Day 4: the Ice Skating and Eating Events

Thursday I had planned to be our "down day," without significant driving. The original plan was to have a quiet morning, then visit the Wheeler Historic Farm because it was a) free, b) close, and c) covered pioneer history. When I learned of an ice skating rink at Millcreek Common within walking distance and featuring Dear Husband's favorite--a pizza place--I decided we would do that instead.

It was a beautiful spring day, sunny and temps >60. We played a game of Memory while waiting for pizza, which I was so hungry to eat that I didn't snap a photo. Afterwards, we picked up our rental skates and hit the ice. Not literally--there was only one fall, and it was onto a padded surface. We skated a handful of times at the University of Illinois hockey rink but somehow have not managed to put on skates in the decade since we moved to Pittsburgh.

The experience reminded me of nothing so much as the time on our anniversary trip to Milwaukee that we rollerbladed on the shore of Lake Michigan, a trip so old that I wasn't blogging at the time. This time we shared the looping track with half a dozen other skaters of various ages and abilities. With the pop songs blaring and the sun shining, it was a great day to move our bodies, develop blisters on our ankles, and get sunburned on our faces (eep!). I packed sunscreen for tomorrow's wildlife adventure. Guess I should have applied some today.

After another couple of hours of down time "back at the ranch," we got dolled up for a fancy dinner at Monte, a restaurant that is rumored to be angling for a Michelin star. (However, the Utah chef who has been a James Beard finalist for three years running is Nick Zocco of Urban Hill.) The experience was sold to us as a chef's table*--it would have been our fourth--but in actuality it was a pre fixe menu. Online reviews are mixed, so we were a little concerned to be the only customers on a Thursday if it really were a simultaneous seating event (another couple came in 45 minutes later).

Drinks: rose lemonade (from a bottle, but the best lemonade DH says he's ever had) and a glass of brut to celebrate my book dropping in just five days.

Left: the best thing DH has ever eaten made out of beets (which he doesn't usually like) and a light green puree with trout roe that made me exclaim out loud. Right: so much bread (breadsticks, sourdough, brioche). We couldn't eat all of the bread, so we packaged it up for breakfast and lunch the next day. The brioche was realllly good, especially with some house-made butter.

Left: a sort of French onion soup I didn't finish because I didn't think the onions were caramelized enough; however, DH prefers his onions less cooked and liked it. Right: quail ravioli in a sauce that didn't have enough salt, but was balanced if eaten with the pasta.

Left: a two-bite squid ink beignet with rabbit in the center (you just eat the round ball with the leaf on it, not the rest of the charred wood!). Right: a really excellent 3 ounces of beef with two sauces. The last chef's table we did (for Valentine's Day) had portions that were too large. These were just right.

* Looking back at the website, it's described as "chef-driven" and "changing with the seasons," as if those were unique qualities that no other fining establishment had thought of. So while we never talked to chef Martin Babio, our server did tell us about each of the seven courses.

Left is the palate cleanser that was the best tasting "green" we've had (mint, lime, cucumber, and some other things). Between that the dessert--the silkiest chocolate tart imaginable--the dinner was worth it. Staff are attentive but let you enjoy the meal. The setting is industrial with a side of woodsman-naturalist. The music was loud but fun. My only real critique is that the restaurant is located in a distillery, so when we arrived via Google Maps, we thought we were at the wrong building, and I had to double-check the address. Otherwise, 5 stars, would do again for a fancy occasion.

After all that, we scrambled back in the car and headed up to Temple Square to catch the last hour of the Mormon Tabernacle choir rehearsal, which is free and open to the public. That was a lovely way to end the day.

Did you miss our mountain adventure on Day 3? Up next: a wildlife tour on Antelope Island.