Quiet Celebration

Pork tenderloin roasted on skewers

We used to celebrate our anniversaries--especially those marked with a zero--more elaborately, but not this time. Most of the items on the couples bucket list have either been checked off or found to be not that important, and what we really want, the health and happiness for friends and family, cannot be easily purchased. So no trips or gifts that will be locked away in a jewelry box, just a quiet evening consisting of flowers, candy, and dinner in a nice restaurant.

Espetus Churrascaria is a Brazilian steakhouse that we've walked past on the way to other restaurants in San Mateo. It was time to use the Christmas gift card that we had received from my brother. It turned out that "steakhouse" is not quite an accurate description.

A few items from the salad bar

A dozen different meats, seasoned and roasted on long skewers, are sliced to order by waiters who go from table to table. Included in the prix fixe dinner ($58) are a salad bar and unlimited servings of the meat dishes. They were all delicious, and our favorites were sirloin in red wine and some of the less-expensive cuts like pork and chicken.

I wish I had brought a bigger appetite, but like many other activities I can't do it like I used to.