Hello hello everyone! I’m so happy that you all enjoyed my “orders”! I think if bosses gave out orders like that well… no one would ever complain. Did anyone try making any of the recipes yet? Because I’d love to hear about it if you did. On another note, I hope the week has been kind to you, and perhaps filled with exciting surprises. My evening last Friday was filled with lots of the like. Ahh yes… I have quite a dining experience to share with you all.

Last Friday, during Richmond's Restaurant Week, my step-dad and I went to a wonderful little restaurant I've had my eye on.

Secco Wine Bar is the kind of restaurant that gets creative with food, and knows its food… and wine and beer if you’re so inclined! They’re the kind of place where you sit and imagine what the minds behind the menu were thinking. So that when you are served and take your first bite… you have an “a-ha” moment. A place where food is meant to be enjoyed, and your company is most likely sitting in their own pleasurable experience as well. Enjoyment all around! We opted to sit down in the casual lounge seats along with two to other women who sat in the seats next to us. What a great set-up to make new friends because that night we did! We delighted in our casual conversations, and the night just seemed like the perfect way to unwind from a busy week.

This pretty much sums up our relationship hahaha!

Meet our charming waiter!

For Richmond Restaurant Week, the participating restaurants had come up with a three-course menu. And without further ado, our first course…

Behold this masterpiece: a salad of spring vegetables & greens, Caromont Farm fromage blanc, pine nuts & meyer lemon dressing.

A moment of silence...

I didn't know where to start with this beautiful plate, that was equally delicious.

This was such a refreshing salad–everything seemed to be floating on air. From the mild onion flavor of the chive flower, to the freshness of fromage blanc I was present for every bite. The moments felt as beautiful as this salad.

My step-dad ordered a smoked duck terrine with spring onions & dried apricots, dressed frisée with hazelnuts & mustard seed.

After taking our precious time enjoying our first course, and discovering new flavors it was time for our second course; in which we got to select two dishes from the menu.

Sformato with aged gruyere and Japanese spinach, sorrel sauce

A sformato is basically an Italian quiche. I was a bit nervous about this dish because my stomach tends to raise its fist at me when I eat eggs. Luckily, it didn’t seem to be too eggy, mostly spinach. Most importantly, it was a simple and tasty dish. It was funny because later that night when I went to the store I saw sorrel leaves for the first time. How appropriate to see it after I ate it.

And my step-dad ordered a seafood sausage... this may sound funny but I've never seen a sausage look so clean.

He kept exclaiming how delicious it was. After we were done with our plates part two of our second course came out.

Asparagus fritter, roasted morel mushrooms with fresh thyme, pickled spring garlic

Brimming with goodness on the inside, and deliciously crispy on the outside.

I was expecting another eggy dish, but I think it was called a fritter because it was fried. This was so full of flavor, and I made sure to make the last bite the very best by saving a bit of everything. Ahh… And who could forget the third course: dessert!

Pistachio gelato and pistachio brittle with lavender-plum cake

One word: divine. In my  dreams gelato would never melt unless it’s into a cup so I could drink it as a delicious elixir. Then I’d garnish it off with this very brittle!

My step-dad got a very northern Italian dessert: cheese, bread, with a drizzle of honey.

If you clean your plate down to the very last finger lick you can spy... well, if that's not a compliment to the chef then I don't know what is!

After we spoiled ourselves with wonderful food and new friends, we went for a leisurely walk around historic Carytown. The next morning I had to get up early for a fashion photo shoot! I wanted to give one of the Super products a try: the 3-Minute Facial! I thought it was appropriate for the day.

I started to feel the tingle from the ginger.

“Ginger has warming properties that stimulate circulation for radiant, glowing skin.” So this would help hydrate my skin and make it glow… just what I need before I was going to step in front of a camera! My face actually did feel and look refreshed, even for an early morning. This isn’t a product I would use on a daily basis, but rather for days when you feel like you really need a pick me up or maybe there’s something special and you want to look your very best!

What do you do the night before or morning of a special day? Anyone have any special rituals?