This is the place for celebrating good friends and slow food.
The Aetheria Relaxation Team LOVES good food. It comes with the territory of working in an organic day spa. We inherently have high standards for the food we enjoy. Local, sustainable, organic (whenever possible) food is our preference. And restaurants that cater to these preferences are generally our favorite places to frequent.
So it was a natural choice to host our holiday gathering at Sugar and Olives in Norwalk.
I had no idea what we would be eating or drinking. I simply told Jennifer (the owner) how many people, and what the budget was, and she produced the most amazing meal I've had in months. (All due respect to Chef McCarthy, of course). Some things were consumed so quickly that I didn't even get a picture of it to share with you.
It all started with the Rosemary Flatbread, with hummus and an interesting olive dip.
We had Quinoa "burgers" and several fantastic shots of Pumpkin Butternut Squash soup for starters.
Then we got down to some real business with Lobster Risotto topped with Swiss Chard...
Granola-encrusted baked salmon. This one was the winner of the evening. Just one bite and everyone was raving about it. We all wanted second and third helpings of it.
It had the perfect hint of sweetness. Completely unexpected and delicious!!
...and glorious Lamb chops that melted in our mouths.
After dinner I became coffee-challenged and poured a little too much cream in my cup.
And Anna, like a proper Brit, enjoyed her Coconut Tea.
Dessert? I can't even describe the joy in my heart when this platter of sugary goodness was delivered.
Sugar cookies, ginger cookies, chocolate cookies, devil dogs and "olive oil cakes" for dipping in the warm, gooey chocolate you see on the left.
Toula was all about the chocolate!
Plus...
Wine-poached pears and caramel popcorn...
And exceptional butterscotch pudding!
We laughed a lot, especially our resident comediennes, Sarah & Alissa.
We ate a lot, too. It was on the edge of painful by the evening's end.
But there's nothing better than sharing good food with great friends.
Anna is the only normal one among us...but she's pretty new. There's still time for her to adjust to American life, Aetheria-style.
In the meantime...
Happy Holidays from your relaxation team.
...and a very special thank you goes to our celebrity guest, Ellen, for joining the fun.
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