Happy Valentine’s Day

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be our anniversary, so there was no way we were going to let it pass without doing something. However, with all that’s going on in our lives, it was on our radar but when it finally arrived, it was a bit of a surprise. Then again, as is often the case, when you do things without a bunch of planning, they often turn out for the better. Too much planning spoils the endeavor.

With this in mind, we hadn’t planned anything for the big day until the day before. Of course we were going to have to sandwich any activities in between hockey, but that actually worked out well. Since N had a practice in the evening, we planned on meeting R at the rink, and then we’d all head off somewhere for supper. The problem we always run into is where to eat. There are not a huge number of restaurant options that we really love, mainly because of the conflict between price and quality of the food, or in my case, just price. I hate to admit this, but when a meal costs a fortune, I just can’t enjoy it.

I experienced this on numerous occasions when I lived in New York. Normally I would avoid restaurants that had cloth napkins, but inevitably at some dinner party or on a date, you end up at a restaurant that breaks your back. Those are the same ones where the waiter hates your guts when you don’t order drinks, because it’s the cocktails that kill you. I lose all objectivity when a restaurant is expensive, it just taints my perspective.

Now the restaurants in this area are not overly expensive, but they aren’t cheap, either. In NYC, you get the whole spectrum, with places that are way beyond my means, to so cheap that you wonder what they’re feeding you. It’s nice to have that range of choices. Up here, it is way more homogeneous. The food is not outrageous, but it’s not cheap, either. I’ve yet to really find a place to eat dinner that knocks my socks off and is a good deal. There are plenty of nice restaurants where the food is really good, but it’s going to cost you.

This was a special occasion, however, and we’ve been having a bit too much drama in our lives, so we wanted to enjoy ourselves and not worry about it. We wanted something that was close to the rink so we could just head on over after practice, and it had to be kid-friendly, which pretty much includes every place up here. The fact that it was Valentine’s Day complicated it a bit because couples having a romantic night out don’t necessarily want kids screaming in their ears. For this reason we tend to eat on the early side, but N’s practice ended late so we had to join the hip and young-love crowd. It actually worked out beautifully.

We chose Melaza, a Caribbean restaurant in Woodstock. I made the reservation for four, but didn’t mention that we were with two young children, not that it should make any difference, but again, it was Valentine’s Day. Oh well, you can’t constantly fret over these details, you have to just go for it, right? In the end, we had a really nice time, not to mention a nice day.

It started out busy as usual. I had LTP hockey in the AM, which starts at 8:30, which means I have to leave at 7:30. It’s even worse at open stick, where I have to leave here at 6:30. It’s brutal. After hockey, A had her book club, where they are finishing up their short movie that they made. During her club, N and I went to Stateline to have his skates heat molded, which I’m guessing is the new thing in ice skates. After that, A had her musical rehearsal, and then we went to hockey practice with KB, which worked out beautifully because R was meeting us for dinner. From the arena, we headed straight over to Melaza and sat down for supper.

We really liked the restaurant. It was nice without being stuffy, and kid friendly to boot. In fact, there was a family with young children right next to us, not that it’s an issue because A&N are pretty well-behaved and don’t make a scene. The food was really good, and like usual, not cheap, but not back-breaking, either. I had the pork shank that people rave about, and it was excellent. N got the skirt steak which was tender and delicious, and the girls got seafood. R got the grouper and N got the scallops. They loved their dishes, though I didn’t get to taste them. They usually give seafood in smaller portions and I don’t want to cut into that. Their dishes looked beautiful. We also got the appetizer special with a bit of everything on it, which was outstanding. The ceviche was killer.

There was some debate over dessert, A wanted to get something there, but N wanted to get home in time to have family movie night. In the end, we decided to head home for dessert and movies, which is fine by me. Having kids definitely gives you an excuse to not only forsake cocktails, but to cut out early. I was happy to get home.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we got mom flowers for Valentine’s Day, and cleaned up the house. I figured it was something she could appreciate (the cleaning) because our house is a always chaotic with hockey gear, books, and clothes. I don’t know how families with five or more children do it. It’s important to know the people you love and understand what’s important to them.

All in all, we had a nice day and evening, and best of all, didn’t have to do an inordinate amount of planning to pull it off. I love when that happens.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.