Magic of Christmas Fund Raisers

Tonight Jimmy's school had a babysitting-sorta fundraiser, for $20 they'd take him from 4:30 to 7:30 and let him play and show him movies and feed him pizza so that Wally and I could take advantage of a Street & Co. gift certificate given to us last Christmas by Jimmy's aunt and uncle.

Jimmy was more than happy to bounce into the school after dark, and I felt like the local yokel bouncing into such a restaurant, we hadn't been out to eat as a couple since before Jimmy was born. And Street & Co. is definitely much nicer than Chuck E. Cheese's, I wasn't even sure how to act. We were earlybirds (oops) so we started with a vino/club soda at the lounge and I felt like we were in a cozy wintry Quebecois bistro rather than at a restaurant in our very own town. There was no camera there, and Wally thanked me for that, but the atmosphere was so amiable and warm I knew it could only go up.

I'd researched the menu earlier this week and I felt it was...sparse...which left me optimistic considering Street & Co.'s reputation and longevity, kinda like when Kramer explained to Jerry that thinner deli meats were better because the taste has nowhere to hide. No salmon on this menu, we tossed around the Lobster Diavolo for Two as an option but both off us ordered off the specials menu, which after 10 years I call "A First." Wally ordered the Fisherman's Stew which had all kinds of seafood and chorizo, and I was extra special and ordered something completely new for me, it was a whole Branzino fish stuffed with olives and on top of fennel. The "stuffed with olives" part is what got me, Wally assured that he'd guide me on how to eat a whole fish (a challengey afterthought after the whole stuffed-with-olives part.)

After ordering we were surprised with "tastes" from the Kitchen, our mutual friend sent us DATES WITH ORANGE, MINT AND LABNEH and ABRIGO WITH FIG CAKE AND MEMBRILL (I copied those from the online menu, apologies for the YELLY CAPS) which were so unexpected and so amazing and so tasty. Thank you, Riley!

Soon after our tastes our meals came in pans, I found myself staring at a whole dead baked fish...and it was delightful. Moments later I did take our server's offer to fillet the fish, and the whole experience seems sort of life-changing. Sure, there were moments of hesitation à la Howard Hughes in The Aviator, but for the most part I felt pretty bold in my attack. How could I not it was delicious. It sorta looked like this:



...without the lemons and with half the stuffing and in a pan of carmmmmmelized fennel. A new dawn for this adult, after eating this I feel like I could climb Mt. Everest. But with all mortality aside, the olives perfectly complemented the light mild whitefish, it leaves me with no wonder why this restaurant thrives year after year. And Jimmy had an excellent evening at the school, a complete holiday success, thanks Mark and M!