“Rye = Delicious”
The early part of this week was pretty uneventful, with both of us busy with work and enjoying relaxing in our house that we see so rarely. I took Penelope down to Auto Hans on Monday to get new hydraulics installed in her convertible top. She’s been after me to make sure that got done before the nice Spring weather arrives in Austin. I appreciate her nagging, as I do enjoy my short commute down Barton Springs road with the top down.
A break in my schedule on Thursday allowed me to enjoy a decadent lunch at Bayou Jack’s in downtown McKinney. I do love their red pepper crawfish bisque, and it’s been too long since I enjoyed a cup.
Then I stopped to pick up some early Saint Valentine’s day flowers – that way McD could enjoy them before she starts traveling again.
We had a relaxing Valentine’s day at home. Diana cooked up a delicious shrimp and veggies dinner that we enjoyed in the dining room while listening to our “Wedding Dinner” playlist, and exchanging romantic cards. I think it’s a pretty good selection, you can check it out here for yourself:
There’s also a “Wedding Dancing” playlist. You can send me a note if you’d like to have a link to that one. That’s one of my ways of seeing if anyone is reading this. More on wedding dancing later.
Our official Valentine’s dinner was on Saturday night (a little less crazy) at Rye in downtown McKinney. Diana had suggested this after getting an email about their fixed price menu.
Rye isn’t fancy, but the food is creative, beautifully presented, and very tasty. All five courses were delicious. The lamb tartare and wagyu tenderloin being my two favourites. I’ve never had lamb tartare and this one had so many wonderful different flavours. The wagyu tenderloin was cooked just a bit above rare and we could cut it with a butter knife – fantastic. What a great place for a casual, inexpensive, but very creative meal.
We went looking for some music after dinner – Rick’s Chophouse bar was way too busy, Cadillac Pizza was too loud, Landon winery seemed like the only solution. I’ve never set foot in it before, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wine. A duo was playing a broad mix of music with good skill and vocals. I caught this short video of them performing Anne’s substitute wedding song – she and Denny couldn’t remember theirs and so she picked this one at our wedding reception. You might be able to hear Diana telling the whole story on this video 🙂
“The Truants” by Kate Weinberg was my book this week. Here’s what a review said:
“Perfect for lovers of Agatha Christie and The Secret History, The Truants is a seductive, unsettling, and beautifully written debut novel of literary suspense–a thrilling exploration of deceit, first love, and the depths to which obsession can drive us.”
I actually enjoyed this a bit more than a typical Agatha Christie, and give it a solid B- rating. So what is the story about? The Truants is told by Jess, a girl just starting college at a university she chose expressly for the opportunity to take classes from Dr. Lorna Clay, an author she’s enthralled by. Jess is a far more complicated girl than she first appears, with dark thoughts, but little life experience. She falls in with three others, and quickly is living a life beyond what she ever expected. In time loyalties begin to shift, and the story shifts from a campus novel to a mystery with a number of twists, some I saw coming, others took me completely by surprise.
Weinberg studied English at Oxford, and I enjoyed the very British nature of this book.
I always enjoy spending time in my home office in McKinney with the Linn audio system. Unfortunately, it reminds me of how average the Sonos system in our apartment really is. Joan Armatrading albums are always so beautifully produced, and I went on a bit of a listening spree this week. Here are a couple of stand outs:
Such a great voice and songwriting talent!
Next up this week is a great song from Leon Russell. I mentioned last week about missing seeing him in concert with Elton John. This is the song Elton John was listening to when he decided to call up and see how Leon was doing. The call that led to the “Union” album and a resurgence of Russell’s career.
And finally, a classic from The Band. I watched part of “The Last Waltz”, their concert documentary by Martin Scorsese this week – what a great recording of an amazing, star studded concert. Van Morrison and Bob Dylan both have excellent performances.