As a married couple Mike and I have rarely had the pleasure of celebrating Valentines Day together. This year was no exception. I had to work late on Valentines Day and Mike had class so it was a regular Tuesday night at our house. My Valentine did surprise me with a special date night the weekend prior to Valentines Day and we had a blast. One-on-One date nights are few and far between and we had fun catching up with each other and exploring some new (to-us) places in the city.
The itinerary for the evening was a surprise to me. The first stop on our tour was John Besh's
Dominica Restaurant for cocktails and appetizers. We shared sweet potato tortellini with brown butter and toasted hazelnuts and a cup of Cream of Mushroom Soup.....YUMMY. I cannot wait to go back, everything on the menu looked great. In addition to their appetizers and wood-fired pizzas they also do many of their menu items as small plates which was the perfect amount for Mike and I to share as an appetizer. We finished up at Dominica just in time to catch a parade and Mike and I enjoyed watching it for a bit before heading to our second destination.
For dinner we headed to
Emeril's. Since we were delayed by the parade they had given our table away so we sat at the Food Bar. I'm so glad they gave our table away, we enjoyed our front row seats in the kitchen so much more! We both really enjoyed watching the goings-on in the kitchen and were surprised at how quietly it all was and how seamlessly everyone seemed to work together.
At Emeril's we split some charbroiled oysters and then finally decided to split an entree as well. We had andouille Crusted Drum with Grilled Vegetables, Shoestring Potatoes, Glazed Pecans and Creole Meunière Sauce. It was awesome and even though we split the entree we still couldn't finish it and ended up taking quite a bit home.
Mike had chosen a 3rd location for dessert but after all we'd just eaten we opted to have dessert drinks instead in the form of king-cake martinis. In the interest of full disclosure I have to say I'm not a big king cake fan. I just don't really care for it but the king cake martinis were delicious. Not nearly as sweet but still reminiscent of the Mardi Gras treat.
I'd definitely recommend Dominica again, and again, and again. I'm glad we tried Emeril's, the food is good, but it somehow feels a little touristy and crowded. If you go ask to sit at the "food bar".
We had a great Valentines date. I know that people complain that Valentines Day is just a commercialized excuse to get people to spend more money, that you should spend the entire year making those you love feel special, not just one day. I really don't take any of it that seriously and I'm not that cynical about it. But as 2 busy working parents it is so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day. If Mike and I are home together after the kids are in bed I'm usually starting another load of laundry/dishes while he reads another chapter/paper for school or organizes for the next day. It's nice to have an excuse to focus on eachother and just enjoy spending time together.
