And Saturday was Wonderful

I realized I didn't get a chance to write about our fabulous date on Saturday---

it was AMAZING.

See, there's this place here in Charleston called the Peninsula Grill that Joey and I have wanted to visit. We knew it would be pricey (and boy we were right!), so for the past two months we saved the majority of our budgeted date money so that we could treat ourselves to a fancy date at one of the hottest places in town.

I was so nervous as we got ready to go---did I look ok? what if I said the wrong thing? what if I dropped my fork? I was so concerned with whether or not I would belong there. I mean, I feel I have a decent measure of class and etiquette, but I'm definitely not fancy-schmancy, and most of the time I still feel like a gawky teenager in those kinds of situations. Luckily, we got the nicest host (you rock, Jonathan!) who made us feel totally welcome there. Annnnd! I didn't drop a single bite of food!

I wanted so badly to photograph our plates (I'm one of those people), but considering this was the kind of place that had a dress code, put napkins in your lap, called you mr. & mrs. Fleshman, and had a wine menu with bottles more expensive than our monthly grocery budget....I figured I'd better not. But because I just loved it so much, here are the highlights:

• It was our first time having an amuse-bouche to cleanse the palate---a little cup of poblano bisque with duck confit.
• Joey and I both got a lobster chowder with basil butter for our first course, and let me tell you what, I could've had a whole bowl of it and been perfectly content. We had to try so hard to resist the urge to use our yummy bread to wipe the bowl clean!
• My main course: grilled swordfish with a ginger-lime beurre blanc and a sherry tomato vinaigrette, with and asparagus in a truffle hollandaise and goat cheese potatoes. 
• Joey's main course: Sauteed duck with a winter vegetable hash, wilted arugula and a cherry-onion marmalade.

And not only is their food spectacular, they also have a reputation for their coconut cake. Ohhh, the cake.....well here, let me just show you----

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I know. Amazing. Twelve layers of creamy, coconut goodness.

This cake is so popular that when I told my coworkers we were going to Peninsula Grill for dinner and I was going to try "the cake", everyone knew exactly what I was talking about. It has even garnered praise from the likes of Food Network, Martha Stewart (for what that's worth), the New York Times, and Southern Living. On the restaurant's website, there's a whole page just for the cake---and what's so dangerous: how you can order a whole one.

Needless to say, Joey and I saved room for that cake (or as much room as we could) and loved every bite of it. We also got their chocolate creme brûlée to try, and between the two of those desserts, we were in delicious, sweet heaven.

Though this isn't the kind of date we can do all the time (or would want to--sometimes you just need a dang burger!), it was so fun to get dolled up (I even curled all of that hair and put on eye shadow for the first time since our wedding) and go out for the night with the best guy a girl could ask for.