10 years in food - a review

John and I celebrated our 10th anniversary last night at the Compass Room, a fancy-schmancy restaurant that rotates. We got to see the beautiful Phoenix skyline at sunset, and as a really good bonus, the food was excellent.

While we were fine dining, our conversation turned to the other anniversary celebration dinners that we have had. From the beginning, we've tried to go to nice restaurants on our anniversary. We tried to remember all of them - here's a list for your enjoyment.

10 years - The Compass Room. Very fancy. We valet parked and everything. Great meal, perfect atmosphere, and they didn't look at me funny when I said I wanted a fun, fruity drink without alcohol in it. Also - their cloth napkins were perfect - soft but absorbent. I wonder where they got them?

9 years - The Claim Jumper. Why we chose a chain restaurant, I still don't know? We went, it was good. Just not spectacular.

8 years - Lemon Grass. A really fun, yummy Thai restaurant in downtown Greenville. This was where the famous he/she incident took place. At least famous for us. We still laugh about it. You need to ask me about it sometime if you haven't heard it yet.

7 years - A steak house in Greenville. We can't remember the name of it because it was overpriced and underwhelming. We do remember how dark it was.

6 years - Melting Pot. This was one of the most fun - we had the full meal with dessert. We dipped and dunked for over two hours. I remember I was pregnant and thinking "This will be my last really good meal before I have the baby."

5 years - 5 and 10. Athens provided a plethora of amazing meals, but this one was by far the most enjoyable that I remember. John had just secured the job in Greenville, we knew we were moving and we felt very confident about our future (and our future salary). This was the first time we spent more than $100 on a meal. Worth every penny.

4 years - The Basil Press. It's a great french-inspired restaurant with amazing bouillabaisse. It's on the north side of downtown Athens (if it's still there!!). It was French and very bready. Yum. We went for lunch so we could get a good deal.

3 years - Harry Bissetts, New Orlean's Cafe. I remember a really beautiful meal, but mostly I remember the brown sugar creme brulee at the end of the meal. That's when I got my torch and tried to duplicate it at home. I also remember sitting in the second floor when the Bradford pear trees were in full bloom. It was like we were sitting in a fairy tale. It's been one of the great things about getting married on the first day of spring.

2 years - We're pretty sure this was the year we went to the new "tapas" restaraunt that my friend's brother owned at the time. Either that, or we went to the 5-star-day cafe that he also owned. Either way, it was a good meal that Stephen cooked for us.

1 year - Cathams in Commerce. We went to the fanciest place we could afford. It was a "seafood" restaurant - but mostly they just fried everything. I think the whole meal, including appetizer, dessert and tip, cost $30. This restaurant has since been gutted and turned into a barbecue restaurant, which is fitting since all the tables were of the picnic variety. It was very yummy, and obviously memorable.