nursing pays off.

Early this summer Luke injured himself playing soccer. Poor guy. Following surgery for a torn ACL and torn meniscus he became a permanent resident on my couch. As a result I honed in on my nursing skills and quickly got into a routine of care for the man with one good leg. I now have special skills in adjusting cushions and pillows. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to stack cushions for the right amount of leg elevation.

When you only have one good leg and rely on crutches it's hard to do much more than relax on the couch. You can't do laundry or cook very easily. So I took over these tasks for Luke and he was a very appreciative patient. Somewhere during Luke's recovery we discovered that I'm a pretty good nurse and as a result, I deserve some sort of pay back. ah-ha! I knew just the thing. My plan was that once Luke was back to his regular self we'd go out for a fancy dinner and he would pick up the tab. Seems like a great plan, right? I thought so, and I was right.

Last night we went to Tilia. This is a small restaurant in Linden Hills and it's wonderful. Fabulous. Amazing. SO good!! I had only read great reviews about this place so I had added it to my "restaurants to try" list. I continue to thank myself for this list because it really helps me find new places to eat. When we arrived at Tilia it was just after 6 pm and the place was already packed with a dinner crowd. We put our names on the list and were told it would be an hour wait. My some magic our table was ready in less than a half hour. Lovely.

Here's what we had: meatballs (plus wine for me and beer for Luke). Then we tried the scallops and chicken thighs. We ended the meal with the squash pasta dish (and more wine and beer). It was all incredible. Plus, the dishes came to our table slowly so we could enjoy each item and take time to chat. I really like that format of dining out because then you don't feel rushed.

Can you tell that I highly recommend this place? Go there now. Thank me later.