Baltimore Maryland
The Picnic
Cuisine Manager wants to let you know that this is not for the faint of heart or the casual admirer.
Sometimes you don’t even have to cook to have a great meal and an unforgettable life experience. I know because I had one of those 19 years ago and it changed my life. A good friend of mine called and asked if I would be interested in a blind date. Single and not dating anyone in particular at the time, I thought what the heck. I was given a phone number and called Maggie. The conversation actually went quite well. We made a date for the next evening and went to a very nice restaurant and had a great time. Never having been on a blind date, I was not sure what to expect and by the end of the evening I knew that I wanted to take this lady out again. . I had planned on waiting a day or two before I called her for a date but I received an invitation to attend an opera at the Kennedy Center for that Friday so I called and asked her to go with me. Our second date went even better than our first and I could tell that if I wasn’t careful I might start falling for Maggie. I know this sounds funny after only one or two dates but sometimes you just know; sometimes there really is such a thing as love at first sight. We had gone on two dates and had barely kissed goodnight at the door. By the third date we were both relaxed and started to realize that we were into something special. I called Maggie and asked her out for a picnic for Friday, oh by the way, it was February. I spent whole afternoon that day preparing for our Picnic. I knew it was going to be memorable, exciting and dangerous. I went to Williams Sonoma and bought a wicker picnic basket complete with a tablecloth and matching napkins.Next I went to wine and cheese store to pick out cheeses, fruit, crackers and a little pate. I then headed for the champagne and chose a bottle of White Star because Maggie had mentioned that she liked it. I chose a bottle of Opus One Cabernet and also purchased a bottle of 150 year old Grand Marnier for good measure. Next I was on my way to find some great French bread to go with the cheeses.
I went to a wonderful French Bakery in downtown Baltimore and bought some unbelievable little French pastries. The last stop was a shop where I purchased two candles that matched the linens in the picnic basket and two candle holders. I was ready for the “Picnic”.
I arrived around six, Maggie’s kids were at their fathers for the weekend and my son was at his mother’s. When Maggie opened the door and saw the picnic basket and smiled that deep down inside smile you feel for Christmas. I built a fire in the fireplace and spread the table cloth on the floor in front of it. I had bought some special music and quietly put it on and proceeded to open the champagne as Van Morrison sang "Moon Dance". Evidently, the picnic was a success. Within the next week I asked Maggie to "go away on a wander with me". We were married 3 1/2 weeks from our first date.Wicker Picnic Basket / Table Linens
Champagne, White Star
Bottle of Wine, Opus One Cabernet
Grand Mariner 150 years old
Cheese / Westfields Farm Goat's milk cheese, Brillat Savarin French Cheese, Double Glouchester
Pate
Fruits, grapes, figs, apples
French Bread
Great tunes, Van Morrison, Frank Sinatra, Peter Gabriel... etc
Candles & candle holders
Champagne & champagne glasses
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