Friday I'm in Love

There's no better way to reference the gloom rock golden days like a weekly series!

This week, here's what I'm loving:

Lonesome Dove Western Bistro

For two fairly seasoned diners living in a city teeming with fantastic restaurants, I did not expect to love The Lonesome Dove over in Fort Worth. Oh, how little I knew. Celebrated chef Tim Love does so many outrageous things to meat that my stomach starts growling just remembering our recent meal there. Favorites include blue corn lobster hushpuppies, rabbit and green chile chili, garlic-stuffed beef tenderloin, and my perennial favorite (North Carolina-raised pork lover here!), pork tenderloin. I haven't had such a meat-centric meal since our recent Tom Colicchio-hosted wine dinner at Craft, and I've gotta tell you... I'm feeling the Love. Bonus points for a great wine list and a really knowledgeable waitstaff. My two quibbles? The nearly-perfect red chile chocolate cake could've used a touch more chile, and the coffee could've used a major upgrade. Chile and coffee fiend over here, just sayin'! Sidenote for locals: Lonesome Dove was just added to Restaurant Week!

Blogging Connections

The divine ABCD's post this morning reminded me of something we were saying just the other day - the two of us feel like we've been friends for ages, but in fact have never met in real life! The next time I'm in New York, giving Amy a real life hug is at the top of my list. Because you know, as much as folks scoff about couples who meet online or are fearful of internet stalkers or the like, for some of us, the online world is a fantastic place to create lasting connections based on shared interests. I'm reminded of this every Thursday, when I meet up with three fab friends I met through blogging at a local half-price champagne night. Every week, we gab about life, love, and sure, maybe a bit of blogging gossip, too. But Champagne Thursdays aren't about blogging; they're about friendships. However I initially meet folks that I hold near and dear doesn't concern me. What we do with that connection is what matters, and for me, blogging has been a huge part of friendships that are as real as they come. So this is me crushin' on you, blog world!

Senator Al Franken

The fact that a true progressive once again holds the Senate seat of one of my political heroes, the late Paul Wellstone, is truly heartwarming. But as Senator Al Franken said himself, "This seat belongs to the people of Minnesota, and so did Senator Wellstone, and so will I." As anyone who ever listened to his old Air America radio show already knows, Franken is much more than the bespectacled Stuart Smiley that he played once upon a time on Saturday Night Live. Franken is voraciously smart and hard-working, and is as much a stickler for policy details as any full-time wonk. This part-time wonk is thrilled to see Minnesota (a really fascinating state politically) finally achieve the representation it deserves, and for the legacy of Paul Wellstone to be a little more fulfilled than it was before. Onward, Al!