So we had a wedding anniversary over the weekend. Because our anniversary is so near Valentine’s Day, it’s really awkward to try to go out, because you are competing with Valentine’s Day crowds, special Valentine’s Day menus, etc. We didn’t PLAN on getting married around Valentine’s Day, but we got engaged on a Christmas Eve and knew we wanted to get married in Vegas by Elvis (so no need for a long engagement to plan a wedding spectacular), and we just picked a week a little bit out that we could both get off and went to Vegas. Wasn’t even thinking about the juxtaposition to the Hallmark holiday. **shrugs** It is what it is.

I’ve also gotten kinda picky about going out. I mean, I’m a pretty decent cook (**smile**), so if I’m going to pay for it, it better be better than what I would make at home. Or be a cuisine that I don’t cook, like Burmese. Or have some dish that is just so amazingly unique or well-made that I want your version more than mine (like everything here). I’m also value-conscious — I have an amazing source for meat (Nick’s), so it’s hard to want to drop $40 on a steak (or more) in a classic steakhouse when I can get New York strip on special for $2.99/lb. And talk about markups on wine. So, we just don’t go out for Big Occasions very often.

So with our anniversary coming up, I wanted to prepare a meal that was special enough to feel like a celebration. I wanted to rely on the grill so it could be collaborative. And I wanted to try at least one new dish. So the meal evolved into rib roast, lobster tail, asparagus, smoked potato, and key lime pie. And something sparkling of course!

We grilled the rib-eye roast similar to that described here. This was a 3.5lb boneless roast, liberally seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and garlic. Roasted on the BGE @350F to an internal temperature of about 140F and allowed to rest while the accoutrements were prepared (maybe 1.5 hours cooking time). The potatoes went on about halfway through — all I did was wash them, dry them, and prick them with a fork.

When the meat came off for its mandatory rest, we brought the BGE temp up closer to 400F/425F. The potatoes stayed on to finish cooking alongside the asparagus and lobster. As for the asparagus — we just wash them, break off the tough bottom, and throw them on plain. No seasoning, no oil. Grill until charred. I trimmed/notched the top side of the lobster’s shells so that I could pull the meat through the shell for presentation. I sprinkled with exposed meat with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grilled about eight minutes total.

We drank a non-vintage sparkling Riesling out of Germany by Ulrich Langguth. I spent a little more than usual, probably $12 to $14, but it was a surprisingly full-bodied sparkler. It paired beautifully with the lobster and asparagus but still held up to the beef. I need to see if I can find some more!

Finally, for dessert, I made a key lime pie, because I thought it was my husband’s favorite dessert. I followed the proportions in this recipe by the Pioneer Woman, but I used real key limes. MAN are those guys stingy when it comes to juice! I admit — after juicing a dozen of them, I had to supplement with some of my bottled stuff. I don’t care — I think it was the zest that really made the pie. One criticism of the crust — too much of it. Next time I will ratchet back the grahams.

So we had a lovely meal prepared TOGETHER that rivaled anything we might have had at a restaurant. There was some confusion about the favorite dessert — he claims he never thinks about his favorite dessert — but I see him order key lime pie whenever it’s available. Whatever. He liked it enough to eat some for breakfast the next day