Looks like I've got some catching up to do

So, to anyone who was reading this with any regularity, it seemed as though I fell off the face of the earth. Or quit cooking. Or quit eating.

I can assure you none of these scenarios is true.

Mike and I still cook together all the time, and now it's even better because we moved last summer, and our new kitchen is far and way better than our old one.

We've also still been traveling quite a bit — most frequently to Asheville — where the most frequent question that comes up is, "Where are we eating tonight/in the morning/next?"

Along those same lines, for our last several birthdays and anniversaries, we've opted to celebrate by dining out at a restaurant (preferably one we haven't tried yet) instead of exchanging gifts.

So I figured to help me get back in the swing of things, I'd share our most recent celebration dinner: my birthday dinner earlier this month.

If you're not from Nashville, you may not know, but the food scene here has EXPLODED in recent years. It's impossible to keep up with everything that's opening, or closing or expanding. (No worries though, we are trying out best.)

For this particular occasion, we visited Hemingway's Bar and Hideaway. It was about to celebrate its one-year anniversary, had been on my "to try soon" list for a awhile, and co-worker had raved about their ribeye.

So glad we tried it. We started with a round of cocktails, which are presented as more of a "what kind of spirit and preparation are you in the mood for" vibe (think: I want a vodka drink that is herbaceous, served on the rocks.) I can't remember the names of either, but both were delicious.

For an appetizer (and honestly why I picked this restaurant over a couple others for this particular party), we had their poutine. If you've never had this treat (originated by our friendly neighbors to the north), you need to: fries, topped with cheese curds, and some variation of brown gravy. Oh, so good. Your mouth will thank me; your belt, maybe not so much. Hemingway's version was delicious and featured a braised short rib gravy and no shortage of curds (some restaurants try to skimp out on them, and that's a true travesty.)

For our main course, we opted for the aforementioned 32-ounce bone-in ribeye. It's served with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and garlic confit, and Mike splurged and also ordered a side of their crispy Brussels sprouts (served tossed with spicy cranberry vinaigrette, peanuts, & raw onion).

The ribeye? Cooked to perfection. The potatoes? Oh so creamy. And the sprouts…up until a year or two ago, I didn't even like Brussels sprouts, and these were so good, I found myself getting "just one more" half a dozen times before I asked Mike to move the bowl away from me. Truth be told, it was more food than what we could finish, but I would order it again. We took home the leftovers, and even reheated, everything was delicious.

Would we go back? Absolutely. The price point definitely makes it a special occasion dinner and not an "everyday" kind of place, but it's certainly somewhere we'll need to return.

Keep an eye out in the next days/weeks, as I try to catch you up on my kitchen adventures and travels (including a whirlwind trip to Paris before Christmas). It's good to be back!