Friday Night, Date Night

The weekend = awesome.

Especially, if you can enjoy it with good friends, family and a loved one.

My fiancee and I had to go back up to Boston for some venue shopping. The pressure was on, and we wanted to get up there on Friday so we can just relax, do everything on Saturday morning and then head down to Nantucket.

We were looking at the Burlington Marriott as one of our places to have a reception. We talked to our good friend who has dined there a couple of times. She told us to try Summer Winter in the hotel. She informed us that the restaurant was amazing, and it was a great place to grab a bite to eat.

We booked it up there (there was literally no traffic at all - which is very odd) and got to the restaurant around 8:30. As we were shown to our table we walked along a windy bar that was perfect to just have a good meal, and relax. We then passed a raw bar, where there was a chef preparing the recently ordered clams and oysters. Perfect. You all know how much I love a raw bar. We sat down in a very quiet place, with great ambiance, and a greenhouse right outside where the chefs pick fresh herbs for the dishes. Amazing.

We opened the menu, and everything looked amazing. As my fiancee was looking over the dinner menu, I was interested in the wine. They have a great wine list, with many different varietals to choose from, from regions all around the world. I figured, Friday night, fun night, date night, wine night. Bingo!

After looking over the menu some more, we came across "Date Night" Prixe Fixe menu.

I am all for trying new things. I have been known to eat some weird things from time to time, but I love trying to culinary creations that take simple ingredients into complex tastes. When I can actually sit at the table and just go "wow" after my first bite, I have found what a little bit of culinary heaven is like. You will see why this was an amazing food experience.

We ordered a bottle of wine. We went with a bottle of Petite Syrah (we were in just that kind of mood - the mood where you just want to have a massive explosion of fruit, smoke and ink - yeh...that type of mood). This particular petite syrah - called "The Crusher". No BS. And let me say, that this wine, DELIVERED the crush. It was massive with cherry, blueberry, tobacco, pepper and ink mouthfeel. It was SO good. When our waiter was pouring it it just looked like blueberry pie coming out. It was that massive.

Don't let the name fool you - it's a petite syrah...

The first course was a grilled peach and prosciutto salad with fresh basil from the greenhouse, hazelnuts with a touch of aged balsamic. The smokiness of the grill on the peaches was amazing. The sweetness of there sugar combined with the smoke was a match made in culinary heaven. The way that the chef used simple ingredients in such different way - was amazing. It was perfect, and refreshing. It got our palettes ready for the main course.

My fiancee ordered the braised short ribs with a creamy garlic polenta. I ordered thin spaghetti with fresh clams and mussels, accompanied with a cream and cheese garlic sauce.

It was ridiculous. I tried my first bite, and it wasn't overwhelming with garlic (even though there were chunks of it in the sauce - which is awesome). The whole dish was very creamy and the pasta was done just right. The mussels and clams were cooked to perfection, and added just the right amount of "sea" taste to the dish. It was just awesome.

My fiancee took one bite of her short ribs. She just goes, "Brad...". I knew right away that she loved her dish.

The short ribs were falling off the bone. The only way to describe the sauce was like a barbecue texture, but it wasn't tangy/overwhelming like it. It was sweet, and had hints of blueberry and pepper. The polenta had deep fried garlic bulbs in it. It added a great sweetness that helped with the dish. It was just amazing. We couldn't get over it.

We finished off the night with a slice of Tiramisu mousse cake. It was so delicate and perfect for the last course. The cake was so light and fluffy, that it really didn't overwhelm our palette and totally make us forget our dinner. Wasn't heavy in our stomachs, and it was a perfect end to a perfect evening.

Light and fluffy - perfect for the end of the meal

We had an amazing waiter named Dave. He was so nice, so caring, and very funny. He was giving us tasting notes on "The Crusher" and told us that it was the waitstaff's favorite wine. He was the type of waiter that you would want again - knew his stuff, VERY friendly, never bothered us and had a great conversation with us at the end.

Oh, and just to let you peeps know out there...the prixe fixe dinner? $35 each.

Thats right.

So...if you are ever in the area of Boston, try out Summer Winter at the Burlington Marriott. Ask for Dave, and share a glass of The Crusher with him. I know we will again.

Cheers!