Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House

I chaperoned my first dance tonight: The high school at which I teach had its junior prom at the Utah State Capitol in downtown Salt Lake City. Neither my husband nor I had gone to our own high school proms, and I was actually rather looking forward to going with my husband. (I'd had no interest in going while I was a high school student.)

some of the views inside the Capitol Building

Beforehand, though, we decided to stop to have dinner at Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House.

I started with a potato soup with bacon.

We both had the Proper Burger, which came with white
cheddar, tomato jam, crispy shallots, and bacon on a potato
bun, frites, and aioli. 

I forget what type of dessert my husband had, but it was fancy.

Chili's Grill & Bar

My husband and I caught the last performance of Varekai, one of the traveling Cirque du Soleil shows, this evening. Afterwards, we went to the nearby Chili's Grill & Bar for dinner.

I started with some smoked wings, which
were pretty tasty but could have been cooked
a few moments longer.

We shared some tableside guacamole, which was good.

I also had the Crispy Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers, which
were good, albeit gloppy and sticky.

'Bout Time Pub & Grub

My husband and I had decided we would go to IHOP after Mass this morning, but this turned out to be a bad idea (Sunday lunchtime on Mother's Day). Everywhere else we walked by was equally packed, until we walked by 'Bout Time Pub & Grub, a 21-and-over bar that also serves bar food.

appetizer: Irish nachos: deep fried potato slices perfectly
seasoned and smothered with ranch dressing, shredded cheese
and crumbled bacon; topped with sour cream and parsley.

side salad

entree: the original chubby melt

(a ground chuck patty, sandwiched between two parmesan 

cheese crusted grilled cheese sandwiches; served with grilled onions)

St. Louis: The Over/Under Bar and Grill

One of the kinda sad things about going to a convention alone is that one tends to eat most or all of one's meals alone. I don't mind this too much, generally speaking, as something that doesn't happen regularly. There are people I know in attendance, but they all know quite a few other folks and I've been pushed by the wayside. I'm not minding too terribly much, though, while it means I can choose where to go for my meals - and when - but sometimes one will meet another conference goer who's by herself.

Like I did during lunch earlier today. Yesterday I'd remembered passing by the Over/Under Bar and Grill, so I made a mental note and wandered in for lunch, where I was soon seated at the bar. Almost immediately I got chatted up by another woman who was in town for the same conference. We didn't exchange contact information at the end of lunch, but it was nice to have someone to chat with for a little while.

And in the meantime, I enjoyed a rather nice lunch of battered Icelandic cod served with waffle fries and house-made tartar sauce:

Red Rock Brewing Company

The husband and I have a weekend routine: On Saturday evenings we go to Mass at 5:30 p.m. (I didn't say it was an exciting routine.) This doesn't tend to interfere with dinner much: Usually I have something cooking in the crockpot, or one of those slow-cooking roasts in the oven, or, occasionally, something quick to throw together when we get home. 

Because dining out frequently can add up, we tend not to go out for dinner too much. However, on occasion, I discover a free concert that's held at the Tabernacle in Temple Square, in downtown Salt Lake City. These concerts tend to start at about 7:30 p.m., so after Mass we hightail it down to the Tabernacle, enjoy a usually very good concert, and then find it easier to have dinner out, since by the time the concert ends it's close to 9:00 p.m.

Tonight was one of those times. We attended a lovely performance by the BYU-Idaho Choirs & Symphony Orchestra as they performed "Bring Forth My Zion," after which we went to dinner at the Red Rock Brewing Company in downtown Salt Lake City.

soup: French Onion Soup Gratinée

(house made onion soup baked with sourdough toast, Swiss & mozzarella cheeses)

appetizer: house smoked salmon 

(cured & smoked salmon with toastedsourdough, red onions, capers, and cream cheese)

main course: full caesar salad with chicken and anchovies

 dessert: carrot cake