It’s a celebration…

We celebrated an anniversary lately.

A big one.

Ten happy years – they went by so fast.

Occasions like that have to be marked, celebrated, appreciated.  We have something big planned, but with farmers markets, spring planting and busy restaurants that need veggies, our big plans will have to wait for another day.  But we couldn’t let the day go by without giving it the recognition it deserves.  It’s not every day in your life that you can look back on and remember what you were doing and where and with whom with such joy a decade later.  I just smiled all day, just like I did then.

Days before, Marsha and Bob were generous enough to throw us an elegant celebratory dinner in the citrus orchard, complete with strings of lights, fresh flowers from the garden, and a recreation of our wedding menu. Which was lovely since we never got to actually eat the dinner served at our wedding, like most brides and grooms.  There was just too much fun was to be had!  We shared the evening with my parents and grandparents and our Aidan.  Four generations sat at a table for ten surrounded by the orange blossoms.  They had even placed jars of honey at each of the place settings, just as we had years ago.  How better to commemorate the evening that with something sweet that never spoils?

After so much fun and good food, it felt decadent to celebrate again all over dinner on our actual anniversary date, but we did.  And if you want to go decadent, you go to Binkley’s.

This was the meal of a decade and it went a little something like this…

And finally…

Seriously – I lost count.  Chef Kevin Binkley tried to wear us down with a parade of amuse bouche the likes of which I have never seen before.  It was insane.  No – we did not actually order all of this.  We decided going in that we were going to go conservative with the four-course tasting menu, but Kevin had other plans.  He was a chef gone wild. Everything was incredible and so special, and the service was just as impressive and outstanding. We were blown away.  There were wonderful little bits and bites of things, like the world’s tiniest sloppy joe, a foie gras hot chocolate, a guava-lime soda to cleanse our palates, a peanut butter souffle,… there are too many to name.  And, quite frankly, for once I wasn’t writing it all down.  It was my anniversary after all.

That, and I started the evening with one of these…

It’s called an “Amelia Earhart” and it was yummy!  It was a good day.

Binkley’s Restaurant
6920 East Cave Creek Road
Cave Creek, AZ  85331-8604

480.437.1072

www.binkleysrestaurant.com