Karen's Birthday Dinner - Jasper's

Last night we celebrated Chad's mom's birthday. We met at her house for some pre-dinner champagne (actually, it was cava) and headed to Jasper's in the Domain. Chad and I had eaten at Jasper's before, but we had only appetizers, dessert, and wine on the patio. Last night we were having a full dinner.

Appetizer/Salad:

We started with some calamari, which was served on top of a orange-soy sauce. It was tasty, though a bit salty, and I thought that the orange flavor was a little bitter. We also started with a bottle of Morgan Pinot Noir. Chad and I ordered a Jasper's greens salad before our meal, and I thought it tasted better than the one I had in the spring.

Main Course:

For the main course, I ordered halibut, which was served with a haricot vert-tomato salad and truffle whipped potatoes. It was delicious, but I never realized how the texture and flavor of halibut resembles a cooked egg. Chad ordered 'Texas Peach Barbecued Pork Tenderloin' and got it with fries instead of the creamed corn and twice-baked potato. Karen ordered the pan seared salmon dish, and Jim ordered the hickory grilled flat iron steak. We ordered a second bottle of wine with our main courses, and Jim picked the Fess Parker Pinot Noir. (apparently this second bottle was not up to expectations) I trust his nose, but was also pleased to find out that the second of the two wines went well with my haricot vert-tomato salad.

Dessert:

Trio of minis (Though they are not that small)
We picked Banana Parfait, Rocky Road Ice cream Sandwich, and Butterfinger Creme Brulee. I liked all of them, though because of its size, the Banana Parfait was the best.

After dinner, we remarked at how enjoyable the meal had been, both food and company, and we headed back to the house to open presents. The animals got her some 'Tuna Las Vegas' show tickets. Jim got her some really nice hiking/walking shoes that were also very cute. Chad got her a tagine, and I complemented his gift with a tagine/Moroccan cookbook and 2 jars of Moroccan cooking ingredients, preserved lemons and harissa. I think Karen liked all of her presents.

What a fun evening! I highly recommend Jasper's for a nice meal.