Special Dinner Date
Posted: June 6, 2011 at 9:00 amCatching up from the weekend? Check out some fun things I shared:
- A Special Announcement (also the week’s FFF Features)
- 10K Race Recap (smashed my goal time!)
- Self-Love Reflection of the Week: Forgiving Yourself
PS – Last call for anyone interested in the spin-off on my Strengths Out Loud post. Email me a photo to go along with the strength(s) you gave in the comments or that you want to say out loud and proud!
Saturday night Peter and I had the chance to go out for a date to celebrate our four year wedding anniversary.
We played like a happy couple. I actually got in a dress. Peter wore cologne. It was like our first dates all over again. 😉
Actually, it really was. We hit up The Cheesecake Factory since it holds special memories as where we went to dinner the night we became “official”.
Plus, I love this restaurant. I guess it should come as no surprise I love a restaurant that will inevitably end with an epic dessert. You know me too well.
We grabbed a table outside to have a little bit more of a quieter atmosphere.
The two of us can still talk forever about all sorts of things. Communication is key in any successful relationship, right? We talked about the various crazy dreaming ideas I keep having pop in my head, things Peter wants to accomplish on the house, the kids (because we can’t ever leave them fully behind), our upcoming vacation, and people watching. We love people watching.
Then, it came time for the food. I still had quite the appetite from the race earlier in the day so I ate a bunch of the tasty complimentary bread.
It took me awhile to decide on my dinner because the extensive menu had so many things that sounded amazing. I finally settled on two appetizers as my dinner – the ahi tuna tempura roll appetizer…
…and the French Country salad which included mixed greens, fresh beets, goat cheese, and pecans in a balsamic vinaigrette.
The flavor combos of each dish were completely different, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t decide and each was phenomenal. I left with a very satisfied belly and some cheesecake to go. Please don’t judge when I tell you we planned ahead and brought a cooler to stash our cheesecake while we went to a movie. Oh, yes we did. We had to save our cheesecake to enjoy for when our bellies had room. The 2 hour length of a movie = the perfect amount of time to make room for dessert.
We had a deal for Fandango to use up so decided to tack a movie on to our date. It took a little convincing to get Peter to agree to Bridesmaids, but I knew I wanted to see this movie after hearing so many rave reviews on its hilarity. Reviews = confirmed. It really was so funny. We laughed the entire movie!
Good ole belly laughs worked off our dinner, so we ended the night at home with our cheesecake. A slice of the red velvet and the Reese’s peanut butter cheesecakes to share. Be still my heart. Be still.
I almost shed a tear at the knowledge that it will likely be another year before I get to enjoy their cheesecake again. Fortunately I know there will be many more anniversaries…which means many more special annual trips to Cheesecake Factory.
- Do you have any restaurants that have a special memory for you?
- Do you like Cheesecake Factory? What is your favorite thing to order if so?
Tags: date nights, dining out, dinner
I’ve never eaten at a Cheesecake Factory, but now I really want to! My husband and I have a few restaurants that hold a special place in our hearts.
Congrats on four years! My husband and I just hit three. So happy for you! Blessings on many more to come!
~Michelle
I worked there for YEARS in college. And it’s still one of my favorite restaurats!!!! On their small bates page, I LOVE their corn fritters, fried zucchini and stuffed mushrooms. Their salads, the luau and sante fe are my faves. And dessert. Oh man, banana cream cheesecake, tuxedo cream, and Chris’s outrageous cake are always a winner! Congratulations on 4 years, so exciting!
I know! There are too many to choose from.
Congrats, again, on four wonderful years! 🙂 So glad you got to enjoy an evening out!
It seems like the entire world saw Bridesmaids this past week. I need to see it now! I’ve had the red velvet slice before…Yum!
We LOVE that red velvet cheesecake!! Mmmm mmm.
It was our first time trying it and was our favorite of the two by far. So good!
nice evening. I’ve been wanting to see that movie b/c I keep hearing how funny it is. I’ve never been to a Cheesecake Factory.
Aww, what a special dinner date! Once again, congrats on 4 lovely years and two beautiful children 🙂
I love the Cheesecake Factory! I would have to say that Eat n’ Park holds a special place in my heart, my boy and I go there every Sunday night 😀
Little traditions like that are so special. 🙂
awwwwwwwww look at you two cuties! <3 Glad you had a wondeful date with your man! Well needed for mommies and daddies eh? so cute!
