Karen's birthday celebration

Yesterday was Eric's mom's birthday. To celebrate her special day, his dad treated the four of us to a very fun, very fancy, very kid-free night out.

If you've never heard of or been to Canlis, it is AMAZING! You're treated like royalty from the moment your car stops in front of the door. You don't park your own car at Canlis... oh no ... their valets park it for you. Snazzy! The staff at the restaurant are obviously held to incredibly high standards and conduct themselves like I've never seen before. They work with precisions, professionalism, and (occasionally) a little bit of stealth (but in a good way).

I think one of my favorite parts of going to Canlis is the fact they have (and use!) crumb sweepers to ensure the tables are crumb free during the dining process. SERIOUSLY! Coolest thing ever! (At home, we call Buca is our crumb sweeper!)

We had a gorgeous view from our window-side table; perched way up high sipping on adult beverages and dining on fantastic food, we could see Gas Works Park, planes land on Lake Union, and all of the poor saps stuck in rush hour traffic on I-5 and the Aurora Bridge. Yup, best seats in town!

Eric and his dad ordered the halibut (I tried a bite of Eric's and thought it was incredible); Eric's mom ordered the lamb chops, and I had the NY steak. I don't recall being that full in a LONG time. Oh! And we also had an amuse-bouche of a curried carrot soup that, I swear, was made of pure silk! To die for! Their soups and sauces were all silky beyond belief! Oh! and their rolls were fantastic; I had a honey and milk roll (two in fact) that were so delicate and tasty.

Conversations covered everything from sports, to world events, to funny family stories. We laughed often and smiled all night long. While I adore our kids with every ounce of my being, it sure was nice to have a fantastic meal without a single "Mama" request.

After dinner, we were offered the dessert menu, but didn't order any due to having insanely full tummies. The restaurant knew we were celebrating Karen's birthday and couldn't let us leave without a little something, so our waiter brought our a plate of bite-size dessert (like everything else, delicious!) for us to have.

Eric's parents are true gems and, no, I'm not just saying that because they treated us to an evening at Canlis last night. They are truly great people. I can't even count how many times I've told people that I hit the in-law jackpot with them. I hear of so many in-law horror stories and am grateful to have Eric's parents as my in-laws. They are wonderful, caring people who we really enjoy spending time with.

Oh, and 12 hours later ... I'm still full!!!!

Menu cover

 

Jack and the birthday girl (aka Karen)

Eric and yours truly

Karen's birthday plate

 

Happy birthday, Karen!!