Twenty years, ten thousand meals, and counting

20 years? That's what I keep asking myself. It's hard to believe that John and I have been married for 20 years. They say opposites attract and for the most part that's true with us. However, there is one thing we both have in common - we love to eat. According to my calculations, we've shared more than 10,000 meals together through the years. We have done some good eating.

To celebrate our milestone, we ventured north to The Parker House. It's located in the "Old Towne" part of Ridgeland in an English cottage style house.

It had been a long, long time since we had been there. And to be quite honest, I thought to myself after we got there that it'd probably be a long time before I came back. That was until the food started coming and I quickly changed my mind.

We called ahead and reserved one of their four private dining booths since it was a special occasion. The booths are quite cozy and are outfitted with curtains that can be closed for complete privacy. At first, John didn't want to close them, which made me flash back to our honeymoon. We left the church in a limo and he didn't want to raise the privacy window for fear that the driver's feelings would be hurt. "You have got to be kidding me," I thought. Twenty years later and here we go again. So, when our dinner arrived, I took it upon myself to close the curtains and he was glad I did. Oh yeah, after about 10 minutes, the driver finally raised the window.

A welcomed addition to our private dining area was the painting above the table. I was elated to see longtime friend Sarah McTaggart's name at the bottom. She is a fantastic artist.

Sarah McTaggart's painting

We started off with an appetizer of Grit Fries. Grits were formed into cakes, battered, and deep fried. They were then drizzled with honey chipotle aioli, balsamic glaze, and garnished with pickled onions. The spiciness of the aioli and the coolness of the onions complemented each other very well. Crab Mac 'n Cheese and Pimento Cheese Fritters were among other choices for starters.

Grit Fries

For our entrees, I had the Redfish Parker House. Redfish, encrusted with Parmesan and herbs, was topped with jumbo lump crabmeat and a lemon beurre blanc, and served with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans.

Redfish Parker House

John ordered the filet, which was served with a side of the garlic mashed potatoes. We always share bites of each other's entrees. One bite of his steak made me wish I had ordered it instead. The tenderness and flavor rivaled that of Shapley's, which we consider tops for steaks in Mississippi. You could almost cut it with a fork it was so tender. Normally one shared bite is enough for me, but this warranted a second bite.

Filet

Entrees range in price from $12-40 and include other selections like Shrimp and Grits, and Bacon Wrapped Salmon. They also offer a prix fixe menu for $39.95, which includes a selection of an appetizer, entree, and dessert.

To satisfy my sweet tooth, I chose Peanut Butter Cheesecake for dessert. Normally, we share a dessert, but since it was a special occasion we each got our own. John went for his traditional brownie with ice cream, which was anything but the traditional version. It was topped with fudge, caramel, and candied pecans. The cheesecake wasn't what I was expecting, either. A graham cracker crust was covered with a thin layer of chocolate before it was topped with a thick layer of mousse-like, peanutty goodness. But that's not all - it was garnished with fudge and caramel sauces, and morsels of peanut brittle. My cheeks quiver just thinking about it. It was a truly sweet ending to a perfect meal.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Brownie with Ice Cream

They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I'm almost positive that's how I hooked him. I can't wait to see what we eat for the next 10,000 meals.