The Mandelbear's Musings

Woke up at about 5am to find that my marvelous flower_cat had been up before me and made some peach custard. We both went back to sleep. The custard was delicious.

Went out for a pleasant five-mile walk this morning. After that, I drove over to REI and bought a new pair of hiking boots, because a comment by quadrivium a couple of posts downwhen made me look at the soles of the old ones -- they were practically worn through. The new ones are the same type (Keen Brooklyn) but half a size bigger -- 11 rather than 10.5. (My current walking shoes are size 11, too. It seems one's feet never stop growing; I was a size 9.5 30 years ago.) So these should be a bit more comfortable in addition to not being on the verge of falling apart.

About 5pm the flower_cat and I went out on our dinner date. We'd been going past the Forbes Mill Steakhouse in Los Gatos for years, looking at their menu, and thinking we ought to try it some time. Some time was tonight, and a fine time it was. We started out with Sarticious gin (from just over the mountains in Santa Cruz), which we had never tried. Both of us loved it: smooth, slightly fruity. Yum. Shortly after that they brought the bread (made on the premises, I'd guess) and the apetizers we'd ordered off today's specials: figs stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto, and oysters on the half-shell. There were three figs and three each of two kinds of oysters; we split the odd fig and divvied the oysters by proximity: one of the far ones and two of the close ones.

For the main course we just had more appetizers: the beef carpaccio, day boat sea scallops (two big scallops on a bed of black "forbidden rice"), and the filet tips (with cognac peppercorn sauce, scallions, and garlic chips). All made of yum. I personally thought the figs were the best.

We finished off with a cheese plate, cappuccino for the Cat, and espresso for me. Total was a little over a C-note before tip: high, but not outrageous as long as we don't do it more than every couple of months. We've paid more taking the family out for sushi, and enjoyed it less.