Nowadays with two kids, monthly date nights are an absolute necessity for us. If for nothing else than that we remember what it is like to eat a meal without a guaranteed interruption each time we attempt to say more than two words to each other. Not getting up to refill a milk cup every five minutes is an added bonus. Recently we had a bummer date night. The conversation was great, the weather was lovely, but the meal was a disappointment. The food itself was actually decent but the service was incredibly slow, the portion sizes were off, and it was definitely overpriced. Oh, and the herbal-infused cocktail I ordered tasted like I was eating an actual basil plant.
Enjoying a bit of time to ourselves was the silver lining to be sure, but it still frustrated me to waste a precious date night on an undeserving place when there are so many more restaurants we are excited to try. In fact, I was so bothered by it that the following evening I decided to make this lobster mac and cheese as a special meal. A sort of do-over of what should have been a fabulous meal the night before.
As you might expect from a rich creamy mac and cheese with chunks of tender lobster that happens to pair perfectly with a chilled white wine, this meal did not disappoint. It’s certainly a splurge for a special evening, but it was the perfect thing to enjoy in the comfort of our own home after putting the kids down for an early bedtime. Even if 90% of our dinner date conversation centers around how totally smitten we are with the two little animals we have created, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Bummer date night rectified.