It was my Bride’s birthday, a day for celebration and after reading about how I stretch the celebration out, she is very low key.  She would have been happy with making a dinner at home, even for her birthday.  I had a couple of ideas where she would want to celebrate, but as I have mentioned often, she is a creature of habit and once she has decided that she likes a location, it is like pulling teeth to get her to try somewhere new.  She is also the Royal Exchequer and she has decided on a new project that will not only be expensive, but it will be hours of manual labor, but that is for a future story, if I survive to tell you about it. 

We were going up north, at least in feeling, as we were going to see the Kodiak bear, no we weren’t going to the Detroit Zoo, but only a couple of miles away to Rocky’s.  As I have also mentioned, that we started going to Rocky’s before it was Rocky’s and it was Northville Charley’s and it had the feel of a hunting lodge up in Traverse City or other points in the northern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Rocky was the chef there and he eventually took over the establishment and we have been frequenting Rocky’s ever since, and we even supported him during the longest fifteen days of lockdown that destroyed many restaurants in the state, but Rocky’s survived.  My Bride went true to form and had the Black Bean Soup for starters and then she had the Potato Encrusted Whitefish with Pilaf and Fresh Vegetables.  I veered a little bit and had the Crock of Onion Soup and had the Tenderloin Tips in a Wine Reduction Sauce with Smashed Red Skin Potatoes.  And to celebrate the annual event, she went with the Detroit classic dessert, a Sander’s Hot Fudge Cream Puff with Vanilla Ice Cream and two spoons. 

My Bride wanted something bubbly and festive and we looked at the carte and finally found a wine that we had not had before.  I mean how many times should I write about the same wine?   Well, we found a bottle of wine that was very affordable even in a restaurant.  We had Les Allies Sparkling Brut Rosé France NV and that which is on the label is all that can be ascertained from this enigma of a bottle of wine.  It is from France.  Grapes are not listed, and I can readily state that this sparkling wine has been produced by the bulk Charmat method.  It was a pretty pink/coral color with surprisingly consistent rather small bubbles.  A nice nose of strawberries and raspberries, which continued on the palate, with a short finish of fruit.  For a very affordable bottle of sparkling wine, it was quite agreeable, and I have to say that I have had worst sparkling wines over the years, and I would have this wine again.