The Crown Jewel

After tonight, I can officially die a happy woman. The Mister and I had a lovely evening on the town tonight, of which I will detail for you in today's entry. After battling the horrid Atlanta traffic, we began our night at one of the featured restaurants of Downtown ATL Restaurant Week. This is a splendid week in our town where several of the downtown eateries offer a prix fixe menu consisting of three courses for a mere $25. What a dealio! We decided to try Thrive, a sleek new bistro not far from my favorite cable news network. We chose Thrive because of their course selection: they offered several choices per course while some of the other restaurants offered just one option. The interior of the restaurant was very modern, with dark wood tables and off white leather seating. A pretty Tiffany blue suede trimmed the room and added a nice element of freshness. Thrive has an inventive cocktail menu, something I am always happy to see. For the first course, I had the ginger chicken and potato pot stickers, which were mildly flavorful and a bit soggy. Mr. Soup had the portabella and mozzarella bruschetta, which tasted disappointingly like a microwaved Totino's Pizza. Eww. The second course was much more satisfying. I had a flavorful, perfectly seasoned cold water grilled salmon steak served atop lemon risotto, while the Mister enjoyed grilled Alaskan Halibut over cilantro sweet corn rice with a red pepper coulis. Service was a 3.5 out of 5.... once we told our server that we were on our way to the theater, he was much more prompt and attentive. So attentive infact that our entrees arrived just minutes after our apps. Oooooo-k. In defense of the young chap, I don't think he was used to being so busy, as his hands were slightly shaky when he placed my second cocktail in front of me. (Lay off the uppers before work, garcon.) For the dessert course, Senor Zuppa had a mini raspberry cheesecake (mediocre) while I had the chocolate mousse cake. Not a bad take for 25 bills. And now on to my most favorite 2.5 hours in Atlanta since we moved here. This evening, we were lucky enough to have tickets to Michael Buble. If you haven't listened to his music, click here. And here, too. For those not familiar with his music, Buble sings fantastic updated renditions of classics as well as a few originals. Handsome, energetic, and charismatic with a voice clear as a bell, Mr. B put on one of the best concerts I have ever seen. EVER. SEEN. Not only did he sing tunes from the three albums he's produced in the last five years, but he wasn't afraid to interact and talk with his audience. He crooned while standing on a chair in the middle of the crowd, and took pictures with kids in the first few rows. He cracked jokes and showed the audience his personality, despite what his contract told him to do. Listening to Michael Buble on my iPod is one thing... seeing him in concert was a completely different experience. The whole concert was simply fabulous, and I wish I had a video of the entirety so I could share it all with you. If I had to pick a few favorite moments, it would be hearing "Feelin Good" live or rockin' out with the choir from the Ebenezer Baptist Church (of Dr. Martin Luther King fame) while they backed up MB on "That's Life." Praise Be! Other than that, every other song was, well... remarkable. I would gladly pay twice what we paid for our tickets to see Michael Buble again. Next time though, I plan on being in one of the front few rows and bringing a spare bra to fling on stage.