A Bazillion Calories Later....

October is our anniversary month...yep, I'm a big believer in celebrating all occasions pertaining to me for several weeks before the actual event. Knowing this cardinal "Diva" rule, my Bubba out did himself this time and planned a very special (early) anniversary dinner at one of Atlanta's most fabulous restaurants, Aria. The Bubba and I use to be quite the restaurant afficianodos before Britton was born. We dined out at least several times a week and have visited almost every fine dining restaurant in the city more than once. Every year I eagerly anticipated the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Dining Guide to quickly pick off the restaurants I had yet to try. Although, the highly acclaimed Aria has been around for quite awhile, we had not had the pleasure of dining there. We never drove past the restaurant that I did not make this fact known. Luckily, my hubby caught on and decided to knock this restaurant off my "bucket list". Holding a degree in Hospitality Management has made me a bit of a food snob, and my experience at Aria was nothing short of perfection. The food was impeccable, the cocktails and wine were fantastic, the atmosphere was romantic, and the service was friendly and efficient.

  
Everything on the menu looked so delicious that we couldn't make up our minds and decided to go with the Chef's Tasting menu (6-courses) and one of their infamous warm lobster cocktails. Yep, it was just as much food as it sounds like, and I finished every morsel!!!


Crispy Grouper with roasted brussel sprouts, cauliflower, and bacon in a brown butter sauce



Pork Belly with roasted sweet potatoes in a black vinegar caramel sauce

 

Warm Lobster Cocktail with a duo of broccoli and potato purees

Just when I thought I could not possibly stuff down one more bite, my Bubba and the waiter had conspired for yet another surprise....

This was definitely one of the best dining experiences I have had in a very LONG time, but the company was the best part. Having a romantic dinner with my gorgeous husband was the real treat of the evening:)

After consuming enough calories to sustain a small country, I decided there had never been a better time to start my diet (something I've been meaning to do since the baby was born last December) than the very next morning. Unfortunately, my husband had other ideas and woke me up with this........

 *Disclaimer #1: Our actual anniversary is not for several more weeks, so be prepared for more anniversary related posts to come.

* Disclamier #2: I vow that I will start my diet tomorrow!!!