As things are slowly starting to reopen, my hubby and I are enjoying going out on the town more often! Last night, we had a super fun weeknight date that I wanted to cover. As I have discussed before, we love the finer things in life, but don't like paying the high price. We are always looking for fun ways to get those nice things at a better price.
Last night, we were really excited to join some friends out on the town for a fun Thursday night date...we did have a goal though...keep our budget under $100 for drinks and dinner :D
Our first stop was at Infinity Beverages in Eau Claire, WI. We have loved this spot ever since we were dating. We hadn't been there in over a year, so we were really excited to go for happy hour. We have always loved the delicious in house made beverages and fun spot to relax in; however, we forgot that Infinity also has an AWESOME FREE loyalty program! We joined this years ago but it's literally so easy they don't require anything of you to be part, no emails etc. We forgot we were members until the very kind waitress asked if she could look up our account because on Thursday nights, they offer BOGO (buy one get one free) cocktails and drinks! WHAT?! She looked us up and we did indeed have an account! We walked out of this beautiful place spending a mere $18 for FOUR delicious drinks! What a dang steal.
During our fun visit, we enjoyed two different types of white wine, a tropical sangria, and a classic old-fashioned. Click here to explore their website and learn all about their amazing loyalty club!
After a couple hours of great conversation, drinks, and relaxation at Infinity, we were off (just Chuck and I at this point) to another favorite Eau Claire restaurant, Johnny's Steakhouse! They just reopened their dining room again and we were so excited! We went to this special steakhouse on our third date, and we have always loved the food and the wonderful atmosphere.
As we walked in the door (this restaurant is attached to a hotel), I was pleased to see all staff wearing masks. There was a hand sanitizer station by the hostess desk and she politely seated us in the beautiful bar area.
We sat in a circular booth and looked at the paper, limited menus being provided during quarantine. Even though the menu is limited at this time, there are still lots of choices available.
I knew I wanted an appetizer and a salad, and my go to red wine, Malbec.
I went with the calamari appetizer and the crusted goat cheese salad. You cannot miss this! It is TOO wonderful for words.
My husband was more hungry and went with a small steak and garlic mashed potatoes. BUT, before the meal, they bring you the most WONDERFUL bread. First, you get a Midwest classic, the popover.
They also bring ANOTHER basket of homemade bread with dipping oil. I could fill up on bread alone!
Calamari is served with a delightful dill dipping sauce. Kind of like ranch, but more tang.
Here is my salad!!! SO SO good! I loved every bite. It features apples, carrots, crunchy large croutons, goat cheese, and a tangy vinaigrette dressing.
I forgot to get a pic of my hubby's plate, but they always have amazing steak there. You can't go wrong. SO..did we stick to our budget?! YES! We managed to get all those amazing beverages AND a delicious supper for the GRAND TOTAL of $85!!!! Thursday night date for the WIN!
I would highly recommend both of these places for a lovely night out.