our time : Maritime Parc

It was the last date night before all hell broke loose. I exaggerate… just a little. But it was the last time we would sit down, peaceful and calm, happy and hungry, before the storm. It was the storm of parent-teacher-student conferences and a frenetic work schedule that seemed limitless.

This was our time.  

We held hands in the hushed restaurant and laughed with the backdrop of crisp contemporary and the winking sky-line.

We spent too much time examining the Maritime Parc menus that we were faintly familiar with, weighing the options as if these were our last choices. To do the prix fixe or not do the prix fixe? To do the wine pairing or not do the wine pairing? We mixed and matched. We indulged.

We oohed and awwhed at the refined array of appetizers like the intensely savory French onion soup mussels, salty with bacon and briny with the sea. Or the decadent lobster gnudi that slid on the tongue like exotic silk and cream seeped with luxury, studded with sweet squash and crisp, bitter Brussels sprout leaves.

We wanted to taste every entrée offered, struggling to imagine each flavor and dish without proof. But we couldn’t. We wouldn’t. We made up our minds and clung to old favorites, specialties that we could not escape, nor did we want to. We plunged our forks deep into lemon scented spiraled strigoli pasta with plentiful seafood gem obstacles.  We reveled in the succulent scallops, using the sides of our forks cute our prizes and shift earthy bright green peas and clear corn to create tiny voluptuous bites.

We chatted and chuckled. We observed soon-to-be-married couples, exploring tasting menus and venue perks, and sipping pretty colored cocktails that danced in the mood lighting. And we devoured dessert, despite our satiety from our lounging dinner.  We noted the sweet, the spice, the cold, the warm.

We relished. We enjoyed. We slowed down and savored all of the morsels and washed down all the delicious memories with bubbling prosecco. We lived this meal.

This was our time.

RER

2.4.16

re CAP: a 90th BIRTHDAY celebration

RER 3.28.15

Note: This post is photo heavy!

 

This weekend we celebrated my grandfather’s 90^th birthday. Grandmommie planned a fabulous surprise party for her husband of 61 years in a pretty hotel far from the Strip in Vegas. A party room in the JW Marriott was set in black and gold for over 30 guests, paying homage to my Papa’s fraternity affiliation. My mother got memento menus printed with a photo of my grandfather in his youth and each setting circled around the sepia print.

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

After surprising the birthday boy, tiny canapés like mini beef wellingtons and salmon topped crackers were passed, wines were poured and beers were cracked open. Seated at four polished tables, we ate four delicate courses— a salty crab cake resting on a creamy sweet slaw chunky with mangoes; a fresh wedge of crisp iceberg drizzled with dressing, blue cheese, diced red onions and tomatoes and crunchy bacon; a choice of salmon with parsnip puree and tomato jam or tender pork loin with Sambuca chutney, apples and braised pork belly; followed by a dessert trio including a vanilla mousse with berry compote, a tangy lemon tart, and decadent chocolate topped with peanut brittle.

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

Friends and family shared stories and laughs and tears about Papa, celebrating his many decades of service to his community as an urologist and a father figure to his relatives. And of course, there was birthday cake. As Julia Child said: “A party without cake is just a meeting.”

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

Happy 90^th Birthday, Papa! We wish you many more!

RER

3.28.15

RER 3.28.15

re.CAP: YELP's for lovers & friends

RER 2.4.15

The Yelp Elite Event, Yelp’s for Lovers & Friends, was absolutely delectable. The beautiful restaurant, Maritime Parc, made for a perfect venue for the Valentine’s Day inspired event. The place is gorgeous with incredible views, contemporary décor and a knack for the delicious.

RER 2.4.15

Beautifully orchestrated bites were passed around to the yelp elites and their guests. Each taste underlined and highlighted the aesthetic and the culinary vision of the restaurant.

A singular seared scallop rested on a tangy sauce with a delicate moment of micro greens, lush, elegant, and faultless.

RER 2.4.15

Rounded mounds of briny and succulent lobster risotto floated on wooden spoons, chewy and luxurious and studded with fatty chorizo.

RER 2.4.15

Oyster shells served as the ideal vessel for meaty grilled oysters drowning in cream with creamy leeks and salty bacon.

RER 2.4.15

Each slider with a buttery bun, caramelized onions, quality beef and special sauce was like sinking into something solid and familiar.

RER 2.4.15

Fat crab dumplings swam in pretty teacups, doused in sweet and spicy broth and floating goodies with an exotic flare, similar to the braised pork belly “Kung Bao” style.

The bar offered mixed drinks that were fresh and tropical, boasting pineapple and tequila, gin and sunshine, and rum with a red wine float. These cocktails spoke to the curated seafood landscape of the menu.

RER 2.4.15

The exquisite tasting was rounded off with sultry desserts. Bite-sized hot fried dough rounds filled generously with blueberries and ricotta cheese, brought on sophisticated sweetness, while the sticky toffee pudding with nuts and fruit evoked strange comfort.

RER 2.4.15

We were so lucky to get another taste of Maritime Parc and chat with other Yelpers and their guests. The event only made me want to visit the eatery again for a proper Valentine’s Day date night.

RER

2.4.15

RER 2.4.15