mixing drinks with help from the sister’s mini flashlight

You can always count on me to ruin a photo.

I took about 30 photos of this fish. I was kind of obsessed with him. Or boozy. Or both.

Yum 

My BFF

And then we rode off on our Harley with our matching leather jackets

My bday was pretty low-key. It was a rare warm December day so I spent the morning getting some work done, then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon outside with the kitties soaking up what may be the last bit of warmth we see for a while.  Later that night we met up with my sister and bf for dinner at her buddy Chef Will Artley’s pop-up, Amalia’s Fancy.

As we pulled up to the restaurant we noticed that everything on that side of the street, restaurant included, was completely pitch black. The power was out. It had been raining previously but it was by no means a thunderstorm. We weren’t sure if dinner was still on but my sister texted us to come inside anyway, that they still seemed to be continuing service.

Despite the power being out there were still emergency lights providing enough illumination to get around. We noticed a bar tender lurking in the shadows behind the bar so after scrounging up enough cash for a few drinks (since the credit card machines were down) and with the help of several key chain flash lights and illuminated cell phone screens provided the bartender with enough light to mix us up a few drinks.

There’s something fun? exciting? about being caught unexpectedly in the dark though I can only imagine how much it must have sucked for the bartender, chefs and waitstaff who continued service throughout. After a while, when it seemed like the lights would never turn back on, we were asked to reschedule for another night.

Then, as if we had said the magic words, the lights flicked back on. Everyone cheered. And we were ushered to our seats by the huge fish tank with a friendly little fish that kept staring at it’s own reflection in the mirror. I was sort of obsessed with this fish.

After all this build up the food did not disappoint. It was wonderful. Comforting yet bold flavors. Every dish was interesting with well thought-out carefully executed flavors. I usually find fusion food to be such a let down and tend to steer away from any place that mentions the word. Putting a jalapeno in a sushi roll doesn’t automatically make that a good ‘fusion’ of flavors. This meal was the opposite of that. Flavors melded together with a delicate, thoughtful hand, complimenting one another beautifully.

We licked up every last morsel of our 11 courses and eagerly looked forward to every dish they brought out.  We had a lot of fun, which is my opinion is the highest compliment any restaurant can receive. Definitely one of my most memorable bday dinners — lights out and everything.

DETAILS

Amalia’s Fancy // $75 – 11 course tasting menu. Drinks and gratuity not included // This is a 3-day pop-up from Dec 1=3 housed in Tres Hermanas. I think all of the seatings may be sold out but may be sold out but if you are trying to get reservations it may be worth it to contact them to be sure (or check the Chef’s fb page). The food and the experience were really awesome. Unique, yet comforting. Highly recommended.