For dinner on Friday, I treated myself to a fancy steakhouse dinner in Raleigh. I don’t normally travel that far for a solo meal, but there was a benefit with one of my credit cards that was about to expire and I didn’t want to let that happen. The drive was a nice reminder of why I rarely venture to Raleigh and why I want no part of a lengthy commute even if traffic in the Triangle is not nearly as bad as what it is in other metro areas. Some of that was on me for choosing a 6:00 reservation, but it was around ten minutes quicker on the way back.

When the waitress came to take my order, I ordered the bread service and a big steak. When she asked if I wanted an appetizer I told her that I was having dessert instead, drawing a half smile. For that dessert, I had a lemon ice cream sandwich concoction with some lemon sauce and a meringue as accoutrements. From the perspective of maximizing taste, that was a better decision than picking one of the appetizers. The bread was good, a local sourdough with some salted butter. I ate the whole portion, some of which I saved to accompany the main and serve as a sponge for the extra red wine jus that came with the steak. The steak itself came pre-cut but plated alone. It didn’t need more than that. It was glorious and I took my time and savored each bite.

The meal offered a stark contrast to the fancy-ish meal I had with my brother and sister-in-law in Seattle. That one was filled with shared plates and conversation. This one was just me in silent contemplation. There is a place for both, but on balance I find meals better with good company around.