We spent an impromptu New Year's Eve aboard Evita with friends John and Karen Laing and had fun ringing in 2014 under the Blaine Harbor marina lights.
On our way to the boat, we stopped at the local grocery store and picked up cheeses and salami for our appies. At about 8:00 PM, we made our way to Jack Niemann's Black Forest Steak House, where they had promised to fit us in for dinner at 8:30.
The menu at Black Forest sent me right back to the 1970s, but in a good way. The only things missing were the Caesar salad made tableside, Harvey Wallbangers, and flaming Spanish coffees. All kidding aside, the steaks were absolutely beautiful--juicy, flavourful, and cooked to exact specifications.
We stopped Karen from ordering the 16-ounce Hawaiian rib-eye steak because it is, well, 16 ounces, better known as one pound or .454 kilos in Canadian. She opted instead for the filet Oscar, which she shared with me. I returned the favour by sharing my lobster tail with her. I had a glass of a California Chardonnay and she a Malbec; unfortunately, I didn't record the names of the wines or take any notes so can only report that they each served their respective meals very well. Rick and John stuck with Scotch--Laphroaig, je pense--to sip along with their meals: John had a steak and Rick had the Bratwurst dinner.
After dinner, we made our way back to Evita and prepared to bring in the New Year. We had hats, poppers, and I sabred a bottle of Cava. (Many thanks to Leeann Froese for her instructive video.)
The next morning we walked in the seaside sunshine up to Tony's Just a Bite restaurant, where only U.S. cash is accepted, but that's in exchange for a great view of the harbour and substantial breakfast.
Overall, we had a quiet but smile-filled New Year's Eve making warm memories.
Rick put together a brief video of our quick adventure. Take a look:
All the best of 2014 to you and yours!
À Votre Santé!
Copyright © 2014 Kathleen Rake. All rights reserved.
