahi tuna [with spicy thai noodles] to start, and duck breast [with a hoisin chicken confit] and blue crab crusted grouper [in a wild mushroom friscassee] for our mains, we devoured each and every morsel. they were delicious!
and although a little on the pricey side, the wines and drinks were very reasonable. which, in our opinion, is very important. so in the end, they balanced each other out.

also, while on our date, i realized something....that these type of nights are crucial. just me n' pete out on the town. it's crucial for many reasons, but mostly just to keep things exciting. and a little romantic. and just help to keep our relationship flowing. babies are fun, sure. but diapers and spit up, not too sexy.

which brings me to another point. these kind of nights are crucial to my own sanity. i loved getting dressed up, curling my hair and putting some make-up on. wearing heels again! oh, how i've missed my heels! for a few moments tonight, i completely felt like myself again.
and so we decided on our way home, that we were going to do this every month. plan a day each month just for ourselves. for me and for peter. for our relationship. and for jack's grandmothers [because i think they totally look forward to babysitting!].

it really was the perfect night that i was hoping for, out with my sweetheart.
and then seeing that little boy when we got home was damn awesome too.