Going to plays and musicals used to be one of my favorite things to do with my family. My grandparents lived in LA, and whenever I would visit we would try to attend at least one or two shows. Some of my favorites growing up were the Lion King, Wicked and Annie. I haven't been in way too long though, so it came as an amazing surprise when my mom got us tickets for Book of Mormon for my birthday! That was this October, and I was so excited waiting for the night of the show to come January 23rd!

We decided to make a night of it and go to dinner first in Downtown Portland. After a lot of deliberation we chose to go to the Heathman Hotel. My mom had never been, and I had only been for tea (read more here). Our other choice was the Veritable Quandry, which we found out is sadly closing its doors this summer! It is definitely on my list to visit VQ again before it shuts down- if you haven't been it is delicious!

The Heathman is amazing though, and it is the perfect dinner spot before seeing a play. It is right next to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, so they even have a special theatre menu. My mom and I started the meal by sharing the roasted beet salad, which perfectly highlighted the beets and granny smith apples with a tasty vinaigrette. For the main course I had the carrot risotto, which was honestly one of the most delicious risottos I have ever had. The flavor had so much depth and the pieces of carrot were soft yet still had a good bite. My mom had the cedar planked steelhead and had nothing but good things to say about it. For dessert we shared the creme brûlée which was amazing!

Once are stomachs were full it was finally time for the show! I don't want to give too much away, but it was absolutely amazing. The storyline was smart and well-developed, but best of all the entire show was hilarious! I don't think that either of us stopped laughing the entire time. The jokes were the perfect mix of innocent and crude, and the songs were performed with incredible spirit and passion. I highly recommend the play to anyone and everyone- I am already planning on going with David when it comes into town next!