1 Evening Out + 2 Friends + 3 Cocktails = One Relaxed Mama

I've been a stressed out mess for the last three days. By last night I was feeling so exhausted and overwhelmed that I thought I would collapse in a tearful heap at a moment's notice. Today was a busy day too, but I am feeling nice and mellow right about now.

My husband and I enjoyed a lovely dinner out with one of my friends and her husband this evening. We decided to go to my favorite restaurant, Rembrandt's, and I already knew my order before I even touched a menu: medium-rare filet with sauteed mushrooms, baked potato with everything, and spinach salad. Since we procured a babysitter who drives, I also knew that I would have at least two cocktails. Okay, I ultimately ended up having three cocktails, but it was over a three hour period so I wasn't sloppy or, even worse, belligerent. Of course, my husband thoughtfully picked up a bottle of wine for me to enjoy once we returned home so there are no guarantees that I won't end up that way! I keed, I keed. . .sort of!

This evening is like my last hurrah because I am starting Weight Watchers on Monday. On the rare occasion that I drink when I'm being diligent about my caloric intake, I typically have vodka & diet tonic with a very little bit of tangerine juice. That equals two WW points per drink. Tonight was a night for cosmos and I didn't think twice about the calories I was drinking - let alone the calories I was eating! My friend has lost quite a bit of weight on a plan that she's following and I feel very inspired by her success. I mean, if a fellow busy mom of a toddler can follow a diet and lose weight, I can too. Come Monday (heh! A great Jimmy Buffet song!), I will begin my own weight loss journey.

I did probably dominate dinner conversation, as I often do - curse my verbose nature!, but I feel that I learned a lot about our friends. And it was so nice to get to know friends over a tasty meal without having to chase toddlers around. Conversations were started and completed without interruption - imagine that! I particularly enjoyed being able to chat with adults without my son shouting, "Poo Poo!," or saying, "What's this?" every two minutes.

Oooh!

I see that one of my guilty pleasure movies is on right now (Deep Blue Sea - yeah, it's a little lame, but it is oh-so-satisfying!), so I will cut this post short. Just know that I am one relaxed mama right now and I'm really looking forward to seeing my father tomorrow.

I Just Love Rembrandt's

My husband and I took a little time away from our son last night. We hired a babysitter to listen to our son's monitor after he went to bed and we went out with a couple of good friends. We used to socialize with these two a few times each month and we haven't spent time alone with them since May 2008. One of our friends had just turned 50 we decided to go to Rembrandt's to celebrate.

Rembrandt's is within walking distance of our house and we used to go there once or twice each week. We went there so often that they automatically started making our cocktails when we walked in the door so that we had our drinks as soon as we sat down at a table. The head bartenders were absolutely wonderful and they always made sure to give us a little extra "love" in our martinis. We were on a first name basis with the waitstaff and we tipped well. As a result, they always took good care of us. We even showed up on an incredibly busy Valentine's evening, without reservations, and we were seated within five minutes.

Rembrandt's was owned by Bernie Gordon for decades. He clearly loved his restaurant, but he wasn't getting any younger and his restaurant was rapidly turning into a fading flower. Rembrandt's was sold several years ago. I remember reading about it and remarking to my husband that we should have made an offer. Of course, neither of us know a darn thing about the industry, but I just adore the place.

We hadn't been to Rembrandt's since our son was just a few months old. I could not believe the transformation! The new owners clearly know their stuff. They opened up the bar and closed it off from the main dining room. The knocked out some clumsy columns that apparently weren't required for roof support. The lighting, the wall coverings, and the booths were all terrific. It almost has the feel of a retro supper club.

There appear to be only two members of the waitstaff from the good old days and, yes, they remembered us and asked where we had been. With such a delightfully warm welcome and such lovely improvements, I hope we are able to visit again soon!