Wednesday evening began with the ever-gracious hospitality from our friends (feels like family) at Urban Deli. One of the greatest restaurant concepts to hit Saint John. For me, Urban Deli has become our neighbourhood Cheers. It is the place you go to when you want to feel at home, be called by name, and treated as if you just walked into the kitchen of an old friend.

Liz, Gord and Dave showed us the best in Maritime charm and mouth-watering bites including a fresh pear and blue cheese salad with a secret dressing of undisclosed ingredients that we could not shake out of co-owner and mastermind Liz Rowe. In combination with delicious appetizers, perfectly cooked, seasoned ribs and delictable desserts, we certainly were very well fed and very well looked after. Please don't miss Craig Allen's take on our evening with his wonderful video.

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying Tchaikovsky 5th Symhony (with soloist Jasper Wood), the last of Symphony NB's 2010/2011 series. What a finale it was! The room was filled with energy as Principal Conductor Michael Newnham led the way with his unsurmounted talent and musical stamina.

The show opened with one of my favorite movements to date: New Brunswick's own Miramichi Ballad by Kelsey Jones. I particularly enjoyed the emotion conveyed in Peter Emberley...(I hoped to find a sample to share with you here, but it appears to not exist online, another reason why you have to get out to the symphony for yourselves).

I found myself gripping my seat as if on a rollercoaster or when watching a suspense movie as I watched and listened to Jasper Wood produce sounds that I never knew a violin could conjure. 

I had the priviledge of speaking with Michael Newnham himself along with a few of the players following the performance. I have come to learn that our very own Imperial Theatre is among the best to play in given sound quality, luxuriousness and grandeur. Not to mention it is among the best venues for hosting social networking before and after the show. We are certainly lucky to have access to this spectacular piece of archecture.