it’s been awhile since we’ve been on anything you could call a date. contrary to what my dear husband has said previously, dinner out with Josh does NOT qualify as a date!

so this year, for my birthday, Brian planned a really REALLY great night out. he got our friend Jess to babysit – which meant Josh could have cared less whether we stayed in or went out, he was so happy to have her over to play! incidentally – yesterday afternoon while trying to get Josh settled in for a nap, he was giving me a hard time. i looked him in the eye and said “Do you want me to call Jess and tell her not to come over tonight?” Let me just say it worked better than threatening to call Santa Claus!

Jess arrived, and we set off for our dinner destination, Jack’s Oyster House, in downtown Albany. We pulled up, handed the keys to the valet, and continued inside where we were greeted by two people ready to take our coats. Nice! We were seated right away, and took in the surroundings. It’s very much understated elegance – original dark wood panelling, white table cloths… pretty classic stuff. The menu is not overwhelming – no pages and pages of things that make it impossible for you to pick what you want! Two pages of appetizers and entrees – and believe me, that was more than enough to pick from.

We both started with Manhattan clam chowder – yummo! I had a trio of seafood – mahi mahi, shrimp and one other fish that i can’t remember the name of. It came with green beans, smashed taters, and a cranberry reduction sauce that was really to die for. Not something i would think of serving with any type of fish, but the flavors were incredible. Brian, for the first time, met a steak he could not actually finish. It was extremely good also. For dessert – we tried their Bananas Foster – it was really really REALLY sweet. REALLY SWEET! All things considered – it was a really delicious meal, in beautiful surroundings, and definitely a great special occasion type of place to keep in mind.