Catawba, Part 4

The Vineyard Room is the bedroom upstairs with a celadon theme. From the window, you can see Catawba Road and the little yellow pickets that mark the entrance to Sunnyside Tower. Everywhere within Sunnyside, you find original wood and charming spaces that speak of a bygone era. The Vineyard room is no exception. The original flooring is there. The planks are not uniform in width. There's old chimney brick in one corner of the room, old wine cork in another. 

The floorboards creek gently on the way to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, one notices details that give Sunnyside rooms their character: antique drawers as trays, a wooden ladder for shelving, nautical curios, collectibles, vintage tins. The home has style. It has history. A President once stayed in the Hayes room down the hall. I mused about this as I toweled-off. Maybe later, if time allowed, I'd get a chance to look around more, maybe smoke a cigar. 

I continued getting ready because tonight we were headed to an upscale restaurant just down the street: The Orchard. 

When we got there, my wife and I met one of the owners who greeted us warmly and sat us at a nearby table. The interior had the modern, hipster feel of many new establishments--pallet wood, low lighting, simple tables and chairs. There was a large outdoor area with a fire pit and seating that looked inviting. One can imagine a perfect summer night taking place here, with killer drinks and great friends. Someone who'd expected us this evening had bought us a bottle of wine. The waitress brought it over with two glasses and a list of the day's specials. 

We ordered the surf and turf special for two which was $60. It was one steak (a filet that seemed 3" thick) and the tiniest perch filet I had ever seen. Poor little guy. There was a scoop of mashed potatoes and a few strands of asparagus. It was all served on a thick cutting-board, and it was to be shared. 

One thing that worked against us was that the wife and I prefer our steaks to different doneness. She likes well. I like medium. So we ordered it medium-well. When it came, the steak was somewhere between still-kicking and rare; only the outer 1/8" of the meat was anything resembling "cooked."  So she ate the outside, I ate the inside. The flavor of the steak was good, albeit the temp was cold. 

The perch was perfectly fried and seasoned. It had a nice crunch and a meaty bite. I didn't even use the lemon wedges. I could have eaten a lot more of the perch, but it was such a small portion. It was really only a few swallows. 

Mashed potatoes were good. Asparagus was fine. There seemed to be a heavy presence of rosemary all over the cutting-board, but everything went nicely down the hatch. 

We ordered a dessert: carrot cake. It was served à la mode, the whole thing drizzled in caramel. It was a tad dry. 

Service was good. A little slow. Maybe we finished the minimal meal so quickly as to accentuate time between courses. Or maybe not. I'd like to come back to the Orchard. Other dishes looked amazing: caprese salad, fried fish, burgers and fries. 

In a way, I was grateful not to be too satiated. Back at Sunnyside, I exchanged a form-fitting suit and Italian footwear for more relaxing jeans and a light jacket. Outside in the cooler evening, I chose one of the Adirondack chairs around the fire pit and sat down. In the morning we would have to leave Sunnyside and Pete and Julie. Until next time. And maybe next time, we'll bring the kids. 

I leaned back, dug one foot into the gravel, crossed a leg, and lit a Montecristo.