Dinner with New Friends

While we were enjoying drinks at the Couloir Bar, we met Hank and Kathy. Chris and I we were getting ready to order "round number two"; Chris had already decided on another new IPA and I was debating (as always) about which new wine to try. Luckily, before I could decide, Hank turned around from the table in front of us and offered to share their bottle of wine!

We talked with Hank and Kathy for the rest of the afternoon. Hank has lived in Jackson since 1988 and Kathy has lived there for three years. We exchanged stories about climbing, biking, hiking, Jackson, etc, and had a great time. Chris and I left and took the gondola down. We realized we left without giving them our contact info (because they said Seattle was on their list of places to visit). So we waited for them, gave them our contact info and then they invited us over to Hank's home for dinner.

We arrived at 7pm and to a wonderful dinner prepared by Travis, his cook. Before dinner we headed over to the two made made trout ponds and fed them. Each pond is stocked with 150 trout each year because many get eaten by Osprey (we actually saw the Osprey circling the pond two times during dinner looking for it's next victim.)

Tonight was bean bowl night! This was the most perfect "Michelle meal" if I had planned it myself! The meal was basically a bean burrito, minus the burrito. It worked like this: Get a big bowl, layer in fresh romaine lettuce, freshly cooked brown rice, perfectly prepared azuki beans, and then layer on top any of the following: red onions, corn (freshly grilled and then cut from the cob), tomatoes, salsa, radishes, avocado, sour cream and then crush corn chips crushed on top of your masterpiece or put them in a bowl on the side. All this was topped off with freshly made hot corn muffins!!!!

Besides the wonderful food, we enjoyed dinner outside on the patio with Hank, Kathy, Nicole (Travis' wife) and Carl. We shared more stories and great conversation.

Dessert was fresh pomegranates with goat milk yogart. Some of us had two desserts! The second dessert was ice cream with chocolate sauce from Maine (I think). Then we had we had a wonderful Port (can't recall the name) while sitting around the heat lamp and gazing at the stars.

We headed home around 10pm after a partial tour of his house. Every room in the house (that we saw) had an amazing view of the Grand Tetons! Unbelievable!

All in all, a great dinner with our new friends.