Mortons for $9, Plus Wine

We're currently in Fort Lauderdale, putting the boat away for the summer and running around town getting things done. We're also in celebratory mode, having finished this year's cruise (Keys and Cays 2008/2009). We happened to drive by Mortons Steak House and thought, 'Oooohhhh, wouldn't that be nice?!'

Mortons is well known for having very nice steak and seafood. They also have yummy tomatoes with blue cheese. And, of course, an excellent selection of wines.

When we were in consultancy-work mode and before we moved into this lifestyle, we would have made the reservation and thought little of the rather large price tag associated with what is a very nice meal, we would have been 'treating ourselves'. But we're no longer interested in paying $200 for just one meal. Eating out is expensive. However, we did really have a craving for Mortons style meal!

One of the great things about living this lifestyle is the surroundings are often gorgeous and that's what we have now with where the boat is. Nestled right on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale, a stone's throw from the Performing Arts Center. We can sit in our cockpit and watch the yachts cruise by and the lights of the city come on. Sounds like the view from a really nice steak and seafood house, doesn't it?

I have noticed with a lot of the restaurant food that we tend to order that it is really easy to make (this does not apply to Chinese food, however, we're still working on that). At Mortons or at similar steak / seafood houses, we would have a big hunk of grilled beef or fish, a lettuce wedge or the lovely tomatoes with blue cheese, and a bottle of nice wine. Well, wait a minute, there's a really nice thick snapper fillet from the fish that Steve caught (bet it's fresher than you'll get at many an expensive restaurant) and we found some bright red tomatoes along with some blue cheese at Publix. After a bit of a hunt in our provisions, we found a nice bottle of wine. Sounds pretty much like what we would have ordered at Mortons, doesn't it? A little blackened seasoning, some homemade blue cheese dressing, a bit of time watching the world go by on the back of the boat while barbequeing and voila! One 'Mortons cockpit dinner' for two!

I tend to spend a bit of time on this cooking thing, but if I can have an equivalent or better meal to Mortons for $9 (plus wine), that means I can have 20 'Mortons' dinners. The key words in that sentence - 'equivalent or better meal' for 1/20th the price. Now not all restaurant meals are Morton's priced, but $100 for dinner for two isn't that unusual and $50 certainly isn't, so the numbers may be 1/10th or 1/5th - still a significant savings. And not everyone has snapper fillets lying around, but you can always find a great hunk of meat or fish on sale if you watch for it. The point is still the same, expensive restaurant quality at a radically lower price. It's a way of making this lifestyle even more enjoyable and sustainable. You can 'treat' yourself without it blowing a hole in your ready cash.

Overall, it's a simple way to increase the pace of getting to one's ideal lifestyle, to really enjoy the journey while you're on your way and ensure that once you get there, you can stay!