Zeigen

Last Friday was date night, and thanks to the pro babysitting of John & Yvonne, Kimi and I headed out to dinner and a movie.

Our first intention was to try the world-famous Uncle Frank’s BBQ, which is around the corner from our house, but we got there at 8:30 and unfortunately it closes at 8. What!? First they don’t let us in with Sammy since it’s in a bar (21 and over required even for the restaurant). Now we learn that they close at 8. Damn you Uncle Frank, with your tantalizing but inaccessable BBQ.

So our second choice was Tomatina, in the Mercardo off 101. This is probably Kimi’s favorite restaurant. The parking lot was a madmadmadhouse as usual, so we got our garlic rolls and piadines and strawberry-lemonade to go, and ate in the cafe area at the Mt. View Century. Not romantic or elegant, but certainly delicious.

For the second movie I’ve seen this year, and Kimi’s first, we choose Spike Lee’s Inside Man. I recommend this film. You should know that it’s not really a standard caper pic as it advertises itself to be, and that Jodie Foster’s role is tiny. But Denzel and Clive did a great job, and Spike’s film-making was both engrossing and confident. I suspect there are about six or seven plot holes (and Kimi and I compared notes on them on the way home, each having found possible flaws the other one didn’t find), but ultimately this is a movie that riffs well off of bank heist pics and police standoff pics (such as Dog Day Afternoon, which it pays tribute to) and goes in a fresh direction.

Spike choose to open and close with a piece of Indian pop music — the deliciously catchy Chaiyya Chaiyya from Dil Se (listen/watch it now!).

Epilogue: On Saturday night, we picked up food to go from Uncle Frank’s, and while I think eating it to go misses a majority of the experience, Uncle Frank’s is definitely the real deal. The cajun corn is so incredibly spicy that it’s a full-body experience. There are a few reviews that make for good background reading.

Sammy got up at 7:30 on Sunday, and we played and read books until 9:30, when we surprised Kimi with breakfast in bed — french toast, sausages, fruit, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, organic apple juice, and a bottle of our wedding champagne. Truth be told, the french toast was from Trader Joe’s in a box, and Kimi had made the grapefruit juice and purchased the other items. But she was still impressed. I don’t cook much; gotta work on that.

Yvonne came over for brunch, and Sarah-the-hairdresser came over to do a test run of Yvonne’s upcoming wedding hairdo. The results came out very well; I’d post a picture but John (Yvonne’s fiance) reads this and I’m not sure if it’s to be a surprise or not.

After that, Kimi had requested a very particular item for Mother’s Day: A family portrait. So we made our way out to the Oakridge mall and had some poses done at the Picture People place there. Sammy was exceptionally well-behaved throughout the shoot; I have to say that the photographer did a good job of getting him to smile for the camera. Kimi was very pleased with the results. Here’s a little number we like to call Surfin’ Sammy:

While we waited for the pictures to be ready, we ate at the food court. (Kimi’s idea, not mine!) Kimi was in such a good mood that even though we were getting perilously close to Sammy’s bedtime, and even though the mall was closing, Kimi kept on stalling before leaving — trying out the massage chairs, wanting to use the carnival-style picture booths (”Honey, we just had pictures taken professionally, now you want booth pictures?” “Um, ok, you’re right”). She later told me that she was didn’t want the moment to end. I guess that means she was happy with how mother’s day turned out.

Hope your mother’s day was as nice as ours.