Dinner at aBar: A Cozy Evening with My Favorite Date

Last night I took my favorite little date — my son — to aBar at the Alyeska Hotel, and it ended up being exactly the kind of evening I needed.

There’s something about Alyeska in the evenings: the soft lighting, the hum of people settling into dinner, the mountains outside feeling close and protective. It always feels like a small escape, even when we’re not far from home.

I ordered a Caesar salad and an Aperol spritz — simple, clean, perfect. He ordered a Shirley Temple (with extra cherries, obviously) and mac and cheese, which he declared “the best ever,” the way kids do when they’re happy and fully in the moment.

We shared sticky toffee pudding for dessert, warm and sweet and a little messy, the kind of dessert you can only eat slowly. He was grinning the whole time. Those are the moments that stop time a little — when you’re sitting across from your child and seeing them grow, laugh, enjoy, and just be.

It wasn’t a fancy date or a long one. Just dinner, good food, soft conversation, and the feeling of being exactly where I wanted to be.

Alyeska always does that for me — creates space for connection, even in the simplest evenings.

Sometimes the best dates are the ones with the people who know you the most.