Loved Piattini! What a great little place! Inside, the decor reminded me of a cute European cafe, quaint and charming with dim lighting and amazing Italian aromas. The restaurant is right on Newbury Street, and I've walked by it a million times, but I never once thought to stop in. I'm so glad that Danielle made us a reservation there! We will be going back sometime in the near future!
Let me start by saying that last night was all about indulgence-- there was very little moderation on my part. Luckily, Piattini's small plates slimmed down our portion sizes, but Josh's birthday celebration deserved a little over-indulgence from all of us! :)
Our meal started with a bottle of Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc, which came with a small description card: "Very well balanced, with mouthfilling flavors of soft melon, citrus and a crisp finish." It was a wonderful bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, and it complimented our olive and cheese appetizer perfectly.
As an appetizer, we enjoyed a couple of piattini cold...
Misto di Oliva
Mixed olives, assorted imported cheeses
Mixed olives, assorted imported cheeses
Prosciutto e Mozzarella
Mozzarella, prosciutto, fresh basil
The four of us split the bottle of wine, so I drank about 1-2 glasses with dinner.
We chose 6 small plates from the menu to share among the table-- it was great because we were all on the same page about what we wanted to order. We ordered everything that I wanted to try! :)
Cozze alla Pescatora
Mussels, onions, red pepper, tomato sauce
Mussels, onions, red pepper, tomato sauce
Gnocchi
Spinach gnocchi, tomatoes, pesto cream sauce
Spinach gnocchi, tomatoes, pesto cream sauce
Tortellini
Artichoke and goat cheese stuffed pasta, creamy tomato-basil sauce
Artichoke and goat cheese stuffed pasta, creamy tomato-basil sauce
Ravioli di Zucca Gialla
Butternut squash ravioli, apple cider, brown sugar, sage
Butternut squash ravioli, apple cider, brown sugar, sage
Melanzane Affumicate
Layered eggplant, smoked mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, truffle cream sauce
The only plate that I didn't take a photo of was the Ravioli ai Funghi, wild mushroom ravioli in pancetta cream sauce.
Our table with lots of small plates...
My first plate: Mussels, butternut squash ravioli, wild mushroom ravioli, and gnocchi.
Plate #2: Artichoke and goat cheese-stuff tortellini and the layered eggplant. The layered eggplant dish was by far my favorite. It had an amazing smoky flavor and the combo of sundried tomatoes and the truffle cream sauce was out of this world! If you ever visit Piattini, you MUST try it! My other favorite was the wild mushroom ravioli. Delish!
And no meal is complete without dessert! Mal and I split the Creme Brulee. Mal is a fanatic about Creme Brulee. Anytime we go to a restaurant that serves it, he just has to order it. I had a few bites, but I prefer other desserts much more (i.e. cake).
Josh and Danielle shared the Tiramisu, espresso soaked lady fingers, dark rum and imported Mascarpone. I tried a bite, and it was delicious! The espresso flavor came through nice and strong.
Here we are at dinner...
After dinner, the fun really started! For Josh's birthday, we met up with a bunch of friends and bar-hopped around Boylston Street. Our first stop was Dillion's, where I had a Blue Moon with a lemon slice. In a perfect world, my Blue Moon would be served with an orange slice. A lemon slice is just not acceptable. :) I'd rather my Blue Moon to be served with no slice of fruit at all than a lemon wedge.
After a beer at Dillion's, we headed to Whiskey's, where I drank another Blue Moon-- this time with an orange slice! :) I also drank a Miller Lite at Whiskey's. A friend bought it for me, so I felt bad turning it down... plus, after wine and 2 beers, a third beer went down easy!
My last beer of the night, another Blue Moon with orange, was at Lir. After a huge dinner, 2 glasses of wine, and 4 beers, it was time for me to go home. Mal and I made it just in time for the last T.
Not pictured: Late-night ice cream cake for Josh's birthday. It was 2 am, I was drunk, and there was no way I was turning down a dessert like that! Last night was a blast, but I am getting back on track today. I'm planning a good, long workout this afternoon to burn off some of those extra Friday night calories!
Happy Saturday! I need breakfast!
16 Comments:
Looks/sounds like a fabulous Friday night!! I miss Newbury Street - I used to walk around there every weekend, when I resided in Boston.
Blue Moon & lemon.....No No :)
I am drooling over your dinner pictures, especially the ravioli with butternut squash sauce...yuuum
Uhm not sauce, I meant the ravioli ;)
Sounds like a great night. My husband and I refuse Blue Moon with lemon also, what were they thinking at this bar :)
Hahah Tina you are so presh :) "It was 2AM, I was drunk, and there was no way I was turning down dessert" :) Love that! But you know what I love even more, that rather than saying, "I WILL NEVER DO THIS AGAIN" or "I FEEL SO AWFUL" or whatever, you show that the healthy approach is merely to get in a great workout the next day! Allow your body to rev its engines up and help it out a little with that extra calorie burn! This is exactly how I feel about indulgences, as well, and I am so glad that there are bloggers like OUR TINA :) (Sorry, Mal, yes, she is "our Tina" haha jk) who exemplify this approach to life and enjoying the special times!
Cheers to you, Miss Thang! :)
everyone deserves a night like that once in a while!!! Looks like you had a blast and those gnocci are calling my name (that's my FAVORITE pasta dish!). I have never tried blue moon...not such a beer fan...but I would have been all over that wine. And that ice cream cake. And that tiramisu. And the creme brulee. Well maybe not that one because I'm so sick of making them at school and don't want to look at another for a long time. hehe. Fun times!
OHMIGOD why would you put LEMON in a blue moon?! I agree, orange is the best. And although your meal was an "indulgence" as you say, i think it was DEFINITELY worth it... the food look so amazing.
i am equally obsessed with Creme Brulee! i have to get it when i see it!
have a wonderful saturday!
Oh man, everything looks divine, including you and the hubby :) Glad you had such an incredible night!
All the dinner dishes look great! I love getting to sample a little bit of everything at tapas restaurants!
Moderation is for chumps! :) I like what I could see of your top. I'm glad you had a rockin' night out!
Dinner looks DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for your candor on the ice cream cake - haha. Love how you keep it real.
I have had the lemon experience happen, and it is TRAGIC. It's like when they serve my vodka/sodas with lemon when they need a lime. It's just a bartending sin.
Glad you had fun last night! Those dinner dishes looked amazing!
Hi Tina! I haven't commented before but I read your blog and love it. This is so random but I was at Lir last night too! What are the chances!? Looks like you had a great night!
What a great night! I love small plates/tapas restaurants as well. They are a great way to sample tiny bits of dishes I wouldn't dream of ordering in a large portion.
You have an excellent philosophy regarding splurging and getting back on track. It's not very thrilling to always be on a diet, or always splurging and feeling unhappy with your body. I enjoy having splurge days and "detox" days as I call them. I enjoy BOTH more! The splurge days are fun and decadent, and the detox days make me feel great in a different way :-)
Goodness me! You outdrank me! : ) On Friday I had 2 glasses of wine and one of champagne, on Saturday I had again 2 wines, then a tequila... I felt much better this morning, with the tequila mix ... Strange... I got home at 1am and headed straight to J's box of belgian truffles! LOL! My head hurts this morning, but because I headbutted J at night in my sleep... : ( What's blue moon?!?
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