MD 20-09, part 1

nah, not a new type of cheap fortified wine. Mother's Day 2009, that's all...

So, yesterday, Steve called my parents to ask if they wanted some small, energetic visitors for the evening so that we could have a Hot Mother's Day Date. That consists of shopping at Target (we had coupons, y'all. Walking on the wild side!) and going to dinner. Sexy, huh? Well, we actually went to dinner at our favorite restaurant, Koreana in Appleton. So, at the last minute (as always), we had Matthew make some cards (one for his grandma, and a late birthday card for his grandpa), packed up the kids, stopped at the store for flowers, and headed to Neenah.

We've eaten at Koreana many times, but this was different. Usually, we arrive really early (around 5:00) because we either had a kid with us, or had a kid waiting at his grandparents' house. Now, we've found, the boys are willing to go to sleep at Grandma's and Grandpa's, so we could take our time. We arrived later to find there was a 30 minute wait. No problem--we sat at the bar, enjoyed a beverage (Steve had a Newcastle, I had a Riesling--I rarely drink it, but like it with sushi), and chatted about Steve's job and new colleagues in the industry. Our table was ready quickly, and we were seated near the window, where we could talk quietly but still enjoy the energy of the busy restaurant. We ordered our sushi rolls (spicy tuna, salmon, negi hamachi, and a tuna/shrimp mix) and entrees (bibimbap and rice cakes with beef), and settled in.

Our poor waiter....turns out, everybody wanted sushi that night, and the sushi bar was backed up. Our wait was quite long, but we didn't mind. He, however, got more nervous as the evening went on. We had told him at the beginning of the evening that we did not need the usual side dishes, but he brought them anyway so we would "have something in front of you." Now, I really mention that because of the sides. The sides are: kimchi (makes sense, in a Korean/sushi restaurant and it is very spicy and delicious), fish cakes (which are not like crab cakes, but almost a jerky-like consistency, marinated in soy, sesame, and something sweet. better than I can describe!), bean sprouts (not my thing, a little slimy in consistency), and....potato salad. Yes, potato salad. That American picnic staple, held together with mustard and mayo, scooped out into the dish with an ice cream scoop. I do not know how this became part of the Koreana side-dish repertoire. I wonder--is this something found at all Korean restaurants in the States, or is this peculiar to our little area of the world? They do put chow mein noodles on the top, so...yeah, I still don't know. Needless to say, we were hungry, so despite our earlier instructions, we nibbled on the kimchi and noshed on the fishcakes. The bean sprouts and potato salad were left sadly ignored.

Our sushi finally arrived, and as we reassured our waiter, it was worth the wait. I don't even think that was the second glass of Riesling I had during the wait talking. Fresh, delicious, wonderful. As Steve commented, "you really want to eat at a busy sushi restaurant." Our entrees followed quickly behind. We ate way too much, and left fat and happy.

While we were waiting, I had convinced Steve that we should make a stop on the way home for "dessert." As the "dessert" was a pint of local microbrew, you can imagine that it was not very difficult at all to convince him. I was more interested in where we were stopping than what we were having. When we were in undergrad in Oshkosh, a new brewpub opened on the waterfront. This quickly became our go-to place for when we could scrape together a little extra cash to celebrate an occasion. When we were in graduate school and would return to visit a former professor / now friend of ours, we would meet there. The food and beer was good, but mostly I loved the atmosphere--the airy building with high ceilings and a glass wall separating the brewing operations, and most of all the huge windows allowing an unimpeded view of the Fox River. The brewpub was a great success, and the owners have opened up several new ones, including Fratellos in Appleton and Milwaukee.

The newest Appleton location is great--they set up shop in the old (1909) Vulcan Hydroelectric Power plant. The building is restored beautifully, and although we've only been twice (both times after dinner, so have never been in the restaurant), the bar is gorgeous. It was packed this evening, so we sat at an unoccupied side table, against the window overlooking the dam. A waiter immediately asked if we had been helped, and told us about the brewery special, which was a blueberry beer. Now--you have to know that Steve and I hate any fruity-verging-on-wine-cooler beers. This blueberry ale is no Bartles and Jaymes. It is a light beer, with just a hint of blueberry flavor giving it complexity. The blueberries floating in the pint glass make for a fun visual. We sipped the beer, chatting about old memories, such as when we last had that beer, at the Oshkosh location, making plans for new memories, including bringing new friends with us next time we were at Fratellos, sneaking glances at the television in the bar to check the Brewers score (home run, Counsell! Oooh, and home run, Braun!!) and taking in the scene around us, both in the river outside (turtles! and, well, carp. but whatever) and in the restaurant inside . Turns out that white tuxedos are the fashion of the moment for Appleton prom-goers.

After our drink, we headed back to Neenah to pick up some very sleepy, but happy boys, and drove back to Manitowoc in the misty night, listening to selected songs on my iPod. Today, we'll spend time with the kids. But last night, reconnecting with my own self and my husband without the kids was just the Mother's Day present I needed.

Well, maybe that and a housekeeper. Is ANYONE going to clean up those damn Rice Krispies off the floor? I mean, really.