7th Anniversary
I got home from a rather lousy day of work to find Himself waiting with shortbread, roses, and daffodils. My mood improved immediately. He divided up the roses and daffodils and put them in vases around the house, where they made me happy for several days.
He whisked me away to The Independent for their excellent happy hour (did I mention it had been a lousy day?), and then we went to Campiello's for dinner. There, my taste buds asserted dominance over me, and I became a hopeless slave to the delicious food.
I never would have thought to combine these ingredients, but the flavor balance was perfect, tart and savory and sweet. I don't even like onions, and I still thought it was delicious. I'm pondering extreme measures to get the recipe.
My eyes rolled back into my head in ecstasy when I tasted this, and it was sheer luck (my willpower was gone) that I didn't start making pleasure noises more commonly found in X-rated films. Also, my mouth was full of juicy pork tenderloin. Most food, the first bite tastes good, but by the time I'm full, the taste is no longer appealing. This, my first and last bites of the tenderloin were mouth-wateringly sublime, as were all the bites in between. The orzo was merely extremely good by the last bite. I couldn't even finish it all, though I truly tried.
Campiello's
On a weekday night, the restaurant was deserted except for a few middle-aged couples. It deserves more attention. The food was an ode to the fine art of balanced flavors and perfectly executed dishes (see above). Our server was eloquent, informed, attentive without being obnoxious, skilled in the nuances of her profession, and in all ways worthy. Price-wise, this is an expensive restaurant, but it's worth every penny. The vegetarian/vegan options are scanty, as is the case in most omnivore restaurants without a long menu, but I'm sure they're tasty (the eggplant parmigiana was). Sticking to water and skipping desert would make it a reasonable dinner for two if they felt in the mood for something nice. And if you can't afford the finer selections on the wine list, sticking to water is probably a better option; the less-expensive vintage we tried was a disappointment. Compared to the rest of the menu, the desert options are few. The postprandial beverages on offer, alcoholic and not, have a wide selection and are as skillfully made as the food. I can't recall the last time I was served a coffee beverage with a straw and it was that perfect as-hot-as-it-can-be-but-still-drinkable-through-a-straw temperature.
Note: They have monthly specials that focus on a particular region of Italy--April's includes suckling pig. We could not bring ourselves to order it, but (being omnivores) found its presence on the menu noteworthy.
All in all, it was a marvelous anniversary!
He whisked me away to The Independent for their excellent happy hour (did I mention it had been a lousy day?), and then we went to Campiello's for dinner. There, my taste buds asserted dominance over me, and I became a hopeless slave to the delicious food.
I never would have thought to combine these ingredients, but the flavor balance was perfect, tart and savory and sweet. I don't even like onions, and I still thought it was delicious. I'm pondering extreme measures to get the recipe.
My eyes rolled back into my head in ecstasy when I tasted this, and it was sheer luck (my willpower was gone) that I didn't start making pleasure noises more commonly found in X-rated films. Also, my mouth was full of juicy pork tenderloin. Most food, the first bite tastes good, but by the time I'm full, the taste is no longer appealing. This, my first and last bites of the tenderloin were mouth-wateringly sublime, as were all the bites in between. The orzo was merely extremely good by the last bite. I couldn't even finish it all, though I truly tried.
Campiello's
On a weekday night, the restaurant was deserted except for a few middle-aged couples. It deserves more attention. The food was an ode to the fine art of balanced flavors and perfectly executed dishes (see above). Our server was eloquent, informed, attentive without being obnoxious, skilled in the nuances of her profession, and in all ways worthy. Price-wise, this is an expensive restaurant, but it's worth every penny. The vegetarian/vegan options are scanty, as is the case in most omnivore restaurants without a long menu, but I'm sure they're tasty (the eggplant parmigiana was). Sticking to water and skipping desert would make it a reasonable dinner for two if they felt in the mood for something nice. And if you can't afford the finer selections on the wine list, sticking to water is probably a better option; the less-expensive vintage we tried was a disappointment. Compared to the rest of the menu, the desert options are few. The postprandial beverages on offer, alcoholic and not, have a wide selection and are as skillfully made as the food. I can't recall the last time I was served a coffee beverage with a straw and it was that perfect as-hot-as-it-can-be-but-still-drinkable-through-a-straw temperature.
Note: They have monthly specials that focus on a particular region of Italy--April's includes suckling pig. We could not bring ourselves to order it, but (being omnivores) found its presence on the menu noteworthy.
All in all, it was a marvelous anniversary!