Evealicious.

Wednesday night, Brad and I hit Eve to celebrate our third anniversary. I've been curious about Eve since last summer when I picked up Eve's cookbook at the library... and even more so since Lisa Z. and I met her in person (foodarazzi!) this summer at the local food fest. And now finally an event worthy of a fancy schmancy meal. It would not be an exaggeration to say I loved it from the second we walked in the door.

It's cute, small, dark, and the people are friendly. We had some space for the first little while, then a slightly annoying group, including a real-life pirate, sat down a little too close... but we were mostly too wrapped up in our food to be bitter about their presence. Mostly. ;) Anyway, the meal started off delicious with a board of infused butters and bread. Obviously I wasn't going near the garlic herb butter, but I was ALL over the smoked salmon butter. I'm really not a butter person, and I use it pretty sparingly. But I would have licked this butter off my plate. Seriously. We were both a little freaked out by the guava honey butter, though.

Next up, drinks. I'm not supposed to be drinking right now, but I figured one wouldn't kill me, right? I knew before arriving that I'd be ordering Eve's special jamtini, made from vodka and Eve's mom's homemade apricot ginger jam. If I could never drink another drink but this for the rest of my life, I would be happy. It sounds weird, but it makes total mouth sense. Sweet, but not too sweet... Just perfect. I'm in love. (Yeah, I had a second one. I didn't die. [Phew.])

Time for appetizers! Normally we don't order appetizers... but it's a special night! So damn straight we're ordering the "cutting board." And I'm so glad we did. OMG. Heaven on a slab o' wood.

Baguette, raisin bread, olives, three different cheeses, two different cream spreads, three different meats... including the AMAZING duck prosciutto. I know... it does sound gross. But seriously. Butter. In. My. Mouth.

Killed it.

Now it was time to wait for the main courses. Obviously, this was a lot of food. But we took our time, enjoyed the atmosphere, and it really never felt like too much. We were still happy to see our dinners when they came. Brad ordered the beef tenderloin and accoutrements (it was really called that!). Admittedly I was too wrapped up in my food to pay full attention to Brad's... But he seemed pleased. I ordered the simple fish special, which happened to be a wild striped bass. I followed Eve's recommendation for preparation, and because I was ready to just trust her, I didn't pay full attention to what it was. Lime something? I dunno. BUT. It was THE BEST piece of fish I've ever eaten. Fishy, meaty, flavorful -- I was totally satisfied. And, honestly, how often does a piece of fish REALLY satisfy you? As a side I got the sweet potato gratin, and I was equally beside myself over that, too. Oh, and pea pods? I hate pea pods. But Eve's pea pods? Yum. I ate almost all of them!

Think we were too full for dessert? HA! We even each got our OWN! he he he Mmmm. Brad ordered the lemon bread pudding and I snagged the cold weather crumble (oats, pears, apples, cranberries)... Mine was super tasty but I honestly had a little order envy over Brad's. I heart lemon. Luckily he let me steal a few bites.

Crumbly.

I just can't rave enough. Clearly, not an every day place. But if anyone has a special occasion coming up soon, I would highly recommend checking Eve out. It makes me happy to have a place like this in Ann Arbor. They treat you well, feed you well, and we totally didn't get carded for once. We may go to TGI Fridays all the time, but they're never going to do anything special for you. I am visibly giddy about my jamtini and what happens? A giant to-go tub of Eve's mom's apricot jam appears in front of me. I'm hooked for life.