Three Chimneys Inn

Michael and I went to the Three Chimneys Inn in Durham last night. We wanted a special place to go for a lazy length dinner to celebrate. It is our 7th anniversary of meeting each other today, and then Monday will be the first anniversary of our engagement.

We've been to Three Chimneys Inn a handful of times now. Built in 1649 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Three Chimneys Inn is one of the oldest homes in the State. So the Coppers Dining Room feels very historic and there's a restored cooking fireplace in the corner too.

Michael had the New England Clam Chowder and we shared an order of Crispy Fried Calamari with pepperoncini, lemon, lime, red pepper and roasted garlic. There's plenty of the calamari left over. We each had a spinach salad tossed in a pineapple vinaigrette, with roasted pineapple and almonds. Just perfect for the lady who has been craving pineapple! For dinner, Michael had jerk marinated chicken skewers with sweet potato chips. The jerk seasoning was warm, but the mango salsa helped to cool it down. I had a grilled Delmonico steak served with fresh green beans and a warm mixed potato salad. And for desert, we shared a piece of bourbon pecan pie with vanilla ice cream and fresh cream. The texture of the pecan pie was wonderful.

Thank you, Debbie, for our gift certificate!

The ride out and back to Durham afforded us the opportunity to see some of the tornado damage. It was quite the reminder of how powerful Mother Nature is. And on route 4, the section of the road that had been closed, the news photos just didn't do the damage any justice. There is a narrow strip of destruction that cuts along the edge of the lake across the road and into the woods, but the density of the houses there on the lake's edge meant that many houses were destroyed. Some are flattened, some are half standing with the other half of the house missing. A business just across the road from the damage seems unscathed, but then there is tree damage beginning again in behind the building.