When I got home from work, Justin was already ready for our walk. I'm trying to get him to exercise more, and it's a way we can spend time together without having to spend any money - not even on gas, because there's a nice walk right out of our apartment. I usually go the full length - 2.3 miles, in about 40-45 minutes. Today we walked only half that, and Justin is much slower than I am. That's okay. For his effort and my thanks, I took him out to dinner. (That sounds funny, like we're dating lol. What I mean is, I said let's go somewhere and chose a place.) He thought Skippers for their clam chowder, but honestly, I don't enjoy fast food fried fish and shrimp. And the closest one was probably over 30 minutes away. I said he should try Duke's Chowder House, so we went there. And I told Justin: No phones. Let's TALK. (oooooooh.)
Duke's is very cool for its fresh, local, organic and sustainable faire. I know, those are all buzzwords, but really, it's quite nice to see. (And we got a view of the water! The restaurant is literally on the water.)
They're pretty expensive of course, but I could almost taste the difference. Their chowder (with which they serve 4-5 varieties) is really good. Could've used more clams!! I got mine in a bread bowl, which was the best part. It was a meal in itself. Justin got the Crab "un"-cake, which is more crab than cake, and I got the salmon sandwich. I could only take a couple bites of the sandwich because I was already full, but from what I had, it was super delicious. I'd never really thought of salmon being on a sandwich, but it totally works. I did however, eat all the sweet potato fries, which I didn't even know the sandwich came with (otherwise I might have subbed them for regular fries. That's one gripe I have about the menu... they don't tell you much.)
[Quick note: I've only had sweet potato fries once in my life. A co-worker ordered them from the hospital's cafeteria, which is not really known for its outstanding food. I asked to try one, made a face, and then said "Are sweet potato fries always supposed to taste like this?" She said yes, and I was like "ewww".]
But these... wow. Call me a foodie and I'll be proud, and this is why. I could tell that they used sea salt to flavor the fries, and believe it or not, that made them awesome. I was just as shocked as you are lol. Using sea salt, which has huge flakes, gave a sense of a salt "pop" of flavor occasionally. It didn't overwhelm the flavor of the fries themselves at all. They were cut fairly thin and fried well, where they weren't too crunchy. I was amazed at their flavor. They tasted nothing like those "other" fries! I had to eat them all, and then regret it [my full stomach] for the rest of the night lol.
Justin and I talked, we had a good time, and he really liked the food. We never went on "dates" because I was always worried about money. And I still am, but I can't let it screw up our relationship. I just need to back up a little bit, let loose; not nag about everything, and Justin will relax a bit more, and the arguments will flow less naturally. It seems to be working! Wish us luck! :)
You don't know how happy I am to hear this. I always knew you loved him. :) Talking is important. I was watching the Monteray vid from last year...you can tell he cares about you by what he says. Much luck, and love, guys.
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