The title says it all! J and I went out for a date night
after a really long time (well the perks of being married, I say!) we spent the
whole day getting things straight in the house (read, DE cluttering, setting up
furniture, vacuuming) Basically all activities when you move in a new place and
have put on hold for quite some time ..well, till you are tired of the procrastination
itself J
after a pretty hectic day at home there is not an ounce of
energy to step in the kitchen and cook/microwave up a pack of Maggi (read: instant noodles) and when you have had such an
energy zapping day Maggi jus did not sound so appetizing (no offense Maggi, I
still love you damn much)
But yeah, I did have some energy left to put an outfit
together (give my boring jeans/slacks a break) and head out.
We had some stuff to return in good ol’ Target, so once that
was out of the way we headed out to a new Italian chain restaurant – Carrabba’s.
New I say ‘cause it was nowhere to be seen in the great New England region. Well
and that Carrabba’s was just across Target also helped in our decision to pick
a restaurant for date night.
overall I would give Carrabba’s 4 stars here – special mention
to the service (now it was a weekday night so turnaround time was exceptional,
and wait staff was extra attentive and catering to our needs)
Ambience was decent enough – very much Italian or so – old
pictures of Italian men, women and children hanging above each booth, dim
lighting and choice of both table or booth sitting (though I found the lighting
more dimmer than in olive garden). We stepped in arnd 8pm and the restaurant wasn’t
crowded much. There was a bar area and one end of the restaurant that was
pretty much crowded given that a match was playing on one of the LCDs
The server was funny chap. He suggested us great drinks that
we oh-so-loved!! There..he earned his tip-brownie-points. I got a Peach sangria
by glass and J got an iced tea that was spiked up. While waiting for food, we gorged
on on-the-house bread with garlic and herb olive oil – delish!
We started off with an app (or antipasti as the Italians put
it) – Shrimp Scampi – it was a delectable shrimp cooked to perfection in
garlicy butter sauce with some parsley for garnish – aah!! the sauce was so
divine, and smooth and silky. Love to start off with shrimps, they are so light
and don’t fill you up instantly. For main course we got a Sicilian chicken soup
and we shared and entrée – Mezzaluna – ravioli filled with tender ground
chicken, spinach and fresh ricotta cheese served in a creamy tomato sauce. Loved
the dish and the fact that the sauce was not overpowering with tomatoey (tangy)
taste or cheese.
Finished our meal with a delectable Tiramisu. I go by the
saying – ‘when in an Italian restaurant, do eat the Tiramisu’. It really speaks
bounds of how Italian they are ;) and yes the Tiramisu was light, flavoured
with coffee and topped with shaved chocolate, chocolate sauce and cocoa powder.
I just loved the fact that they skipped on the whipped cream part – it just becomes
heavy and dilutes the main dish.
Well out and out a very memorable and not-so-light on
calories meal – but hey we did our part by sharing the apps, appetizer and
desert! Now how much more can you skip on calories when in Italy….oops I mean
Italian restaurant..haha!
And, Eureka!!I think I have found my secret to mixing prints
now - printed skirts and striped tees are made for each other. Add a scarf if it’s
a lil cool, which it was that eve.
Top - Old Navy
Scarf - H&M
Belt & Skirt - NY & Company
Shoes - Audrey Brooke - DSW
I wanted to keep the two prints in center and so did not go heavy on accessories.
What are your tips for mixing prints? How do you spend your
date nights? Any favorite hang out spots or dishes? I would love to know.
Until next time, as they say in Italy – Grazie ‘n Ciao J
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| Yum Tiramisu - Carrabba's |
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