At Last, Date Night
It finally happened. Last Sunday night, Liz and I went out on a date night to a restaurant. It feels like it’s been forever. Dining out is one of our greatest pleasures, and I can’t even tell you all how much we’ve missed it. So, now that I’ve passed my two weeks since my second vaccine dose, we braved the outside world on a night out.
It was a beautiful summer evening. The weather was warm and just a little muggy. We walked to our destination, savouring the outside air, taking in the sights of our neighborhood. Largely unchanged, but somehow a bit unfamiliar after all these months.
After our leisurely stroll we arrived at one of our favorite spots. Close enough for us to consider it a neighborhood haunt, we were dining at Arlo. The street was closed to traffic, allowing the restaurants to extend their patios off the sidewalks, and more than a few people were taking advantage of this.
Arriving just ahead of our reservation time, we were seated at a lovely table on the back patio with our own little umbrella providing some shade to the setting sun. We started with a lovely bottle of Le Champ des Alouettes from 2017. I’m a big fan of Alsatian-style wines, Rieslings in particular and this one was a treat.
Soon after our wine arrived, we were treated to some first bites by the lovely lads in the kitchen. A bowl of warm, marinated mixed olives arrived alongside a dish of cold pickled shrimp. The shrimp in particular were some of my favorites from that evening. I could eat a bucket of those.
Now that our appetites had been whetted, Liz and I eagerly awaited our first course. It came promptly: summer crudités with sweet pea and sesame dip and a plate of thinly sliced mortadella with delicious homemade bread and a punchy fermented fruit and horseradish sauce.
As we finished these plates, the sky had begun to darken. Our spirits didn’t follow suit however, brightened by the appearance of some eggplant escabeche and summer tomatoes, sat atop another slice of bread which was slathered in creamy goat cheese.
Just before we were able to finish the last bites of this delicious creation, the skies opened up and some thunderous rain began to pour down. Our umbrella provided us enough cover to avoid a soaking, and we were promptly whisked inside to finish our meal at the bar. As anyone who’s in the know will tell you, the bar is often the best place to sit in a restaurant. It’s dinner and a show all in one.
After we were re-set and settled, our main courses arrived, looking and smelling heavenly. Liz had opted for a beautiful piece of Icelandic cod, cooked gently and served with a shellfish beurre blanc, some tiny fingerling potato chips and wilted greens. I had chosen for myself the brochette of duck with fries, onion-top aioli and summer vegetables. The duck was excellent; tender, delicious and very well spiced. The fries were crispy and salty, perfect with the aioli. The summer vegetables which included blistered shishito peppers were also a treat.
We were perfectly full after that, no room for the offered gelato for dessert. Happily we piled into our Uber to take us home lest we got caught in another sudden downpour.
Thank you so much to Arlo and all of her staff for the perfect first date night back in the world.
Readers, have you braved the world for your first night out yet? Where did you go and how was it? Hit me up in the comments below or by email! Get vaccinated and get out there, people! Support your local restaurants!
