The day was rainy and cold. We were not able to get into the Statue of Liberty (we did not know that you had to pre-purchase tickets to get into the statue itself) so we ended up walking around the grounds in the rain. When we got back to Battery Park, we hailed a cab in the rain, but the foreign driver did not know how to get to our lunch spot so he took us around the city to the east side and then had to backtrack. I had to call the restaurant to move our reservation and was able to confirm that Top Chef Zac Young was working that day. I had brought the ring with me and it had safely snuggled in my camera case all morning.
So when we finally got to David Burke’s Kitchen, our server brought us champagne to celebrate. She looked at Stacy’s ring finger and I said “We are celebrating her first time in N.Y.!” I excused myself to go to the bathroom and was able to pull the ring from my camera case and put it in my pocket. I walked up to the hostess stand and Sarah, our server, apologized and hoped she did not ruin the surprise (since I had listed on our reservation that we were celebrating an engagement, and I did not know if I was going to be able to have my plan go off the way I wanted). I said she did wonderful, and then asked if they could help me by having Zac, who was the executive pastry chef for David Burke, create a desert with the ring. They said they would do their best.
Stacy was still a bit heated, but calming down with the goodness of the food. We ordered from the three course lunch option. I enjoyed my beef heart tacos while Stacy enjoyed her Chicken Thigh Pot Pie. We had chosen our appetizer and entrée, but had yet to choose the deserts. So when they cleared the plates Stacy was wondering what to have for desert. I said it should be fun and interesting. Several minutes went by and then Sarah came out from the kitchen with a glass domed dish, with Zac trailing behind her. She gently placed down the dish and lifted the glass. The ring box had a light on it, so the ring was lit in the center of the plate surrounded by two pieces of chocolate hazelnut bar, raspberries and green disco dusted blueberries. They immediately turned around and walked back to the kitchen so we did not get a chance to say much to them.
Stacy stared at the desert in shock. My surprise plan had worked masterfully. I looked at this good desert and asked her if she liked it. She said that she no idea this was coming. She then told me to put the ring on her finger, which I did and it fit wonderfully. We then kissed and had a bit of the desert. She was able to catch the diamonds in the light and make playful vibrant displays across the plate. A few minutes later Zac and Sarah walked out with two more deserts and we were able to talk with Zac, which was fun. The first installment of my Top Chef themed engagement had been a success! A great meal with a great ring and great love.
That night we went to Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin where we would get a great memorable photo (our first official photo as an engaged couple). Of course, that night we got back to the hotel room I realized that I had not officially asked Stacy if she would say “Yes”. She just looked at me and said “I’m all in.”
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