Karl's Junk Pile Nothing valuable here

Last night we had dinner at Magnolia Grill. It's our favorite place, and we hadn't been there in a while. We couldn't get a reservation, so we decided we'd try just walking in. They have 5 or 6 tables they keep for walk-ins, so the chances of are usually good that you won't have to wait too long (and if you do, there's always the bar!). Two of the tables were open when we arrived, so we were seated right away.

We started with bottles of Bell's Two-hearted Pale Ale and then shared a tuna ceviche appetizer. Janet had striped bass and I had steelhead trout. Mine was served by the great chef himself, Ben Barker. For dessert we shared a pot de creme. We drank a bottle of Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River (Sonoma) with dinner.

All the food was superb, as usual. And it was nice to have a dinner out without the kids!

Last night Janet and I went to a beer dinner at Watts Grocery. The restaurant is fantastic; it's got great food, and a good beer selection. For this special dinner, food was paired with beers from Foothills Brewing, Triangle Brewing (right here in Durham), and Highland Brewing. We had a great time; the food and beer were delicious and we got to visit with our friend Oscar Wong from Highland. About the only complaint I could make is that there was too much food (I hate to leave great food like that on the plate!). I think the servings could have been halved and still been enough.

The food and beer pairings were:

• Fried oysters with remoulade and deviled ham on toast points with Foothills Torch Pilsner. The deviled ham was incredible. The oysters were plump. What could be better?
• Steamed mussels with andouille, onions, and pale ale, and french fries with remoulade and catsup served with Triangle Brewing Company Pale Ale.
• Pan-seared quail with a mustard pan sauce and warm bacon slaw (so very good) with Triangle Brewing Company Belgian Golden Ale.
• Smoked pork ribs with molasses beans and Foothills Seeing Double IPA. The ribs were smokey and chewy, like they should be. By this time I was starting to get full...
• Southern raclette melted on bread, served with chowchow, artichoke pickles, and sausage. The beer was Highland Brewing Company Gaelic Ale. Janet and I were so full at this point we barely touched the raclette and sausage.
• Hazelnut brown butter financier with praline cream and sauteed winter fruit with Highland Brewing Oatmeal Porter.

Last night Janet and I had our Valentine's Day dinner (late, of course) at Four Square Restaurant in Durham. It's on our short list of favorites, but we haven't been there for a while. We had Dogfish Head 90-minute IPA in the bar (we were early). For dinner we shared a prawn, tabbouleh, and curry appetizer and each had another 90-minute IPA. Janet had the rack of lamb (with a glass of a red Rhone) and I had roasted leg of antelope with antelope chorizo (and a glass of Zinfandel). For dessert we split an Espresso Crème Caramel. All in all, a very pleasant evening.

Last night Janet and I had dinner at Nana's, one of our favorite Durham places to go for a nice time without the kids. There are so many great places in Durham, we don't get to Nana's as often as we should.

We started in the bar (we were 30 minutes early because we couldn't wait to get out of the house!) with Triangle Brewing Company's Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale (on tap). It's a very local beer brewed right here in Durham.

We split a risotto appetizer that had fried oysters. Normally, I'd get a seafood entree, but this time I went for a wild boar loin. Janet had a venison strip loin. Both were excellent, not too gamey, lean, with wonderful sauces and veggies. We stuck with the Triangle Golden Ale.

For dessert we had a pear and apple tart with a glass of Sauternes (a splurge).

All-in-all, a very nice dinner. We even got one of the "corner" tables in the smaller, more intimate room right off the bar area.

I guess the Holiday Season is over:

• Most people have taken down their Christmas lights.
• I've seen a lot of Christmas trees out at the curb for pickup. Ours will either go out back in the woods as part of a brushpile to provide cover for birds and other animals, or be turned into a bird feeder. I like to strip the branches off, stand the tree against something, and then smear a peanut butter/cornmeal mixture onto the trunk.
• Thankfully, I can walk into a store and not hear brain-damaging Christmas music now (bah! humbug!).
• And perhaps the saddest part of the season being done is that the local grocery stores aren't carrying Claxton fruitcakes anymore. I'm partial to the dark variety (which I haven't seen in stores in years), but like the regular, too. When I saw that my local store wasn't restocking them, I grabbed 4. I'm almost done with those. Maybe I'll order some from their website to get me through the year.

Last night Janet and I had dinner at Watts grocery, a new restaurant in Durham. The kids stayed home.

We started at the bar with a few beers. I had two Triangle Bourbon Aged Abbey Dubbels, a locally brewed Abbey-style dubbel that's aged in oak bourbon casks. Very nice; the bourbon was just a hint in the aftertaste. The bartender informed us the brewery only had one keg of the beer left, so I'm glad I got to try it. Janet had Triangle Belgian-Style Strong Golden Ale, their flagship beer. Then she had a Big Boss High Roller IPA.

For dinner we shared a scallop appetizer. I had a pork porterhouse with double-stuffed baby Beauregard sweet potatoes. Janet had the papardelle with a root vegetable and mushroom sauce. We each had another beer. All was very delicious. Dessert was a carmel cake. I liked it; Janet didn't. We'll be back.

Last night Janet & I went with Roger and Pete to the Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It's a smaller exhibition than some that the museum has put on before, about 40 paintings, but it was a nice way to spend a few hours.

Afterwards, we all went to J Betski's, a German-Polish inspired restaurant in Raleigh. It was crowded, but we drank good beer in the bar. The food was excellent. I had a braised beef dish, and Janet had pumpkin pierogies. It was so nice to have a night out with Pete and Roger without the kids! I'd go back, if it wasn't so far.

The beers I had were both on tap:

• Schneider Weisse Original is a German hefeweizen.
• Schneider Aventinus is a wonderful weizen doppelbock.