Five Years So Far…

Song Lyric of the Day:

It remains there in your eyes / Whatever comes and goes / I will hear your silent call / I will touch this tender wall / Til I know I’m home again

Peter Gabriel / “In Your Eyes”

11:03PM.
Well, we’ve made it this far. Today, Rich and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary. After some tough times throughout the course of our marriage, we’ve made it this far. And for that, I am proud of us. I am proud of our perseverance, our love for each other, and, above all, our commitment to each other (thanks also to our friends and family for their love and support). I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together. Happy Anniversary, baby.

Since the traditional fifth anniversary gift is wood, Rich gave me a beautiful picture frame. To celebrate, he had a surprise planned. We got dressed up, which gave me a reason to wear my diamond earrings, and headed out. On the drive to the still unknown-to-me destination, Rich asked me a couple of questions–would I rather dine in an upscale, modern nightclub/restaurant/lounge, or dine in a traditional, antique-filled restaurant? Seeing as how it was evening already, I chose the first option. Rich then revealed to me that he’d actually made reservations at The Painted Lady in Norfolk, the beautiful (antique-filled) tea house where I’d recently met Kathy and Kristen for brunch. I felt bad about choosing the first option, but he insisted it was okay. We then drove past The Painted Lady in search of a restaurant that met our criteria.

First, however, we stopped at Decorum in Ghent to admire the modern furniture they sell. I guess the UT Vol in me was paying attention, as I fell in love with a sleek, orange velvet couch. Seriously. I’d buy it right now if I could.

We found a small restaurant called Bardo on 21st Street in Norfolk, also in the Ghent district. “Bardo” is a Buddhist term that means the time between death and rebirth; the phase between one life and the next. As you can imagine, the restaurant offers wonderfully unique, Asian-inspired cuisine on its menu. We were impressed by the modern design of the building, and both of us agreed that the restaurant has a real New York City feel in that it makes every inch of a small space usable. We put our names on the waiting list and sat at the bar, where Rich ordered a Belvedere Martini and I ordered a Bardo Cosmo. We both agreed that they were the best martini and cosmo we’ve ever had in this area, respectively.

After a little while, we were moved to our table, where we briefly forgot that we’d ordered dumplings as an appetizer while at the bar. We were busy taking in the surrounding atmosphere and admiring the decorating touches throughout. Our wonderful server, a young woman who looked like Marisa Tomei, told us about the evening’s specials. After being informed of a mix-up wherein our dumplings were given to another table, our server told us that dessert was on Bardo. Satisfied, Rich and I placed our orders.

Rich ordered Kobe Beef Carpacchio, which came out raw with a Japanese cooking stone. The meat is sliced as thin as cold cuts, and you can eat it raw or cook it on the stone. I was brave and tried a tiny bit raw, but I preferred it cooked. Rich ate more raw than he did cooked. As a side item, he ordered the Spicy Cucumber Salad, which most definitely lived up to its name. I ordered Thai Rubbed Beef, which turned out to be divine. The filet was presented on a bed of black-and-white rice pilaf, which was also delicious, and with onion straws. My side item was fresh cut fries with a chipotle ketchup. The fries were stacked like Lincoln Logs, keeping with the tone of food presentation at Bardo. The ketchup was very spicy, which I enjoyed.

Halfway through the meal, we were given an order of dumplings as an apology for the mixup. After stuffing ourselves with our entrees, we ordered the Bento Box for dessert. The box was a sampler of about five different desserts, my favorite of which was the donut holes with chocolate dipping sauce. Really, though, we enjoyed all of the desserts and ate everything.

Despite a couple of small mix-ups, I still highly recommend Bardo for a unique dining experience. The service was wonderful, and the food and drinks were delicious.

Most of all, though, I’m happy to have spent my fifth wedding anniversary there with Rich, trying new things, making each other laugh, photographing every little thing, and just being together.

I’m proud to say I’ve been married five years to my true soulmate.

5 Comments

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5 Responses to Five Years So Far…

  1. Rich

    Wow baby. You have a way with words, but you knew that. I love you very much and am of course equally thrilled that we’ve made it to the five year mark.

    The review of our evening was great, and I’ll be sure to post some pics on antho to accompany your review.

    Love you!

  2. shera1432

    You should get a job as a competetive EATER! My god woman! I am glad you had fun though. Happy aniversary!

  3. Anonymous

    Happy Anniversary! We are proud of you both and happy for you both, and we’ll have to officially celebrate when you get back to Knoxville. Love you both, momma carol

  4. The Angry Soapbox

    Happy belated anniversary. Sorry I didn’t tell you that before you left on Friday. Miss you at work, but glad your going on to bigger things. Drop me a line soon.

    Lee

  5. kathy

    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

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