A lovely busy day

Looking toward the open kitchen at Fixe

Photo by Sean Green

Today was an extraordinarily busy day for me, with a blend of old and new experiences. Began the day with a haircut. Rosa, who has done my hair for at least fifteen years, comes by the house because I can’t drive. I’m sure she’ll be as relieved as I will when I get my car back, but meantime she has my undying gratitude. We have good visits while she snips and trims.

Went to lunch at a friend’s apartment. She and two other women have their own book club, and they just read my historical novel, The Gilded Cage. So I went to talk to them about the novel, but one of the women had to cancel. The three of us talked about the book and a lot about Chicago. The other woman had also grown up in Chicago, so we had lots to share. Nancy fixed a terrific lunch and had festooned her apartment with hearts. I even came home with a small, heart-shaped box of chocolate. Happy Valentines Day, a bit early.

In the late afternoon, Tracy Hull, associate dean of the TCU Libraries, came by for a visit and a glass of wine. Turns out she not only wanted to take me up on my invitation to visit, she wanted to see the cottage because she is passionately interested in tiny houses. She said many nice things about the cottage but our visit ranged far and wide over a lot of topics and was lots of fun, lots of laughter.

And the really new experience—friends Phil and Subie took me to a new restaurant at the Shops at Clearfork. Turns out tonight was only the second night Fixe was open, so we were treated like royalty. I want to say the restaurant is starkly modern, with the open concept kitchen—but it’s not. The idea behind the food is a southern-style family supper, so the dining space is partitioned to look like a screened-in-porch. But it’s not at all folksy—it’s clean and smooth. Large, heavy and very comfortable leather chairs are almost incongruous, as is the extensive collection of varied china plates that decorates one wall. The idea is that you order a variety of small plates and share. We had the most wonderful biscuits I’ve ever eaten--the owner (at least I guess that’s who he was) said they’re triple fried, but no, no calories. Then deviled eggs, some of the best I’ve eaten; fried chicken; lobster and crawfish pot pie; chilled green bean salad. Every dish was delicious.

The wine list is extensive, but so is the ice tea list, and they brew all their own. Subie had the green tea, but the list of choices was interesting—flavors such as hibiscus. Tea comes in a container they set on a carafe of ice and the tea is released into the carafe. At least once during the meal, they refreshed the tea by pouring it into a fresh carafe of ice. Those little golden touches. I went to the restroom and missed the hot towels. A lovely dining experience and fun to be on the cutting edge with a new restaurant.

I’m one pooped person tonight. For someone who generally spends her days at the computer, that was a busy day. Not much work done at all, but who cares? A lovely day.