Another weekend with RQS

 

We awoke on Saturday morning, and decided to relax for most of the day.  It was a nothing burger of a day, I don't have much to say about it.  So I'll skip it and move on to Sunday.  I had two things on the docket for the day: (1) Church for the first time in months, and (2) Dinner with Vicki at Benjamin Steakhouse.  And this had me get dressed up in the morning, stripping off my clothes for the better part of the day, and then getting dressed again for dinner.

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I awoke early and proceeded to rest a little before getting dressed.  Going back and forth into the bedroom, I tried not to make noise, so that RQS could continue to sleep.  Around 10 am, I went to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and a donut, and I was off to church.  What can one say about going to church.  It is a communal feeling, where one feels more connected to people and one's better self.  It was nice to be there, but I left before after-mass coffee, so that I could get back to RQS.

Stopping at the supermarket at the bottom of the hill, I bought some cream cheese so that RQS would have something to smear on her bagel. When I got in the door, RQS was already in the living room watching YouTube videos.  But she got up to toast our bagels, and we both had something to eat before taking an afternoon break.

Around 5 pm, we both got ready for dinner.  I put on the same dress I was wearing for church, while RQS was in the shower, and then we both made ourselves up for dinner.  At 6 pm, we drove to Vicki's, and then proceeded to the steakhouse.  Arriving at the steakhouse, they tried seating us near a fireplace.  I asked the hostess to seat us somewhere else, as I didn't want the heat making me uncomfortable.  (RQS later agreed with me later on - it was way too warm in that corner of the room.)  So, we ended up being seated in a far corner of the room, but could barely hear each other speak over the noise of the room.  Shortly afterward, our orders were taken, and we proceeded to feast on our steaks.  YUM!  The $45 restaurant week dinner menu wasn't bad.  But Vicki ordered an $80 bottle of wine, not realizing that I've cut back on my drinking after my doctor asked me to stop to see if certain blood levels were affected by the medicines I've been taking or by my alcohol consumption. Although the meal was good, I could have easily skipped having a half glass of wine that added $55 or so to what I was paying for dinner for RQS and myself.  

Around 9 pm, we were on our way home with leftovers.  Vicki was coming to a home that just had power restored.  (Last week's storm killed her power lines for 2 days, and she was living in darkness since then.) We came home to a warm apartment, and were both glad to strip off our clothes and relax.

Steak dinner with Vicki

 

Vicki and I scheduled a second Restaurant Week dinner at Benjamin Steakhouse in White Plains.  Neither of us had been here before, and we wanted to have a good meal to make up for last week's disappointment at Saint George. So, I took out one of my unworn Universal Standard dresses, and dressed up a little for the evening.  (Too bad I didn't take a selfie - the dress looked quite nice on me.)

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It was my turn to pick Vicki up at her place.  So, I drove to her place around 5:30 and waited a few minutes for her to come out of her house.  On the way down to the restaurant, we talked about my brother, his upcoming trip, and the family homestead.  It was a pleasant chat, but Vicki got in the way of my driving by suggesting where I should turn (or not turn) when near the steakhouse.  This was not a big deal.  But it shows in a subtle way a hidden side of her personality - her intelligence can be a weapon if she wants to use it that way.  Luckily, I knew enough about the area to get us to the place on time and to hand my keys to the valet for parking.

We entered the place and were quickly shown to our table around 6:30. Within a few minutes both our drink orders and dinner orders were taken. Shortly afterward, our starters were delivered - a wedge salad for her and lobster bisque for me. Both were very good. Vicki commented on the atmosphere of the place, loving almost everything except for the reflected sounds which made it hard to speak.  Once done with our main courses came - Filet Mignon for her and NY Strip for me. Again, both were very good.  So far, this place succeeded in both the quality of the food and in service. When we finished our mains, the waiter came over to take our dessert orders - chocolate cake for Vicki and cheesecake for me. Both were very good, and on a par with the rest of our meals.  This will be a place we go back to again when restaurant week comes again, or for special occasions.  

On the way home, Vicki talked about the medical problems her dog is having.  For a 3 year old, he has gotten quite expensive.  But like most fur parents, Vicki loves her dogs and will do almost anything for them.  As for me, I am done with raising fur babies, as I love being able to travel at will - money permitting.