Riverside Dining

Saturday night, we ventured into Vinings for a family dinner in celebration of Mom's birthday.  

The restaurant of choice was Canoe - our favorite Atlanta restaurant.  Nestled along the banks of the Chattahoochee River, Canoe provides an elegant meal featuring local meats, seafood, and produce.  

We arrived an hour before our reservation and sat riverside and enjoyed cocktails and appetizers.  It was a beautiful fall evening with crisp, yet comfortable, temperatures.   

Does anyone else share my desire to have a backyard which looks identical to the picture below?

We always have great conversation when we are all together, and tonight was no exception.  Royce provided valuable financial advice for my less-than-ideal medical school loan debt.

Dad and Mom certainly enjoyed having both "kids" home for the week.  They are just a couple weeks away from celebrating their 34th wedding anniversary!  How many people can say that?

My drink of choice for the evening was a mojito.  Delicious!

Fall colors are just starting to peek out in the trees along the riverbank.

Everyone is all smiles once the cocktails are flowing and appetizers are served.

Mom has a fond love for cheeses, and thus the "Cheese Plate" was an easy selection.  On a vegan diet, the closest thing to cheese is nutritional yeast, and thus this was an extra special treat.  There's simply nothing better than the creamy texture and rich taste paired with a cracker.  The plate also included dates, roasted nuts, and a balsamic jam.

Canoe considers their "House Smoked Salmon on a Crispy Potato Cake with Vermont Goat’s Cheese" to be their most popular appetizer.  After a few bites, we could certainly agree with that sentiment.

 So happy to have spent my birthday weekend at home celebrating with the other birthday girl!  Mom and I are frequently asked if we are sisters and I think this picture justifies that thought.  

In addition to genetics, the other thing we share is a love for bread!  All week we had been discussing our LOVE for the Canoe bread basket, and we strategically planned breakfast and lunch that day to leave room for several slices of the doughy goodness.  Unfortunately, I was so overtaken by carbohydrate fantasies that I failed to capture the bread basket on film.  The selections that evening were sourdough, cinnamon raisin walnut, olive, and chili-rubbed flat bread.  I indulged in a slice of each except for the olive bread.

As a starter, I selected a bowl of "Roasted African Squash Soup."  The temperature was gradually dropping and I simply couldn't pass on the added warmth from the soup. For my dinner entree, I selected "Cornmeal Crusted Rainbow Trout, Peruvian White Beans, Eggplant Hummus, Collards, Grape Tomato Vinaigrette".    The combination of the flaky fish, creamy hummus, and well seasoned collards resulted in a very well rounded entree.

As a birthday surprise, our table was presented with two desserts.  

Chocolate Grotto with Salted Caramel and Pretzel Dust 

AND

Popcorn Ice Cream Sundae, House Made Cracker Jack 

Both were rich and decadent, but Mom's favorite was the ice cream sundae.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!  

Our family evening out at Canoe was the perfect way to celebrate and enjoy time together.  Fantastic weather, gorgeous scenery, great conversation, fresh and flavorful entrees, and a sweet indulgence all combined to create a very memorable meal.