Last night I took myself on a great date. A while ago someone told me about 1300 on Fillmore and I have wanted to go for over a year. Last night, I finally got tired of waiting and took myself. Since the menu has a hint of southern I started with bourbon, neat. It went wonderfully with my cornbread with sweet jalapeno jelly and the freshwater shrimp hushpuppies I ordered as my appetizer. The only thing that could make a hushpuppy better is some delicious shrimp. I ordered that maple syrup slow braised short rib with buttermilk chive mashed potatoes which paired excellently with the glass of meritage that I ordered. I devoured the whole thing. Time for the dessert menu. It was a quick selections since the first item was strawberry-rhubarb cobbler. I, of course, had to order a glass of late harvest zinfandel from Rosenblum to go with it. The cobbler arrived the smell of the topping was smelled so great I almost didn’t want to eat it. It was all so amazing.
One of the interesting parts about taking yourself out to dinner is the looks that you get from the other people in the restaurant. The part I wasn’t used to was that attention from the dining room manager. He came over to introduce himself and I think I had 3 other servers stop by and make sure I was doing okay. I don’t know if they thought I was a critic or just felt bad for me that I was eating dinner alone on a Friday night. I like to imagine that they wished they had the nerve to do it. At the end my ever attentive waitress brought the check and said “I have to tell you that everything you ordered is exactly what I would have ordered. I love the short rib and the meritage is my favorite. Great minds think alike.” I of course tip her well above the standard amount. After dinner I went to the Kabuki and watched Exit Through the Gift Shop. They have 21+ showings that allow you to have a glass of wine while watching the movie. It really was a wonderful evening.
Every time I do this I learn more about who I am. What I learned last night is that I am strong enough on my own to do anything. I have known for a while that I don’t need someone or anything to complete me, but last night it became even more clear. It has been a long week of big decisions, self doubt and fear. Something about making a huge life decision sets a lot of emotions rolling all at once. Last night was exactly what I needed to remind me that I can do anything and that I am not scared of much.
