why i love being the girl

As I mentioned last week, I've been feeling a bit down of late.  Plus with the downpour that got dumped here on Friday, I really needed a little pick-me-up.  Given that we'd had a busy week, Stefan and I had planned on having a low-key night at home cooking and watching a movie.  But around noon on Friday I got the following email from my soon-to-be hubby:

Subject: Tonight...

…made us a reservation at a restaurant. I know we said we will cook, but I think it is good to get out of the house. On exploration into other neighborhoods…completely out of our comfort… Dinner is at 8.30pm. We will leave at home at 6.00pm to go and grab a drink on the way.

Love you tons!!!!

Reason #1 I love being the girl:
Sometimes it's just SO nice to have someone else be in charge of the planning (and surprising).  I know it's probably politically incorrect of me to say, BUT I like that orchestrating date nights has traditionally been the job of the guy.

That night, we bundled up in our rainy-weather best and headed out around 6pm for our pre-dinner-drink spot.  Stefan drove not telling me a word.  At 6:14pm he handed me his iPhone to hold onto while he navigated through the traffic and rain.  At exactly 6:15pm an appointment reminder popped up. 

Bar

(Secret)

6:30-8:15pm

Oh how I love surprises!

It wasn't too long before we stumbled into Mission Cheese - an unbelievably adorable little cheese shop/wine bar on Valencia in - you guessed it - the Mission.  In addition to rocking a lovely list of wines and beers by the glass, the spot is home to over 75 American-made cheeses from across our great nation broken up into categories such as:

Fresh & Clean

Like Butter

Smooth & Earthy

Sweet & Nutty

Cheddar

Blue

Stinky & Delicious

They also featured cheese flights highlighting a particular region's best showings.

The "monger's choice" allows you to opt for any of the fabulous options from their retail cheese list.

As you already know from this blog, Stefan is dangerously obsessed with cheese.  Note his over-excitement as he makes our selections for the monger's choice board:

Reason #2 I love being the girl:
Sometimes it's nice to have someone else do the ordering. 
Especially when there are 75+ options from which to choose.

When our plate arrived (complete with perfectly thin sliced baguette, dried figs, apricots, & cherries, mini pickles and a DIFFERENT CHEESE KNIFE FOR EACH SELECTION), we could not have been more pleased.

We dug in rating each in order of preference.  After LOTS of sampling and debate, the Bayley Hazen Blue ranked top for me while the Bent River Like Butter (far right/top) took home Stefan's heart.

While I've really grown to love to a fine cheese thanks to Stefan's teachings, I can't down it like I can persimmons. But the Krieg in me (that's my dad's side of the family) really hates to leave a paid-for plate unfinished. 

Reason #3 I love being the girl:
The guy is often the one tasked with finishing a shared plate.  Leaving me not-too-full but also not-at-all guilty. 

Post our beyond fabulous cheese and wine affair, Stefan led me down the block to my next surprise: Dosa - a stylishly hip Southern Indian hot spot.  We shared the Kerala Chicken, Coconut Rice, and the Winter Greens salad before declaring ourselves completely and utterly satisfied. 

As we got up to go, we noticed that the rain had gone from hard to hurricane-like while we had savored Dosa's spiciness.  Given that parking in the Mission is tougher than finding a date for our wedding, our car was a full fifteen minute walk away. 

Reason #4 I love being the girl:
The guy goes to get the car in the rain.

Sadly, my man leaves me first thing manana for a two and a half week work trip in LatAm.  Tonight we're doing a date night at one of his fav downtown spots before I head to German class.
Yep, that's right.  I'm getting back up on that horse again.  More on that to come.

xoxo
KK