After the appointment was complete, the two rambled downtown and fried themselves to a nice turn on a long walk along the Malacon, the concrete seawall that runs the length of the downtown area. It's a pretty walk, to be sure, but at some point the sun and concrete needed to be offset with some shady beers. Smart ladies!
They also took the opportunity to revisit the main cathedral, to which we'd been introduced on our first visit. These old structures are a testament to the devotion of the builders; most have been built one room or wall at a time, over many years, as materials/time/money became available from the congregation.Meanwhile, I was a stitching fool, completing the waterline and a chunk of the sailing vessel. Progress, indeed! No need to cook today, as our plan is to cash our remaining dinner coupons at the Italian-themed bistro-cum-steak-house tonight.
We had really enjoyed our stop here on the restaurant crawl, and were not disappointed tonight. Before we began to enjoy what we ordered, the chef provided an amuse-bouche of zucchini and prosciutto in an Asian soup spoon. Just the nice little surprise we needed!
Our coupon provided a proper starter, entree, AND dessert. It turned out we had no overlap in interests, so there were plenty of tasting opportunities as desired. Linda ordered up calamari, served in appropriately squiggly dish. Claudette reprised the carpaccio from the restaurant crawl, now augmented with sauteed mushrooms and a Parmesan fringe. I enjoyed a chopped salad with artichokes in a lovely off-center bowl.
While those generous portions might well have SERVED as dinner, entrees were enroute. Each came with a side of pasta or risotta and the evening's vegetable offering -- a cunning little packet of haricots verte wrapped in crisped prosciutto. Linda led with the braised short ribs (which came out in their own well-seasoned LeCrueset dutch oven!); Claudette opted for prosciutto-wrapped prawns; I enjoyed a lemon-sauced chicken dish. Sides of risotto were perfect!
Knowing dessert was still to come, the larger entrees of beef and shrimp were partially boxed up for future lunches. And a good thing THAT was, as the desserts were both beautiful and delicious. Profiteroles with hot fudge sauce, caramel ice cream with tuille and strawberries, chocolate lava cake. Yum!
With all that luscious dining tucked properly in boxes or (ahem) tummies, we meandered back to our room for a good night's sleep.
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