I think I totally want to pick your brain sometime on keeping your relationship with your husband solid while rasing kiddos… P and I are starting to discuss possibilities of having kids early and i'm like — ahhh!!! excited and nervous!
Hope you have a fab monday lovely! mwah!
I think it’s GREAT to indulge at the CCF once a year! I haven’t been there in a while!
Sounds like a fun date night! Love the picture.
I have only been to the Cheesecake Factory once. My stepdaughter took me when I went to OKC last year. It was very good.
As for a restaurant that has a special memory, it’s BeniHana. Kev and I go every New Year’s Eve to celebrate our anniversary. This year will be 15 years but we did miss one because we were in Jamaica (but went early that year LOL).
It’s fun having a “special place” for events like anniversaries. I love it.
Awe, my husband and I went to Cheesecake factory for our first official date too! I love it there, because they have so many different options. I’ve had the Country salad before, and loved it!
A wonderful anniversary celebration for a wonderful couple! 🙂
What a fun night! Congrats again 🙂
IHOP, believe it or not, actually holds a lot of memories for me and Vishnu – don’t ask!
Happy anniversary!! =)
I was literally just thinking I need to pay cheesecake factory a visit…Nate and I love to split stuff there!
You should go! Cheesecake makes everything better…or at least for the 10 minutes it takes to devour. 😉
Those cheesecakes look absolutely AMAZING!! It’s so nice to see a couple in love who can still have fun and talk for hours with each other — it’s refreshing in today’s society 🙂 We’re the lucky minority!
I actually do like CF, but my hubby hates it..too many options and not specialized enough. But we BOTH agree the cheesecake is awesome…about a month ago we had a slice of the blueberry white chocolate. So amazing =)
Oooh, what a great date 🙂
Yay for fun date!! I love that dress you wore. I love Cheesecake Factory – it really has something for everyone.
Dan and I have probably had the most dates at Melting Pot – we actually went the night he proposed (he proposed at home – after dessert). Good memories!
I love The Cheesecake Factory. I only go about once or twice a year and that’s all I need. That was it’ll stay a real treat for me.
I like limiting how often we go too because it really does make it more of a treat. 🙂
Dinner looks good! And what a great idea for the cheesecake. Bridesmaids was a good movie. I laughed so hard!
I have heard that Bridesmaids is hilarious!
I have never been to Cheesecake Factory although I have heard it is amazing.
Red Robin will always be a special place to me — we used to eat there all the time, and we had their burgers for our wedding dinner food! We go there for our anniversary every year!
My special place is the Melting Pot, where my husband and I had our first date 🙂 We also go there on our anniversary most of the time.
Those pieces of cheesecake look divine… as cheesecake is my absolute favorite dessert!!
Congrats on 4 years and many more 🙂
I’ve always wanted a relationship where we could just talk for hours. My parents can do that, and since they’ve been happily married for 27 years, it clearly works.
I’ve only ever been to the Cheesecake Factory once because we dont have them in Canada. It was amazing though.
What a great date night!! I love that Jay and I can still talk for hours, too.
Rockbottom Brewery is near and dear to us, but it sadly closed in Cleveland last year. 🙁
Gosh that cheesecake looks great! I’ve actually never been to the Cheesecake Factory and never had their cheesecake…I know I’m missing out, though! This needs to be fixed soon! 😉
aww! happy anniversary! Love that you brought the cooler!! GREAT IDEA! those cheesecakes look d-ivine. Yummy. I am not a huge fan of the restaurant but DO love the cheesecake there!! so tasty. I love that you two can talk forever…same with me and M. makes a huge difference, right? communication!
Smart thinking with the cooler! I definitely would have thought like that too! We almost never get dessert bc just like you said, I like to wait until I’m feeling at least semi-hungry before eating! Makes it taste that much better! So glad you enjoyed your date!
happy anniversary!
You both look great! -Such a cute couple 🙂
I LOVE the cheesecake factory, but don’t go there too often. Maybe 1-2 times a year. I usually get some sort of salad and cheesecake of course, but their crusted chicken romano is divine!
Both your cheesecakes look super delicious and I wish I had some right now!
Awww it looks like you two had a great date night! Glad to hear (again) that Bridesmaids is funny! I have to see it!!
