date #7 or date night sleepwalking
i know this isn't the place for talk of the day to day, but i feel like i must preface this entry with a little backstory ...
so tuesday afternoon, i was offered a job. wednesday morning, one of my new bosses asked me if could start the following day by attending a conference in illinois. i agreed, on condition that i would be able to return in time for friday night's napoleon dynamite themed junior high barn party in stoughton. i made it in by 8 p.m., stayed out till 11 or so, crashed, woke up early again to drive out to blackhawk's new building site for a tour, return downtown to pick up my little sister, and head out with her and jon to minneapolis (stopping for lunch at jon's parents' house in eau claire) for jon's sunday participation in the twin cities marathon. and that's just the nutshell summary of the past week ...
so needless to say, come monday, we were both flat-out exhausted. and because daytime napping is within the realm of impossibility for me, i was still flat-out exhausted come monday evening. so jon's evening activity was exactly what we needed.
jon chose porta bella for dinner, located just off of state street on frances near library mall. i'd been there before on a few first dates (based on my own and others' experiences, i think it's the place a guy takes a girl when he's really interested in the relationship) and always enjoyed it. but since it had been easily 6 years since i'd been, i was feeling game for the plush, velvety embrace of porta bella's rich italian atmosphere.
when dinner came, i sleepily ordered a diet coke, and listened as carefully as possible to the evening's specials (which, of course, i can't remember now. actually, i don't even know if i heard them the first time). jon and i agreed to order and share the pasta scilliano (spinach fettucine topped with italian sausage, green peppers, onions, and tomato sauce) and an 8 oz. steak special. evidently, both plates entitle you to a salad or soup, but in my sleepy deliriousness, i somehow communicated that i'd like to split jon's salad with him (i vaguely remember jon chuckling as i miscommunicated my order. boo for laughing at weary, overtired people). but i'll tell you, DO NOT get your own salad. ONE salad is plenty for two people. I swear, it's just like the Cheesecake Factory - who can, no, better yet, who should eat that much?
anyway, the food came rather quickly. whether this was because we arrived around 7 p.m. on a monday night we may never know, but the privacy and intimacy of the place separates you so much from the other customers, that you don't even feel tempted to see who's getting their food the fastest (and besides, it's my opinion that dining out should necessarily be a slow event. if you want fast, try mcdonald's).
our server was courteous, very kind in responding to my exhaustion by repeatedly coming to replace my empty glass with a new one filled to the top with little diet coke bubbles. the experience was lovely, intimate, and filling. jon and i agree on giving porta bella B+/A- (the steak wasn't ridiculously fabulous, so that lowered it a few notches. and much as i enjoy the cozy interior, there are a few interior design touches that could be tweaked to update its old-worldliness a bit). overall, really great.
afterwards, we took a walk up state street to steep and brew, where (gasp!) i've actually never been. i was an espresso royale junkie in college once cafe assisi closed over on gilman and state. and the steep and brew crowd always appeared a bit intimidating to me (the number of older men reclining in their metal chairs on the front patio, massaging their goatees, and staring into the eyes of passersby was enough to propel me towards any other coffee shop in the neighborhood). but monday night was quiet and the cold had most likely moved creepy men indoors and out of sight, so jon and i popped in to grab a drink. the baristas are great - everything a college-age campus coffee person should be. so me with my hot apple cider and jon with his americano (jon would like me to give props here to steep & brew for serving americanos at the same price as their coffees) went out again into the on-again, off-again rain and spent the rest of our evening out walking around the capitol and talking.
we headed back to my house, determined not to put in a movie we'd just end up falling asleep in front of, and sat on the couch facing each other chatting. just an hour later, i woke up to my roommate grinding coffee beans. turns out that even if daytime napping is out of the question, nighttime napping certainly is not.
and with a kiss goodnight and goodbye, date #7 quickly ended in sweet dreams.
so tuesday afternoon, i was offered a job. wednesday morning, one of my new bosses asked me if could start the following day by attending a conference in illinois. i agreed, on condition that i would be able to return in time for friday night's napoleon dynamite themed junior high barn party in stoughton. i made it in by 8 p.m., stayed out till 11 or so, crashed, woke up early again to drive out to blackhawk's new building site for a tour, return downtown to pick up my little sister, and head out with her and jon to minneapolis (stopping for lunch at jon's parents' house in eau claire) for jon's sunday participation in the twin cities marathon. and that's just the nutshell summary of the past week ...
so needless to say, come monday, we were both flat-out exhausted. and because daytime napping is within the realm of impossibility for me, i was still flat-out exhausted come monday evening. so jon's evening activity was exactly what we needed.
jon chose porta bella for dinner, located just off of state street on frances near library mall. i'd been there before on a few first dates (based on my own and others' experiences, i think it's the place a guy takes a girl when he's really interested in the relationship) and always enjoyed it. but since it had been easily 6 years since i'd been, i was feeling game for the plush, velvety embrace of porta bella's rich italian atmosphere.when dinner came, i sleepily ordered a diet coke, and listened as carefully as possible to the evening's specials (which, of course, i can't remember now. actually, i don't even know if i heard them the first time). jon and i agreed to order and share the pasta scilliano (spinach fettucine topped with italian sausage, green peppers, onions, and tomato sauce) and an 8 oz. steak special. evidently, both plates entitle you to a salad or soup, but in my sleepy deliriousness, i somehow communicated that i'd like to split jon's salad with him (i vaguely remember jon chuckling as i miscommunicated my order. boo for laughing at weary, overtired people). but i'll tell you, DO NOT get your own salad. ONE salad is plenty for two people. I swear, it's just like the Cheesecake Factory - who can, no, better yet, who should eat that much?
anyway, the food came rather quickly. whether this was because we arrived around 7 p.m. on a monday night we may never know, but the privacy and intimacy of the place separates you so much from the other customers, that you don't even feel tempted to see who's getting their food the fastest (and besides, it's my opinion that dining out should necessarily be a slow event. if you want fast, try mcdonald's).
our server was courteous, very kind in responding to my exhaustion by repeatedly coming to replace my empty glass with a new one filled to the top with little diet coke bubbles. the experience was lovely, intimate, and filling. jon and i agree on giving porta bella B+/A- (the steak wasn't ridiculously fabulous, so that lowered it a few notches. and much as i enjoy the cozy interior, there are a few interior design touches that could be tweaked to update its old-worldliness a bit). overall, really great.
afterwards, we took a walk up state street to steep and brew, where (gasp!) i've actually never been. i was an espresso royale junkie in college once cafe assisi closed over on gilman and state. and the steep and brew crowd always appeared a bit intimidating to me (the number of older men reclining in their metal chairs on the front patio, massaging their goatees, and staring into the eyes of passersby was enough to propel me towards any other coffee shop in the neighborhood). but monday night was quiet and the cold had most likely moved creepy men indoors and out of sight, so jon and i popped in to grab a drink. the baristas are great - everything a college-age campus coffee person should be. so me with my hot apple cider and jon with his americano (jon would like me to give props here to steep & brew for serving americanos at the same price as their coffees) went out again into the on-again, off-again rain and spent the rest of our evening out walking around the capitol and talking.
we headed back to my house, determined not to put in a movie we'd just end up falling asleep in front of, and sat on the couch facing each other chatting. just an hour later, i woke up to my roommate grinding coffee beans. turns out that even if daytime napping is out of the question, nighttime napping certainly is not.
and with a kiss goodnight and goodbye, date #7 quickly ended in sweet dreams.
posted by Mary at 2:16 PM
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