Anniversary Drinks and Dinner

Fifteen is kind of a big number. Liz and I looked into doing a big night out, but it was feeling a little much. So we scaled things down significantly. And we ended up doing a more modest night out.

Jaunted over to Pilsen, to a small bar inside of Pilsen Yards.

A very unassuming door, that leads to The Alderman.

The space is incredibly narrow, and took me back at first. But as we settled it, it got pretty cozy. We got seated at the far end of the row, where the seating kind of wraps around… allowing me and Liz to set next to one another. Definitely the best table in the space.

Liz got the Whismy Old Fashioned (whiskey, smoked tea oleo, truffle maple, house bitters, hand-toasted marshmallow). I got Every Time It Rains (gin, haitian rum, passion fruit, pineapple, coconut, gentian, black lime). A note on my drink says “It comes with a little umbrella.”

My drink was surprisingly complex, with a lot of layers. And had a bit of a spice/kick at the end. I’m not one that usually goes for that sort of thing, but I actually quite enjoyed it.

A later second drink for me was the And Tonic (gin OR vodka [I chose vodka], elderflower, purple, morrocan spice, fizz). This was really quite delicious, and went down much easier than expected.

While there were two women at the bar when we first arrived, we had the place mostly to ourselves. We had a very early evening in mind (we arrived at 5:30)… and I’d say by around 6:15, the place was already full up.

We ended up having dinner at RPM Italian.

We’ve been on a more restrictive diet lately, trying to eat fewer foods that have the potential to cause inflammation. So this means: no cheese/dairy, no gluten, no processed meats. The change hasn’t been terrible, but it’s definitely been a change.

Most notable changes: for lunch, we tend to do smoothies that involve a blend of spinach and fruit and protein powder. And for dinners, we’ve been cooking more than we’ve been ordering out. All in all, I think we’ve probably been eating healthier in the last few months than we ever have before.

Suffice it to say – we don’t get pasta often. So tonight was a bit of a splurge. And we started off with some garlic bread.

Small note: they had an ok whisky list, but their menu called out Arran as a feature distillery. On top of that, their offering was from the recent Laag distilery… which not too many people know about. Reading the menu entry about this was quite impressive. Whoever their beverage director is here… hats off to them.

For dessert, Liz got an affogado (they actually have two different versions on the menu, which was a first to me). They got a little fancy with it, which was ok… but Liz I think is more of a traditionalist.

The lack of dairy has hit Liz more than me, as she really misses cheese. For me, tonight was a nice excuse to get a small bit of cheesecake. Because not only have I been eating less cheese lately, I’ve also (sadly) been eating less cake.

A low key evening overall. Hard to compete with our anniversary dinner in Scotland, but still a nice night out for us.

A common topic for us: we couldn’t believe how time has gone by. We sure did throw a fun party, fifteen years ago.

Related:
Fifteen
A Happy Ending, and an Anniversary Dinner
Scotland, Day 11: The Macallan, Aberlour Distillery, Anniversary Dinner at Dowans Hotel, and a Most Amazing Coincidence
House Day, Anniversary Evening

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