And I am super jealous of that red velvet cheesecake – ahhhhh i want it!! 🙂
The cheesecake pieces look unbelievable! Ahh I want a piece right now…I love both cheesecake and the Cheesecake Factory!
So happy that you guys had such a wonderful date night for your anniversary. Oh and red velvet cheesecake, ohmyword!!
Great thinking on the cooler, I have never considered that before!
Oh my word is right. That sucker was out of this world amazing.
I love your dress!
The Olive Garden was Shane and my first date, lol. So it’s kinda special 😛
My husband and I need to do this! We get so caught up in work, school, kids baseball games, church, etc… that we forget to make time together!
Glad you guys had a good dinner!
I think I’ve only been to Cheesecake Factory once, but I love the cheesecake. The ones you picked look fab!
Awww I love Cheescake Factory! They don’t have one in NYC. Can you believe that? When I ran in my marathon in DC, my request was Cheescake Factory for a pre-race dinner. I KNEW that bread basket would give me the carb boost I needed for 26.2 miles the next day.
Chili’s hold’s special memories for me. There was one in my college town, Evanston, IL. It was one of those go-to restaurants we all relied on to eat AND drink. Love their margaritas. After college, when my ex boyfriend and I moved to Chicago, we’d go to Chili’s out of every restaurant in Chicago, when we wanted a good time. AND when I studied abroad in Mexico, it’s the restaurant my friend I would go to when we were looking for a taste of home.
I think most couples have a resturaunt that hold fond memories for them. For us, it is Houston’s! But unlike you guys we go there waaaay more than once a year! haha!
I haven’t been to Cheesecake Factory in FOREVER, but I remember having a pasta that was loaded with veggies. Maybe Mediterranean veggies like olives, red peppers, etc.? All I remember is that I was obsessed with it! 🙂
Glad you had an awesome date night! They are always good to squeeze in!
I haven’t been to the Cheesecake Factory in ages, but I love their wheat bread and the Adam’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple. Didn’t know they had a Reeses option, I may have to make an excuse to go over there now…
it looks like such a perfect anniversary night! 🙂 i still haven’t seen bridesmaids, but i really want to.
my fiance and i love cheesecake factory! i usually order their cobb salad – and then eat the leftovers for lunches the following two days! it’s a massive salad…. we’ve tried the red velvet cheesecake before too. so good!!
I’ve been to Cheesecake Factory once and didn’t order a Cheesecake (seriously, who AM I? haha) I did have a few bites of someone else’s and I remember it being flipping amazing.
If I do judge you for bringing a cooler for cheesecake, it’s to say that you’re super-smart! Of course you enjoyed it much more with a break to make room for it. Great idea!
I’ve never been to the Cheesecake Factory, but I love that it holds those memories for you and that you got to have such a special, meaningful, laughter-filled celebration.
What a great night out! I still have to email you – doing that NOW! 🙂
I’m super jealous. I have only had the Cheesecake factory once on vacation. Sadly the closest one is i think 3 hours away. Maybe I’m better off that way :). I seriously LOVE cheesecake! YUM!
It looks like you two had a great night. Congrats on 4 years!
ADORABLE dinner date!! Y’all are precious 🙂
LOVE the Cheesecake Factory! My only 2 problems with it? 1) I’m always wayyy too full for dessert (gonna have to follow your lead on the cooler/movie combo 😉 ), and 2) it’s always so hard for me to choose what I want because the menu is soo extensive!
My favorite things to get are the fried mac n cheese balls or the dynamite shrimp…neither are very healthy but they both are super delicious!
Also, BRIDESMAIDS WAS HILARIOUS! Glad you guys enjoyed it too!
Oh my GOODNESS! Their red velvet cake cheesecake is my favorite dessert EVER (besides chocolate lava cake but that’s on another level)! Happy anniversary!
What a fun anniversary date night out! And I could seriously go for some cheesecake now after seeing your slices.
We saw Bridesmaids this weekend with our Fandango tickets as well, it was really funny!
Gotta love those Fandango tickets! What a deal that was.
It was a good deal. And it’s hilarious that we both waited until the last minute to use them! I think I’m that way with all of my Groupon/Living Social purchases.
I love Cheesecake Factory and their novel of a menu! I usually end up getting one of their monstrous salads. 🙂