One of my most favorite memories from mine and Seth's relationship was our weekend to Savannah in November of 2008. We had only been dating about a month and this was our first trip together. It was kind of a big deal! Anyone who has been to Savannah, Georgia knows that it is awesome so having a good time wasn't a huge concern. But you know when you are at those milestones in your relationship things can get a little stressful.
It was November so the weather was cooler but pleasant. It was Veterans Day weekend so we had a four day weekend. Our hotel was right on the river and in the middle of everything. We spent the first day exploring Forsythe Park and the famous fountain, I drug him to a couple of stores for some shopping, and we climbed on some of the boats at the pier. This is still one of my all time favorite photos of us... I keep it in a little jeweled frame in the kitchen to keep me company!
That night we discovered two things: 1. You can buy beer to-go at the bar and walk along the river with it. and 2. Savannah has some amazing seafood. Both are awesome discoveries!! So we grabbed our first beer at the top of the street and set out on our search for dinner. After about 4 beers, we were starving and we ended up at this seafood restaurant. It was just our style. Causal with wooden tables and benches. Nets and fish hanging from the ceiling. And more beer on tap!
This was a family style place that served buckets (literally!) of seafood. We picked three: crawfish, mussels, and oysters. I did not care for the crawfish. There was a lot of work involved for very little reward and I felt like I was dissecting red cockroaches the whole time. So Seth worked on that bucket himself. I loved the oysters but Seth didn't much care for the texture. The mussels are what united us at the table. Relationship success! I don't remember exactly how they were prepared but I do remember the good feeling we had across that table surrounded by wet naps and empty shells. I knew we were falling in love.
Now we are almost three years into our relationship and we are still bonding over food! Last night we enjoyed a steaming pot of mussels flavored with tomatoes, garlic, and everybody's favorite, bacon. I think the best part was sopping up the juices with the sweet garlic bread from the bakery up the street. The whole meal took about 10 minutes from start to finish. And since I took the pan to the table, it is truly a one-pot dinner. So pour yourself a beer and grab your sweetie and dig into your bucket of love!
Recipe after the jump.
