Local red snapper and salad was “what’s for dinner” last night
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My dude was occupied with a workshop yesterday, missing out on the gorgeous summer temps. I hung out in the park for most of the afternoon to catch up on some reading, though people watching turned out to be far more interesting than the NYer issues I brought along 
We’d made zero plans or reservations for dinner in case something shook out with the workshop people, plus we felt like a low-key meal after the previous night’s extravaganza.
I was able to score a rez at a tiny Italian BYOB we discovered well over 20 years ago & that we liked very much at the time yet somehow had never gone back —perhaps we were too eager to explore new places.
Every table in the small room was occupied, which we took for a good sign. We shouldn’t have 
The bread basket was accompanied by a little dipping jar with ricotta marinated in olive oil with garlic and herbs, which was a nice touch.
We split the garlicky, buttery mussels — probz the best part of the meal, as well as a highly unremarkable Caesar with ‘homemade’ dressing that was barely there.
As for the pasta, I ordered the fresh linguine with imported porcini jus (sic!) and cream, figuring it had to be the star of the menu — being the namesake of the place and all, and my PIC got the rigatoni with sweet sausage and rustic tomato sauce.
Perhaps the phrasing / description of my pasta dish should’ve already given me pause, bc what arrived was a tangle of about ½ pound of linguine swimming in a watery ‘sauce’ with barely detectable porcini flavor. Adding insult to injury, there wasn’t a SINGLE porcini mushroom — just regular ole button mushrooms (and not even a lot of them), yet the place has the audacity to charge a whopping $30 for the plate.
I’m actually not sure if anyone bothered to drain the pasta water from the noodz.
My PIC’s rigatoni were just alright.
He was hungry. The best part of the meal was the Josh rosé we brought. Meh.
I wish I’d read all the negative reviews on the place, most of which are countered by the owner in a highly unprofessional manner. Looking forward to his comments on mine 
*On their takeout/delivery page, the same dish is described as “fresh pasta, imported porcini mushrooms, and jus cream sauce.” Lies.
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Happy anniversary to you and Mrs P! That dinner looks lovely.
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Thank you!
The dinner was outstanding.
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Happy 14th to you and Mrs. P! Looks like you marked the occasion deliciously.
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Happy anniversary! That all looks delicious!
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Bravo! Excellent selections and plating. What a great get together!
Congrats! Wow! What’cha going to do for #15❤?
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Thank you @mts @Amandarama and @tomatotomato !
I’m not sure what we will do for the 15th anniversary. We’re still celebrating our 14th with another hopefully excellent dinner tonight.
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Friday night BF made us gyudon that turned out pretty good (beef was not as flavorful as expected - I’d purchased some SRF American Wagyu thinly sliced beef shortrib - other cuts I’ve had have been much beefier and even more tender), but the real star of the show was veggie tempura - and I forgot to get a good pic of it! 
He used zucchini, carrot and daikon - super delish. i need to buy some broccoli and have him make me more.
Last night at my sister’s, we made Miến Gà - Vietnamese chicken soup with glass noodles. Really good. Scallions and cilantro on top, as well as crispy garlic oil (delicious but just a tad bitter, need to take it off heat sooner next time), and store-bought crispy fried onions. The broth was a killer umami bomb - flavored with MSG, chicken bouillon powder, fish sauce, a little turmeric, a little brown sugar - and simmered with a whole peeled cut onion, and a big hunk of slightly crushed ginger. Seemingly a lot of ingredients but the whole was very balanced and just lovely. And we really adored the mung bean noodz.
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love that coupe, and now i have to try the TJs Argentine shrimp. Frozen, i’m assuming?
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happy 14th, and many more!
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Thank you very much!
I was very fortunate to find Mrs. P. I was previously married for almost 25 years before my first wife unexpectedly passed away. I didn’t think I would ever find anyone else, but after 1 1/2 years of searching various dating sites I struck gold on eharmony 
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Don’t you love it when the butter pools in the holes and you get to suck it out when you bite.
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Joyous 14th. I miss the photo of Mrs. P in all her finery.
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Thank you very much!
Maybe tonight we will take a photo 
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Agreed. Mrs. P is always so stylishly dressed.
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What a sweet story! Happy anniversary! And sorry for the loss of your first wife.
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what a great story with a happy ending!
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Late dinner at Nopa https://www.nopasf.com/ - some “classics”, some new dish. The smoked brisket with the sauerkraut was really nice.
Wood Baked Beans - Iacopi farms gigantes, oregano pesto, Valbreso feta, toasted breadcrumbs
Flatbread - house cured coppa, wild huckleberry, brussels sprouts, gruyere
Nopa Cheeseburger - grass-fed Stemple Creek beef, house baked brioche bun, pickled onions, kennebec french fries, green garlic aioli
Cherrywood Smoked Brisket - house fermented sauerkraut, duck fat potatoes, asian pear, dill
Key Lime Mousse - strawberry jam, ginger snap crumbs, coriander whipped cream
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