mmm-yoso. A blog about food. Mostly, written by a Kirk and occasionally some friends. Today, an occasional day and Cathy is blogging.
Hello, Cathy again. So…..My dear friend, Ms. T., has been able to acquire invitations to the two annual "Events" that Nordstrom Stores hold for "special" customers..
one in the Spring, just before Mother’s Day and one in the Winter, just after Thanksgiving but before Hanukkah and Christmas.(For those who don’t know, Nordstrom is a more upscale store selling mostly clothing and accessories for men, women and children.)
These events happen at 7:30 in the evening and a particular store is closed down, candles are lit, alcoholic beverages are brought out, caterers brought in and the Store Employees greet you by applauding down either side of the main aisle when you walk in… and there are small gifts with purchase, double points given when you use the Nordstrom Credit Card to pay for your purchases and a few giveaways here and there that ‘regular’ shoppers may not get to take advantage of. (OK, lets get real here: you get invited because you have indeed charged more than X dollars at Nordstrom throughout the year and they reward you this way-just before some major holidays, when you are likely to be spending money anyhow…).
Yep, I bypassed the beer and wine and went straight for a Cosmopolitan. Let’s just say the vodka hit me as I was paying for my first (and actually only) purchase of the night. A strong mixed drink. I could feel a blush on my cheeks and up to my ears…A nice touch is the stem removed from the maraschino cherry-less for others to have to clean up. {Note: I was very sober before I left to drive home}
Pasta with peas in a vodka marinara sauce. (Let’s keep that vodka theme going, people!) served in red Chinese take out boxes. A very nice flavored sauce, more just tomatoes, which I like. The peas were still firm and tasty. 
Baby new potatoes, stuffed with an artichoke filling. Even though small, these packed some great flavors; I could taste the potato and then the saltiness of the artichoke puree. Interesting and in the small bite, just the right amounts of each. I am unsure if I could do this with ‘regular’ sized new potatoes.
Basil chicken salad in a pocket. Not a pesto sauce, but basil and a touch of mayonnaise and pecans and quite a bit of white meat chicken. Wrapped in a wonton skin and tied with a piece of chive. This was a three bite appetizer; a good size. 
Corn and black beans in a lime chipotle dressing which Nordstrom sells and offers in their Cafe. Topped with a piece of avocado and a corn chip. The idea was to sell the dressing. This was quite refreshing. 
Small mixed green salad, topped with the Nordstrom Brand champagne vinaigrette. Very nice.
A Prosciutto wrapped fresh fig, stuffed with goat cheese that had a bit of chive in it. Wow. The sugar from the fresh fig, and saltiness of the Prosciutto and cheese…perfect combination. Perfect. If I can buy a lot of the proper sized and aged figs, I will do this at home.
There, of course, is a coffee bar…but you know, a Nordstrom in store-for-special-clients coffee bar…self serve.
The only "sweet" I got- hot apple cider. They also had some very thin, densely cocoa flavored brownies, maybe one inch square, that I didn’t care to try. Ms. T said it was good, though.
and, so, we left…Christmas gifts in tow…a very nice experience with some fun treats and ideas to try for at home.