In the 3+ years that we have been together, there have only been a handful of times we have actually taken time out for ourselves and had a real "date", even though we cook "date"-like food on a daily basis, and frequently have wine with our meals. There's just something different about "going out" on a real "date". We take the time to look a bit nicer, speak to each other in a more loving way, and look at each other in a different light (as cheese-ball-y as it sounds).
Last Thursday we went on a "date" to Eataly in Manhattan. Eataly is an Italian marketplace with open restaurants inside. You can buy anything from produce, meats, and freshly-baked breads to cooking utensils, olive oils, and freshly-made pastas. It's a great place because there is something there for everyone. While specialty items will make your jaw drop to the floor (a 4 oz. bottle of balsamic vinegar was $300), the produce is surprisingly reasonably priced (limes for $0.20/ea), and loaves of spelt flour bread (you can watch them make them behind the counter) are just $5.
After eating a wonderful dinner of pan-crusted whole flounder with grilled apples and fried sage, and grilled shrimp with creamy polenta and grilled squash, we made our way to the gelato counter. What's a date without some
mmmm... pistachios pistachio gelato
I wish we would have taken pictures of the dinner, because it was honestly some of the best food we have had since moving here, but I didn't want to spoil the moment by breaking out my camera (sorry folks, you'll just have to trust me on this one, it was goooood ).
Mr P and I had such a great time that we have decided that we need to do this more often. We always say "we should go {here}" and "we should try {this} food" but we get caught up in projects with the apartment and foods we want to try cooking that we forget that it's been 4 months since we have had a real date!
Our wonderful date night was followed by a weekend with friends in Philly. A last minute bus-ticket-booking by my best friend in DC made this an even better weekend! Friday night was fun-filled with lots of friends and lots of rum. Well, it was fun for all of us except Mr P ;) And Saturday, the gorgeous 55-degrees-and-sunny weather prompted us to go out playing tourists all day, strolling all throughout the city and making stops at the art museum, Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Old City seeing more friends and drinking even more (I swear we aren't alcoholics, we just like to have a little fun with our fraaannns).
strolling through the park
cheeseball picture that took 3 tries
beautiful view of Philly from the top of the "Rocky"
steps at the art museum
my cake ice cream (and by cake I don't mean cake batter,
this had cooked cake with
icing
in it!! yum)
Nicole's mint choco-chip... "just as" good as ours we
Mr P's super lime-y limeade and Zack's
"Japanese Thirst Killer" (aka black cherry deliciousness)
ha... I like the 'stache
my pork and pineapple tacos
Mr P's beef tacos
"Mexican" Coke (apparently when it's made in Mexico
it tastes better?? I wouldn't know, I don't drink much soda)
$6 for 3 amazing tacos and all you can eat chips and homemade red and (my fave) green salsa? Yes, please! The green salsa tasted so fresh, with a spicy kick of an aftertaste, and each taco came with a lime wedge and 2 white corn tortillas, filled with nothing but seasoned meat, onions, and fresh cilantro. As simple as it was, the tacos needed nothing more to fulfill my Mexican-food-starved palate.
Mr P and I crashed last night after such an eventful weekend (plus a 4-hour drive home that was supposed to take just less than 2 hours... thank goodness for car chargers, a car with an auxilliary outlet for endless good Pandora music, and a smart phone with Skype so I could video chat with my mom for the 2 hours I was driving in stop-and-go traffic while Mr P slept in the passenger seat).
Round 2 of 3 starts next weekend in CHI-TOWN!! This time we'll get to stay with Mr P's brother who lives in Lakeview!!
Cheers for having family and friends in fun places :D
Toodles.
J&H
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