Parrot of a Purple Hue.....

I had dinner with my beautiful wife and some friends and aquaintances at the Purple Parrot last night.

I love fine dining. love, Love, LOVE it!

I especially love it when I'm not the one cooking it.

And I do so love me some Purple Parrot. I know I've mentioned here before how unlikely that Robert St John is as a uber-successful restaurateur - but he is. And he is quite simply a visionary and a lucky son-of-a-bitch too!

But be that as it may, I love eating in his restaurant.

I love how I'm a frequent flyer and get special attention which is very impressive for visiting folks who are with me. It makes it seem like I'm special - which I'm not! But it does show to those of us who live in or around the food world, how well trained the staff is there.

This is not simply a "get your pad out and go write down the order" kind of place. No-no-no, they train, train and train their wait staff.

Each day they get to taste the specials and they sip the wine pairings (and spit, theoretically) before the shift starts. The chefs are there to go over what is fresh and good and what they need to try to sell before it goes bad in the cooler!

Yep, these 20-something-year-olds become part of a noble industry and they take their place at the top of that industry in our little town.

After ordering an amazing bottle of Pinot Noir (the really good stuff because it was on someone else's expense report), we got the rundown of the specials for the evening.

But I really didn't care because I had my heart set on the Osso Bucco! Osso Bucco is a shank (usually a baby cow or veal as we like to refer to it).

But alas, at the end of his soliloquy, he began to apologize profusely because they had just run out of osso bucco..........

And he did this announcement in such a way that gently let me down; "Mr. Kennedy, I know that's what you wanted to eat but if you snooze, you lose because it's all gone-gone!"

Shit!

And since Osso Bucco takes an entire day to braise, there obviously was not an option to obtain the amazing veal shank..........

So I went with one of the new menu items which was a flank steak.

Now flank steak is the stuff the Mexicans use to make their fajitas, and even though it is just now catching on in America, I am wise to it having eaten and cooked it on many occasions.

I got it mid-rare and it was served already sliced on a bed of sweet potato hash with bacon and other goodies in t.

And Oh My God, this dish amazing.

A-Fucking-Mazing I tell you!!

I don't have the words to describe the feelings I got when I tasted it.

But of course, I'll try........

Heavenly, out of this world, unbelievable, organismic - OK, I'll stop there!

The wine was fantastic, the food was delish, and what's next.....?

Oh yea - DESERT!

We got some white chocolate bread pudding, some creme brule and the sorbet trio (mint green tea, raspberry and another one that slips my mind). I coupled all of those selections with a brandy alexander and wow, did I sleep good last night!

But for me, again, the best part of it was being there with my amazing wife, who was all dressed up and beautiful!

And while I sat there and pondered my circumstances, I most certainly understood that I am truly the luckiest boy in the world!

And I didn't even need a burning bush or any kind of verification from outside sources to let me know that my life is blessed from heaven. As usual, I just soaked it in and celebrated my good fortune!

Now tonight.......tonight is a return to "normal" for me. I'm having chili dogs and tater chips with my college boy guitar coach and my almost 11 year old darling step daughter.

I love the fact that I can switch gears like that in just a day's time!!

So my wish for you is that one aspect of your life (the one you want most of all) will be fulfilled in such a way that you too can feel like the luckiest person in the world.

That's all we can ever ask for.

I did ask the woman of my dreams thirtyeleventwentysix times and finally got the "yes" that I had been waiting for all my life.

I hope your's works out too!

Peace