Fit For a Queen

I enjoy the weather here....whatever it is, but this morning I awoke to glorious sunshine and clear blue skies.  Throughout the day, clouds appeared but sailed across the sky so fast that they didn't really have time to do much sunblocking.

SK worked at the temple this morning and arrived home a little earlier than usual...so we could go to lunch.  (It was slow this morning and they had plenty of people in the baptistry to take care of things.)  We went to a sweet little Italian Restaurant in Copenhagen.  Lia and Peter went there while they were here, and enjoyed it so much they gave us a gift certificate!

In Copenhagen, parking is at a premium, and if you are lucky enough to find a spot, you pay dearly for it.  So we did what any red-blooded Dane would do....we walked and took a bus and walked!  It was bracing to be out and about on this very cold and windy day...which in combination with the clear sunlit air just makes you glad to be alive.

We found our destination on a beautiful quaint little street along side of one of the city's many picturesque canals.  We walked through the front door into a small elegant interior and were immediately greeted by a smiling and welcoming young man dressed in black.  He conducted us to our table and chatted a few moments with us.  He made us feel like good friends who had dropped in for a visit.

He explained to us the menu (there is basically no menu---they serve you whatever they fix) and asked for our choice of water...plain or sparkling.  SK had called ahead to let them know we don't drink wine or alcohol or coffee or tea.  He was so pleasant and agreeable to make sure that we knew what was in every dish.

After just the right amount of time, he brought the appetizers, plates of glorious fish with I can't even remember what else, but the explanations of elements of each dish were absolutely poetic.  He deposited the plates in front of us with flourish.  We tried a bit of everything....flavors I have never tasted, combinations I had never tried, foods I have only heard of.   What an awesome adventure.

Look at the size of those napkins!

The appetizers....in the little glass dish is a light cream sauce with freshly made lightly seasoned sausage and topped by a sliver of fried truffle....wow!  I don't even know what the other two in front are, but the dark colored ones on the right had squid ink as an ingredient!!!!  And they were very tasty.

Another appetizer....nordic fish that was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and artichoke, with a chopped pickle relish side and dusted with chili powder.

Freshly made pasta....a ravioli - kind of - called "priest's hat" I think because of the shape, filled with wild boar (!), accompanied by fresh steamed spinach and roasted tomatoes and a light saffron sauce...all lightly dusted with licorice powder.

Tender veal topped with crisp chopped almonds, accompanied by roasted red peppers, small cannelloni beans with garlic (divine) and a roast onion, with those dabs of highly flavorful sauce around the edges.

Two pieces are missing....we ate them before we remembered to snap a picture!  The squares were nougat and the little puffs were coconut.

Dessert was a piece of sponge cake topped with ricotta/ice cream with small bits of fruits, with a small side scoop of heavenly gelato and a drop of apricot sauce....or something.  I can't remember what that delightful crispy thing on top was, but it was all dusted lightly with mint.

This wasn't lunch.....this was an experience.  We sat by the large window that looked out into a tiny patio big enough for 2 or 3 tables in the warmer months, enclosed by a tall wall and decorated with beautiful plants and small trees.  Over that were lovely old apartment buildings, set against blue skies.

When we got ready to leave, he presented us with a book about the history of the restaurant and small bottles of olive oil they commissioned to be made for a fundraiser for the Red Cross (the olive oil was judged to be the best of nearly 100 competing kinds), and two chocolates, each in its own little box.

We left wondering if they had somehow mistaken us to be members of the royal family.

Following that we hurried out to the island of Amager where we attended a shower for our fairy tale princess and her soon-to-be-born second son.  One of my sweet personal shoppers in Gilbert had found some adorable little boy's clothes in Gymboree and sent them for this very occasion.  Christine was delighted with the cute outfits, and everyone giggled at the little size 5 shirt for the older boy that said "I am bigger than my little brother."

Back at home, we had the leftover soup from yesterday and settled in for a relaxing evening here.

I opened presents this morning from friends and family...read some sweet cards, and talked with our precious family back home. I am 66 today.  (What?  How did that happen?)

It couldn't have been lovelier....a day fit for a queen.