I'm taking a page out of someone else's relationship here.
I don't know if that's a good thing or if it's a rip off or what it is… but I'm really excited.
I don't know if you guys have heard of Ash‘s cookbook Date Night In or not, but I've been on a cookbook mission lately and stalking all the recommendations from my favorite bloggers.
I follow AshRod on instagram and I've been sporadically reading her blog Not Without Salt for a few years now (she's a Seattle blogger!). But when I read the concept of her cookbook I fell in love. It's so simple and so adorable and it sounds perfect. And then I read a post of hers that talked about how she and her husband would have a weekly date night out at restaurants before they had kids and I knew I wanted that. I wanted a “date night.” I'm cliche – sue me.
When I brought the idea up to Frankie I told him I wanted to set aside one night a week (as often as we can) and go out on a date to a restaurant and just spend time together. We won't go to the same place twice and we will always have a cocktail (or five). Those are the only rules!
He was all for it! He even mentioned that we should keep a list of the places that we go. I was already two steps ahead of him with a moleskin already devoted to it.
I'm obsessed with the idea mainly because we've never consistently gone on dates. We met in college, actually a few months before college started, and we've basically been “dating” since freshman year. We would rarely ever go on “dates,” mainly because we're both perfectionists and were too obsessed with school… and the fact that we had no money didn't help.
I love the idea of setting aside time to spend with each other every week. And I love the fact that we'll be going to a new place every week. It's going to be a great way to explore New York City and I figured I'd take you guys along for the ride and show you where we went, what we ate, and what we thought. Here goes nothing!
| Date: | 2/28/2015
| Time: | 7pm
| Place: | Vespa Cibobuono
| Drinks: | Campari Vespa (Campari, Gin, Aranciata St. Pellegrino, Lemon, Prosecco) [Ash] + Pinot Noir [Frankie]
| Appetizers: | Bread & Oil + Orzo Salad (zucchini, bell pepper, arugula, lemon pesto) [to share]
| Dinner: |Pappardelle Bolognese [Ash] + Pollo Milanese [Frankie]
Overall, we loved this place. The service was a little slow, but I had read some yelp reviews ahead of time and knew that had been an issue before so I didn't really mind. We both LOVED the Orzo Salad. I bought some orzo recently to try and recreate it. We couldn't decide who had the better entree and ultimately agreed it really depended on what mood you were in. If you wanted something heavier, the bolognese was out of this world (and it was recommended by our waiter) but if you were looking for something lighter and fresh the milanese was definitely the way to go.
I kept saying all night that I really wanted a spiked hot chocolate for dessert, but after doing a quick yelp search and not finding anything close I gave up. As we were walking home I noticed Two Little Red Hens and remembered that a friend from high school who reads the blog said it was to die for. So I tugged on Frankie's arm and asked if we could stop.
Never one to deny me a cupcake, he of course obliged.
We each got two mini cupcakes (which were all phenomenal): Banana & Brooklyn Blackout [Ash] + Boston Cream & Marble [Frankie]. We each ate one there and then made our way over to a cute little wine store because Frankie needed red wine.
I was so tired when we got home that I curled up on the couch and promptly fell asleep at 10pm. Frankie let me sleep for two hours while he played xbox. It was perfect.
Tell me suggestions on where to go next! Or just tell me about some really great dates you've had!