After a full month of the Blahs and SoSos, Metzomezzos and snowdrifts, My Birthday arrived....right on time.
I wasn't expecting much with the family being so far away and the family here even farther, so Jim decided we should go out for dinner.
In my usual fashion, by 5 PM I was ready to blow the whole thing off, get carryout, and eat this wonderful 1 2 3 4 cake that I worked on all day, half chocolate and half butter cream frosting.
But Jim would not hear of it and insisted that we go. Our destination was a relatively new Italian restaurant who's name escapes me at the moment but in a new building somewhere between Smitty McGee's and the Cactus Cafe.
We arrived at 7, and the fragrance of tomato sauce and cheese greeted us at the door. A most appealing aroma... it makes me react like one of Pavlov's dogs, I immediately get an appetite.
Lo and behold there was my friend Rita, who does my hair, waiting at the bar. Jim had invited her to join us as a surprise for me. She was "all dolled up" and there I was in my casual clothes. I had decided it was my birthday, and I didn't need to shower or dress up. At least my hair looked good, she had colored and trimmed it the day before, and I did apply makeup.
Our meal was wonderful. The waitress brought us some delicious crusty rustic bread with whipped butter and a side of sweet peppers. Jim ordered us a bottle of house Merlot while we perused the menu.
We started with a stuffed eggplant appetizer which was a rather large roll of the eggplant stuffed with ricotta cheese and somehow crisped on the outside and topped with a light marinara sauce. I made a mess trying to divide it so we all could try it, but it was divine. It is also on the menu as an entree so maybe I will opt for that the next time.
Rita and I both ordered a small house salad which I found disappointing. Same old flat glass salad plate, piled too high with boring lettuce and little else and an uninspiring balsamic vinaigrette. It didn't take long to spread that around on the tablecloth to keep the sauce company. It was difficult to eat because the lettuce needed to be cut up and pieces spilled off of the plate with every bite.
I was excited to see that Lobster Ravioli was an entree. For some reason, I have been thinking about that for the past few weeks, so that was a no brainer for me.
It was to die for... plump ravioli with a dot of pink in the center, lightly floating in a pool of creamy champagne sauce with fresh blue crab meat. It needed nothing more... it was perfect.
Jim ordered the Chicken Parmesan and penne, and it too was a winner. A tender chicken breast, lightly breaded and sauteed, topped with cheese and tomato sauce.
Rita chose an angel hair pasta dish with aglio olio, simple. She seemed quite pleased with it and even took the remainder home when we requested containers to go.
Our waitress brought us more bread when our meals were served which I thought was thoughtful, but she also made a comment about the mess on the table. I think the service is like the restaurant itself, maybe a little pretentious and uneven.
There is a great disparity in prices...some entrees are in the $30+ range, especially some of the specials such as locally caught sea scallops. They also have a variety of steaks and veal dishes that are quite pricey. I am not complaining,our meals were quite in order.
Jim's entree was $15, mine was $23 and Rita's was only $10. Her entree was a build your own meal with a selection of pastas and sauces, not a bad deal at all.
Our entire tab was only $92 for the three of us and that included 2 coffees, 1 Grand Marnier, a a bottle of wine and a $10 appetizer.
It was a delighful evening all around, and yes, refreshing to get out!!
BTW I found the name, it is MIO FRATELLO, and it is an Italian steakhouse. That may explain the pricing.