In Celebration of 5
The morning of our anniversary dawned clear and gorgeous! Blue sky, puffy clouds, warm but not too hot temperatures. It was almost a carbon copy of our wedding day. How perfect was that for our anniversary??
For a multi-sport athlete, or at least the one I live with, there is no such thing as a day off. Our anniversary was no exception! We headed out in the morning so Kevin could do an open water swim while I kayaked/life guarded. After a trip to our CSA, lunch, and relaxing, we headed out so Kevin could do a long run. I biked along carrying a lot of water because it was hot and it was humid at that time of day!
Between the two of us, we swam, kayaked, biked, and ran… all in the span of a few hours!
We had reservations at 8 at Tre Cugini, which turned out to be a phenomenal choice. It was absolutely delicious! From the rosemary focaccia we ate while perusing the menu to the final bite of dessert, we were in foodie heaven. We went in different directions—soup v. salad— for our first course. Kevin started out with their Insalata di endivia con noci e gorgonzola (Belgian endive salad with walnuts and chunks of gorgonzola cheese in a raspberry dressing), while I opted for the Tortellini in brodo alla emigliana (House-made meat tortellini in a vegetable broth). Both were spectacular. For his main event, Kevin chose the Gnocchi di patate con quattro formaggi (House-made potato dumplings with mascarpone, gorgonzola, fontina, and parmesan cheese). I had the Arrotolato di pollo con asparagi, spinaci e mozzarella (Pan-seared breast of chicken, stuffed with fresh asparagus, spinach, and mozzarella cheese) which was accompanied by roasted potatoes and a delicious combo of buttery veggies. Everything was spectacular. For dessert, we enjoyed the Sgogliata di cioccolato al’amaretto (Chocolate sheets filled with amaretto chocolate mousse). That in itself was worth the trip! Add in the fact that they had a very talented accordion player (who stopped at our table multiple times during the evening to take requests), some of our favorite beverages (Oberon on tap for Kevin and Black Star’s Late Harvest Riesling for me), and charming atmosphere, and it’s easy to see why they’ve been added to our short list of favorite restaurants!
Anniversary Accolades and Accordions
We told no one but the accordion player that we were there to celebrate our anniversary, yet this is how our dessert arrived. He must have been a spy for the pastry chef!!
We stepped out of the restaurant, which is in the heart of downtown GR, and right into the middle of a party! It was Friday Night at the GRAM (Grand Rapids Art Museum), and it was hopping! There was a DJ playing swing music, waltzes (including a waltz by Kermit the Frog, who knew??), pop songs, and a whole bunch of other styles. It was very spiffy. Before each dance, the DJ would ask for volunteers to demonstrate the dance steps for everyone. Some very talented couple would skim through the steps, and then the DJ would restart the music so everyone else could join in. Though there was no way to learn the dance perfectly from a 30 second intro, it didn’t matter, because 95% of the crowd didn’t know it either! It was very fun!! Oh, and at one point, the DJ asked if there were any birthdays during the upcoming week. Kevin!! He asked all the birthday people to join him on stage. It ended up being Kevin and 5 other people. Everybody was introduced, said when their birthday was and how old they were going to be, and then the crowd sang Happy Birthday. Very cool! It was one of those occurrences that make me sure that we live in a city that is just the right size. Large enough that they have events like this, but small enough that they do stuff like sing Happy Birthday to each other.
Off to join the party in Rosa Parks Circle!
From fireworks at our reception to parties downtown, it seems like getting married on Fourth of July Weekend was a fabulous choice!!
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