Birthdays are for splurging.
Sunday, September 27th, 2009That’s what I’m trying to tell myself after all of the delicious (yet not-so-healthy) food I ate today. Hey, it’s all about balance, right? My sister’s birthday was on Friday, so my family decided to spend Sunday in the North End to celebrate.
Unfortunately it was rainy outside, but we didn’t let that dampen our spirits or our plans. We were initially planning on going to the Waterfront Cafe to watch the Pats game while eating a yummy Italian meal, but when we arrived we realized it was a pretty run-down sports bar and not exactly what we were looking for.
We walked down the street and stumbled upon Nico Ristorante. It was pretty tiny, just like most of the restaurants in the North End. The decor was nice, with the exception of the slightly obnoxious disco ball spinning in the corner. Tacky 70’s decor aside, we sat down and were greeted by the absolute nicest waiter. He was extremely patient with our indecisiveness (the menu just looked so good – it was hard to decide!), and made the best recommendations – my mom’s Sea Bass alla Aqua Pazzo (sea bass served with cherry tomatoes in a garlic, white wine) was melt in your mouth crazy good.
After saluting the birthday girl with our staple Moretti’s…
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… we began our meal with a beautiful antipasto consisting of a variety of Italian meats and cheeses, piled high with Champagne grapes.
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My dad got the most beautiful salad that I just had to photograph (and taste, obviously…)
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Finally it was entree time. After heavily considering ordering the arancini, I landed on the lobster ravioli. The menu called it “world famous”, which I’m not so sure it is, but it sold me so I guess the description worked! It was so amazing.
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With our stomachs full, and a win wrapped up for the Pats, we walked along Hanover Street in the rain. As the rain intensified, we slipped into Cafe Vittoria to take cover.
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Hot cappuccinos were definitely in order.
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And you’d think I would have been full after the feast we just ate, but clearly I had to order a cannoli.
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It wasn’t anything to write home about, the ricotta filling was way too thin. Definitely stick to Mike’s or Modern for pastries!
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Yum! Happy birthday Gina! :)
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