Finally! I Surprised my Husband!

I mean, other than the time I told him I was pregnant. But that surprise was kinda his fault anyways. :)

But this time I surprised him in a totally fun way that will not lead to me being fat and horrible for nine months. And I am quite proud of myself.

My husband and I have been together for nine years, and his birthday has always been an issue between us. First, he always lies and says he doesn't want anything. For the first five years I believed him. I've stopped doing that.

Second, he tells me what he wants for his birthday and he is very specific. He is one of those people who know what they want and have really good taste. I am not, so when he buys me presents, I am always surprised because I would never buy what he gets me for myself. Many times he buys his own present, like this Christmas when he got hiking boots. Sigh.

Third, he can always guess what I am doing. I am going to attribute this to his powers of observation and not my complete lack of guile. Works for me.

This year I decided I would do the following:

1. Not listen to his lies about not wanting to do anything
2. Plan an event, not a present
3. Keep my dang mouth shut

And hey, my plan worked!

A friend of ours had told me about a restaurant in Elk Grove, The Boulevard Bistro. It's a really cute little place that has been converted from a house in old Elk Grove. Justin and I had actually checked out their menu, but we had done it so long ago that I knew it was a safe pick.

I called up the restaurant and explained that my husband really loves food and that I would love to surprise him with a wonderful meal. (I did not explain also that if I tried to make that wonderful meal myself that I would just stress him out.)

I spoke with the chef and he put together a fixed priced menu just for Justin and I. I thought when they first offered the idea that it would just be whatever they had planned for that evening. Nope, it went way beyond that. The chef asked me what Justin liked in the ways of meat, preparation, and wine. Then he developed a menu all around that.

The three intervening weeks were a bit torturous for me. I kept almost letting the cat out of the bag, especially when Justin would goad me. I left red herrings everywhere, so that by the time we got to his birthday, he thought we were going to a steak house in Sac.

Justin's parents came over to watch Em, and Justin's dad dropped us off at the restaurant. It felt a bit like a high school date, but I knew that we would both have a lot of wine. I thought it was a safe bet.

When we got to the restaurant, Justin was very surprised by the menu, and we were very please by it when in started to roll out. The chef came out and introduced himself: he is the chef and owner and takes much pride in the food he prepares.

We begun the meal with champagne and a ravioli appetizer. Then, we had sea bass and asparagus. I think I liked the fish better than Justin, but we were both huge fans of the blood-orange cream sauce. Then we had a salad with micro greens and fried goat cheese. At first, I felt I goofed in not telling the chef that Justin doesn't like goat cheese, but he actually liked the salad.

Then we hit the jack pot--duck two ways: confit and foie gras. It was to die for. I'm still thinking about it. The meal concluded with steak, perfectly cooked, and a delicious chocolate torte and cheesecake. It was quite an experience.

All in all I was very pleased with my endeavor to surprise Justin. February is such a busy month for us that I wanted to make sure he felt special and paid attention to. I think I accomplished my goal. :)