Delicious Friday.

I got to work this morning thinking this would be a pretty typical day for me, but I was wrong. And I was happy to be wrong.

Around 9:00, one of the executive administrative assistants that I've been working on a project with called and asked me what I was doing for lunch today. I told her I had no plans, and she said she wanted to take me to lunch to thank me for all of the help I've given her over the last few months. I, of course, said yes, and asked her where we were going. She said she had heard of a restaurant downtown called Ella that was supposed to be really good, so she thought we'd try there.

Am I glad she made that recommendation. This place was just fabulous. It was very sophisticated and classy: white linens, very sharp dressed waiters, very quick and friendly service. We shared everything we ordered (at the recommendation of our waiter), so to start, we had grilled prawns with fresh cranberry bean salad and romesco. Amazingly good, and I'm not a big seafood person. The prawns were cooked perfectly and so delicious, and the bean salad was light and the perfect companion to the prawns. Delish.

We also ordered sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic, chili flake and parmesan. Also delicious, but I wasn't aware of how bitter broccoli rabe is. I'm not sure if I'll ever eat it again, but the way they had prepared it was excellent.

For our main dish, we ordered pan roasted halibut with lemon-caper brown butter and arugula. It also came with little potatoes that were so delicious I was beside myself.

And for our finale, we had the chocolate brownie with toasted almonds, fudge sauce and chocolate chip cocoa nib ice cream. OH. MY. STARS. It was so unbelievably good. And the best part was, it was just a little bit, so I wasn't stuffed after eating all of this.

The other nice thing? I didn't have to watch the clock while we were at lunch and was out a little longer than normal (about an hour more than usual). Nice, huh?

It was one of the most pleasant Friday afternoons I've had in a long time. The weather was perfect, the food was excellent and I enjoyed getting to know a co-worker a little more.

If you're interested, the link to the restaurant's website is here. If you go, you will not regret it. Just be prepared to spend a little more than you normally would.