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I don’t mean to brag, but I’m marrying the most amazing man on earth. So I guess I do mean to brag.

Last week, while paging through my planner, I noticed a hand-written note that said, “Dinner with your sexy man?” on Wednesday the 25th. It was a note from Jake, and I circled this suggestion and said, “Yes! Dinner with my sexy man it shall be!” He wouldn’t tell me where we were going, but he did tell me he was getting his best suit dry-cleaned—which meant I had to come up with a stunning ensemble to not look like a goat next to my soon-to-be-husband.

Wednesday at 4:30 PM, we got on the road and started driving north. Jake wore his fancy black suit with a brand new green dress shirt. (Verrrrry handsome.) I wore a purple, satin dress that once belonged to my Aunt Susie—a dress Jake had never seen before—and I felt pretty dang good standing beside him. So we drove north. And north. And north, until we finally got off the 17 at the Thunderbird exit. Now, I was completely lost. I’d never been vaguely close to that area before. Where on earth was he taking me?

Jake turned the car into the entrance for the Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Up and up a mountain we drove, until we finally reached the top and the restaurant, Different Point of View. A different point of view it certainly was! The bar was on the third floor of the characteristically red and orange building—very Southwestern—and it overlooked the entirety of the Valley of the Sun. We could see the skyscrapers of downtown Phoenix, the white mansions of Scottsdale, and even the edges of Camelback Mountain. Jake ordered a mojito; I had an “Appletini.” Then, we headed to the fourth-floor dining room.

The view from the patio, Different Point of View.

Well, when we first sat down, a lovely young lady brought us what appeared to be fancy tater tots—compliments of the chef—covered in crème fraise and chive. Who knew tater tots could be so good? We then ordered an appetizer: the Pan Seared Diver Scallops. I can never resist scallops, plus these were covered in a caramelized butternut reduction. For our entrées (not an easy choice with all the amazing menu items), I went with the Ancho Seared Palo Verde Pork Tenderloin, served with Pumpkin Honey Corn Cake, Charred Shallots, Pepita Pesto, and a Dried Bing Cherry and Tarragon Reduction. It was practically too beautiful to eat … but I ate it, and once I ate it, I realized it was practically too rich to finish!

The pork tenderloin. MMMmmmm...