AZ Restaurant Week

Oh muh goodness.  I wish every week was AZ Restaurant Week.  Thank goodness Mikel somehow stumbled on this gem of a fact before our date night last weekend, because we were able to visit an incredible restaurant for literally half the price it would have normally been.  Like I said - Oh muh goodness.

So, restaurant week.  What is it?  For 1 week in September, 178 restaurants all over the valley offer limited selection 3-course menus for anywhere from $30-$44 (most places that's per person, though a handful have it per couple... and some even include wine in that price).  

Mikel has worked like a dog the last 3 weeks -- with 2 back to back weekends on super busy call -- and we were IN NEED of a night out together.  Our dear babysitter Taylor was available, so off we went.  He surprised me with a restaurant selection/reservation, and he did a great job with The House Brasserie in old town Scottsdale!  Found in the 2nd oldest home in Scottsdale, it has been completely renovated and is absolutely vintage-chic beautiful.  There is a seriously massive pine tree in the backyard of the house (how tall is that thing, Mikel?  50 feet?  more??), which our waitress informed us was the original owners' Christmas tree in the 1940's.  The house was a bakery before the current owners bought it 2 years ago and turned it into the delightful place it is now.  Super quaint but upscale.  Intimate but hopping.  So fun.

And the food.  Ermegersh.  While $44/person is indeed a splurge on a night out, I had the scallops and happened to note on the menu they alone normally run for $35, soooooo that means this 3-course + cocktails meal was a treat as well as a steal!  Like I said, I wish every week was Restaurant Week...

Here are a handful of shots we snagged from our evening.  We opted to sit on the patio.  When we arrived at 6:15, we were the only people seated out there and we were wondering if we had turned into old fogey grandparents overnight --- but within half an hour, it had filled up and we were glad for our reservation!

Appy.  I could have eaten 4 of these.

 

 We love food!

My dismantled cheesecake.  Yum.

My photo didn't really turn out, but the patio lit up beautifully after sunset. 

After dinner, we took a nice stroll through the arts district in Old Town.

...where our window-looking scored us a sighting of this:  a $3,600 collection of pear blocks.  What in the world??

It was a lovely evening.  We kicked around going to see a movie...... then remembered we are fogeys and really prefer to watch a Redbox on the sofa in our PJ's.  So that's what we did.  :)

And we loved it!

Thankful for a date night : a chance to connect and relax.  Thankful for you, Mikel.