This is how my day started...

Yes, 14 years. Can you believe it?!?! Keola surprised me with dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern! We've always said that we wanted to try one of those restaurants from Food Network (one of our favorites!!). Well, our anniversary was the perfect date to S*P*L*U*R*G*E*
Here's Lillie trying to look calm and serene.

This is not a great picture, but we had to get at least one picture of the action in the open kitchen. This picture was taken from our table. It was neat to watch all the cooking going on.

Here's our first course...Foie Gras Brulee with rhubarb, strawberry, and homemade brioche. SOOOO, delish!!! It literally tasted like creme brulee, then you got the hint of foie gras, with the sweetness of the fruit. And let's not forget the homemade brioche!! And this was only the beginning!!

With that start, we couldn't WAIT for the main course!! Well, it didn't disappoint. I had braised beef ribs, Keola had oven-roasted Maine scallops, we shared creamy polenta with blue cheese and garden fresh young carrots with a maple syrup glaze, AND Lillie had the same carrots with Mac-n-Cheese!! No, the restaurant did NOT offer a kids' menu, but Daddy was on top of things and made some mac-n-cheese for his little girl and we smuggled it in!

So now you may ask, did we have room for dessert? OF COURSE!! We weren't about to go to a top notch restaurant and NOT have the best part! So we ordered 3 scoops of homemade honey vanilla ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce (for Lillie - of course). Keola and I shared THIS...a seriously delicious apple pie.

Here are the chefs at work.

Look at these luscious apple pies and berry cornmeal cobblers on the left, just waiting to be devoured!!

Oh so wonderful! Here's the lovely anniversary couple. Oh, I forgot one sort of funny thing. Once we were seated in the restaurant, we were admiring all the surroundings, and I heard a *pop*! Well, I didn't think anything of it, until our waiter came by the table and said, "I hear we are celebrating an anniversary." Once he said that, I knew EXACTLY what I heard. The waiter then proceeded to put champagne glasses down, and said, "we would love to celebrate with some bubbly". At which point, Keola had to let him down gently that we don't drink alcohol. Which he kindly replied, "No problem, that's why I wanted to ask first." I guess he meant, to ask before he started pouring, but I thought, poor guy should have asked before they popped the bottle!! Oh well, maybe some other lucky couple was able to enjoy the bubbly.

Of course, it may have been our anniversary, but we had to end with a picture of the best part of our marriage!