Waaaay back in December, we had tickets to see my friend Liz Romig Marcellino perform Christmas music in the Choral Arts Society. But as Mother Nature would have it, we had Snopocolypse instead and the show got snowed out.
We were able to replace our tickets and our choices were:
- the next performance of the Christmas show which would have been great except that it was on Christmas Eve and we were already going to be in Hampton.
- a performance in January honoring Martin Luther King which I passed on because I was afraid of more snow and while it didn’t get snowed out, there was a lot of snow around then too.
- “Enchanted Evening with Richard Rogers” in May which I figured was safe from the effects of weather so that’s what I chose.
We’d also had reservations at Vidalia – a nice restaurant in DC – on that fateful evening. Will had several calls from the manager first inquiring as to whether we were going to make our reservation and then later in the day, telling us that Vidalia was not going to be opening for the evening and offering us reservations at their sister restaurant Bistro Bis which we didn’t take.
Fast forward to several weeks ago… Choral Arts Redux.
We had reservations for 5:30 which is a normal dinner hour for us but is early for restaurant standards so when we arrived, there was only one other couple in the restaurant.
Will got a drink in the bar while we waited. Actually, I had to retire to the ladies to remedy a situation involving blue ink on the backs of my legs – we did figure out that it was likely from that Sunday’s Parade Magazine that I’d had my legs propped up on most of the afternoon without thinking about it.
First course: Lobster ravioli with foam for me and a Bacon Voluté … we think, basically bacon soup.
Second course: Lamb Sous Vide for me and Shrimp and Grits
Final course: Dessert! Georgia Pecan pie for me and Lemon Chess pie for Will.
Everything was super tasty. We both decided that we’re not fans of foam but these were certainly the most “Top Chef-y” meals we’ve probably ever had – well, except for Restaurant Eve and their tasting menu. They have an interesting way of figuring out the bill – they have a prix fixe menu in which you either pay the prix fixe price or the actual menu price depending on which is lower. It’s odd but you end up spending a little bit less either way. Being a Sunday, it was quiet and the waitress was probably even more attentive than she normally would have been but you could tell that it was it was their normal MO.
Afterward we caught a cab outside (after the waitress and the GM commented on my dress – a little odd but still flattering) and went off to the Kennedy Center for “Enchanted Evening with Richard Rogers.”
Ok… you can kind of ignore this picture because when it’s small, it looks a lot clearer than it is. Liz is in the top row under the break in the chorus next to the bright spot in that row – which is, in fact, a lovely, slightly older lady with gorgeous, long, nearly white hair.
If I could find the play bill (I swear I lose things when I clean because I just put them places), I would tell you all about the show in greater detail than I’m about to. Oh well…
The first act was a series of pieces that I was unfamiliar with that were very beautiful though apparently very boring to the two people sitting to either side of us who both appeared to be asleep. In the second act, the chorus delved into the works of Rogers and Hammerstein. The conductor made a special request that even though the works would be very familiar, to please refrain from singing, humming or otherwise making noise along with the music. It was a lot of fun and they did a fantastic job. They even came back out and let the audience get in on the fun with an encore of “Oklahoma!”
It was a very fun evening.
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