Pumpkin Patch 2015

Angelini Osteria

About a week ago I was watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate on the Food Network and Giada De Laurentiis featured one of her favorites, Lasagna Verde from a small little restaurant in West Hollywood named Angelini Osteria. When I saw this lasagna I immediately thought of my hubby and his love of Italian food and thought it would be fun to take him there on a surprise date! I made reservations (which I highly recommend) and when we arrived last night we were more than pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere was amazing the staff was inviting, the wine list incredible and the food was delectable. We both had their Endive, Pear and Gorgonzola Salad, the hubby had the Trofie alla Riviera (Short Spiral Pasta with Shrimp,Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach) and I had the Lasagna Verde "Omaggio Nonna Elvira" (with Beef and Veal Ragu). The hubby has officially declared that it was the best Italian food he's ever had and I have to agree!

Midway through our incredible meal a couple sat next to us and we began having a full blown conversation about food, soccer, our ethnic backgrounds, marriage, our children and almost everything else you could imagine. The funny thing was, the wife happens to be a well known actress on one of the hubby's favorite HBO series. By the end of the night they handed us their business card and ask that we email them (their starting a new cooking show) and we said or goodbyes. Needless to say this was a pretty amazing date night, things like this only happen in L.A.!

 Photo Credits: www.foodgps.com and www.kevineats.com

Devil's Night Drive-In

My hubby always seems to find some really interesting places to go on date night! On our latest date the hubby packed a picnic, a blanket and some pillows and took me to L.A. to the Devil's Night Drive-In to watch the Labyrinth, one of my favorite movies. This drive-in is located in downtown Los Angeles and is on the second story of a parking lot; it may not sound like much but believe me once your there you will understand the attraction, it's an amazing experience. We really had a great night, met lots of interesting people, had some delicious cheeseburgers (grilled on the back of a pickup truck), and we cuddled in the back of hubby's truck, just like a couple of lovestruck teenagers!

The Melting Pot

On Thursday for our anniversary, the hubby and I went to The Melting Pot in Torrance. He made reservations in advance and requested a private table (which I highly recommend). I don't know where to begin, with the food or the service; this place was just amazing all around. We had the Big Night Out four course dinner which included cheese fondue, salad, the main course and a chocolate fondue dessert. The manager arrived at our table with complimentary champagne and wished us a happy anniversary, our waiter was wonderful and took time to explain everything in detail. It took us almost 3 hours to go through three fondues and a salad and we were impressed the whole way through. We even received a phone call the next day to thank us for coming in and to ask about our experience. I highly recommend this restaurant, the fondue was delicious and the experience is unforgettable. The Melting Pot is a fabulous special occasion or date night restaurant, but also a great place to hang out with friend, they even serve fondue at the bar!

Spinach and Artichoke Cheese Fondue

Fondue Fusion

(lobster tail, kiwi lime shrimp, dumplings, ahi tuna, steak, chicken and pork)

White Chocolate and Baileys Fondue

Desserts for dipping!

a perfect night for rain...

It’s raining in Southern California and I couldn’t be happier. I absolutely love when it rains; it may have something to do with being born in New York, in December during a snow storm. There is something so romantic about the rain and tonight is the perfect night for it. I’ve been planning a 30th birthday surprise for the hubby for a few months now and tonight is the night; and thanks to the rain all I picture is us walking hand-in-hand under a big umbrella on this blustery day.

to be continued...

Date Night at L.A. Live!

I have to start of by saying, I am so thankful that JD has two sets of grandparents who are willing to watch him everyday if they could (they practically force us to go on date nights)! Since the hubby works in Downtown L.A., he comes across a lot of interesting places in L.A. to hang out. Friday was our date night and we headed to L.A. Live, the premier sports and entertainment center of downtown Los Angeles. We had been to Katsuya, at L.A. Live before and although the food was delicious we agreed that we would try something new.

L.A. Live

So we decided to try Rosa Mexicano, for some drinks and appetizers before going to watch Pirate Radio, at the new Regal Cinema. The atmosphere at Rosa Mexicano was very festive and the food was authentic with a modern twist. The hubby had the Shrimp and Tuna Ceviche and I had the Chicken Flautas and I even tried their signature Pomegranate Margarita (I was tipsy after that one drink), everything was really tasty.

L.A. Live has some great places to hang out, including The Staples Center, Lucky Strikes Lanes, the Congo Room, Club Nokia and 13 restaurants.

Katsuya

Friday night was date night with the hubby. JD stayed home with grandma and his favorite auntie Gaby (although his favorite auntie Mari would disagree). The hubby took me to LA Live and we had an amazing dinner at Katsuya we started with their famous Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna and a Scallop Sushi Roll, my hubby had the Kobe Tobanyaki, I had the Japanese Prix Fixe (three courses with mochi ice cream for dessert), everything was simply delicious.

This restaurant is so intimate and chic, I can't wait to go back. Thanks honey!

 Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna