The general idea of a 'date night' is an opportunity for a married couple, especially one with kids, to go out on a date. Picture Tina Fey and Steve Carell in the movie, a suburban couple slogging through their daily lives and marriage. To escape the rut and to reignite the spark in their marriage, they visit a fancy Manhattan bistro, where a case of mistaken identity hurtles them through the city at breakneck speeds, into non-stop adventure.
Date night has a slightly different meaning for me. In our household, it is going out to a place that requires making a reservation and S wearing full length pants.
If you knew S you would know that he avoids dressing up formally whenever possible. He would rather stay in his trademark cargo shorts and be comfy than put on a decent pair of full length pants or jeans "for the rest of the world". To him, a worn out t-shirt and cargo shorts is "business casual": it is nobody's business that it's half length, and it's hella casual.
If you knew S you would know that he avoids dressing up formally whenever possible. He would rather stay in his trademark cargo shorts and be comfy than put on a decent pair of full length pants or jeans "for the rest of the world". To him, a worn out t-shirt and cargo shorts is "business casual": it is nobody's business that it's half length, and it's hella casual.
Anyway, I digress. A date night is an opportunity to dress up, drive a bit further out of our zipcode, choose a nicer place to go out for dinner and spend some quality time together. This week's deal reveal is about two fantastic dinner date nights we went on.
Date Night # 1: Marcello's Restaurant & Piano Bar in Danville, CA via LivingSocial
Marcello's is date night that hits the right note. This deal was music to my ears. Literally.
Why we bagged it: piano and dinner, sounded like a winner. :)
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| Shrimp Scampi, Filet of Sole with vegetables |
Why I loved it: 1. Danville is a charming town, a short drive from home.
2. The interiors were all about soft lighting, white table linen, crystal chandeliers and an old world charm.
3. The restaurant features a pianist on weekends. Ours was playing some lively, upbeat numbers. She was also doing "open mic" which lets vocal enthusiasts perform a song. One lady performed Beyonce's Halo, which is such a soulful song.
3. Dinner was great. We noticed that the Shrimp and the fish came with the same white wine sauce and sauteed vegetables, but it tasted great. We were pleasantly surprised to see vegetables instead of pasta on the plate. Portions were just right, no heavy-handedness.
Date of purchase: 08/12/2010
Date of redemption: 08/20/2011
LivingSocial Deal link: Marcello's Restaurant and Piano Bar
Date of redemption: 08/20/2011
LivingSocial Deal link: Marcello's Restaurant and Piano Bar
Damages:
+$25 for the LivingSocial deal worth $50
-$50 redemption amount
+$52.5 on dinner & wine-$50 redemption amount
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+$27.5 plus tips
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Consumed: Shrimp scampi + House Sauvignon Blanc, Filet of Sole + Chianti
Dinner Downer: They ran out of the Tiramisu that S wanted to get. To restauraurant owners: if you're a halfway decent italian restaurant, please stock up on the Tiramisu. We didnt want to make a song and dance about it. :) We weren't heartbroken, but we skipped dessert.
Date Night # 2: Zuppa Italian Restaurant, San Francisco, CA via Google Offers
Zuppa, located in the SoMA district of SF, is a rustic italian restaurant that knows how to serve authentic italian fare, the right way.
Zuppa, located in the SoMA district of SF, is a rustic italian restaurant that knows how to serve authentic italian fare, the right way.
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| Mushroom/Caramelized onions pizza |
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| Roasted Vegetables (Haricot Vert, Fingerling potatoes, Cauliflower) |
Why I bagged it:I was excited to try a deal on the newly launched Google Offers.
Why I loved it: 1. Decor: The restaurant looked like an abandoned, industrial loft space with wide-plank original wood flooring, post and beam construction, rusty structural columns and an unfinished look. Understated refinement.
2. Public commute friendly: This place is just under a mile, walking from the subway, which means no cabs.
3. Staff: The restaurant staff was really hospitable. We decided to sit at the bar and the bartender is a great guy.
4. The food rocks. It puts all the other wannabe-italian places with heavy handed sauces and cheese-doused dishes to shame. From just looking around at other guests during dinner, I got the feeling that no matter what you try here will be yum-o.
Date of purchase: 08/02/2011
Date of redemption: 08/27/2011
Google Offers Deal link : Zuppa-SF
Date of redemption: 08/27/2011
Google Offers Deal link : Zuppa-SF
Damages:
+$20 for the Google Offers deal worth $40
-$40 redemption amount
-$40 redemption amount
+$57 on dinner, iced tea & wine
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+$37 plus tips
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Consumed: We shared a plate of oven-roasted veggies and a mushroom/caramelized onions pizza made in their wood-fired oven. I think this was the best pizza I have had outside of italy. It had a paper-thin crust and just the right amount of toppings. Most generic pizza slices have a chewy shoe-sole crust, piled high with toppings that want to fall everywhere except in zee mouth.
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+$37 plus tips
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Consumed: We shared a plate of oven-roasted veggies and a mushroom/caramelized onions pizza made in their wood-fired oven. I think this was the best pizza I have had outside of italy. It had a paper-thin crust and just the right amount of toppings. Most generic pizza slices have a chewy shoe-sole crust, piled high with toppings that want to fall everywhere except in zee mouth.
Theirs was delightfully petite. S who hates pizza crust, gobbled up this one. It was the first time we walked out of an italian joint feeling light and happy instead of stuffed and repentant.
Get the pizza. Any pizza. You are guaranteed to love it and fight over the last slice. If you're lucky they will cut an even number of slices and you'll walk out with your marriage/friendship/date still intact.
Dinner Downer: Again, no Tiramisu on the menu. This is starting to sound like a conspiracy against sweet-toothed diners. S ordered the cannoli instead.
Verdict: Date night done right. Double Dealight.
2 comments:
Loved yr blog!
Pl tell if u hv to declare up-front that u r having discount coupons?
Do they treat u differently if u r a coupon holder? In India, they treat u with a certain undeclared discrimination.
^ Thanks Dad. You do not need to declare anything upfront here. There is no discriminatory treatment for people using coupons here. We simply present the coupon after we're done and it is time to pay. Coupon sites strongly recommend paying tips on the pre-discounted total and most people are mindful of that.
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