Bon Appetit!

Friday night Casey and I went to Ruth's Chris Steak House with his family to celebrate his mom's birthday. It was such a great steak! Ruth's Chris is one of those places reserved for special dinners or special occasions for us. I have several favorite restaurants for special occasions. Here's my top five, with #1 being my most favorite:

5. Perry's Restaurant: This is where Casey took me for Valentines Day this year. They have a couple of booths that are completely enclosed in velvet drapes, but you have to reserve very early for these tables. The food is top-notch: we had 10 oz. lobster tails when we went, which were very good.

4. Fogo de Chao: This place is a Brazillian Churrascaria, which means that they cook all 15 different kinds of meat on swords and then Gaucho chefs serve the meat from the swords at your table. You have a disc at your table with two sides: red, which means no more food right now and green, which means "more meat, please." Of the 15 meats, my favorites are: filet mignon wrapped in bacon, garlic beef and the parmesan lamb.

3.Ruth's Chris Steak House: My favorite place to have filet mignon - I always get the petite filet to save room for the mushrooms and garlic mashed potatoes. When you walk in the restaurant, you can smell the butter that the steaks are served with and you can hear them sizzling on the plates - 500 degree plates. When they say the plate is hot, this time they mean it!

2.The Melting Pot: I took Casey here last year as a surprise but for no special reason. We both absolutely loved the place. The atmosphere is intimate, the food is interactive and the endless combinations of sweets you can create in your dessert fondue are worth the trip!

1.Kobe Steaks: We have a tradition in my family that I must be taken here for my birthday. I love this place! The broth with floating mushrooms, the orange sherbert, the fried rice, the "Japanese ketchup," not to mention the main courses - I often get the filet mignon and shrimp. It's the best and #1 on my list.

Hungry yet?