Anniversary Dinners...

Last Thursday The H and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. We decided to have dinner at home that night, and then head to Nine75 for dinner and drinks on Friday, when the work week was over and we could relax... (I will post a rundown of that at the end of this post)

Thursday night when I got home, The H headed into the kitchen and popped open some bubbly for us right away, and an anniversary toast was a great way to be greeted after a day at the office.. :)

I made (of all things) our favorite Costco find, Spinach and Cheese Ravioli from the freezer section!! I know it sounds like a lackluster celebratory dinner, but the secret to this stuff is in the little packets of seasoning they give you... the magic is in the simplicty of preparation, I promise.. You boil the ravioli gently for 8 minutes or so, then drain and return it to the pot, add a generous drizzle of olive oil and then sprinkle the contents of the seasoning packet over the pasta and stir it in with the oil to coat... The little packet of herbs, cheeses, and breadcrumbs mixes with the oil and starts to heat up and melt and get all yummy smelling ... it is sooo good...

I served that with some cheesy garlic bread, and some fresh tomatoes (just for me, The H is anti-tomato - pictured above)

It is a dish we both enjoy, with easy prep and clean up so we could just enjoy hanging out together with minimal fuss. (try the pasta if you shop at Costco - you will be hooked!)

For you Denverites -

Restaurant Review - Nine75:

I love the look of the place, dark and sleek and clean... The dining room is in the front of the restaurant, the bar is through a narrow hall on the back of the space. We got a great table in the window facing Lincoln...
Some will recall that when I left work on Friday, I was in serious want of a serious cocktail, and their specialty "the boss" didn't dissapoint.. it was kind of a take on a hard lemonade, but with a German liquor made from Elderberry flowers... it was boozy and sweet and GOOD!

For entrees we were semi-predictable, The H having the skirt steak with brazillian steak sauce, with a side of their herby fries, and me choosing the boneless white fried chicken with a side of mashed potatoes...
The H said his skirt steak was good but "kinda wierd" - which upon further conversation I learned meant it didn't really have much flavor going on at all (which can happen with skirt steak if you don't give it lots of flavorful love precooking..).. the fries were delish...
The chicken was basically panko breaded big chicken fingers, which is a-ok with me.. the meat was very juicy.. however, the breading had too much of whatever pepper flakes or dried peppers or whatever it was (it was so overpowering that it just stuck in the back of my throat and kind of made me feel like I needed to cough)... sort of like they tried to give it a little kick and went WAY overboard.. The mashed potatoes needed seasoning with plenty of S&P, but I liked the kind of "smashed, not whipped" texture.

We were stuffed and declined dessert, but our very sweet and attentive waiter brought us a plate of their house cotton candy, and I proceeded to GORGE myself.. this is no run-of-the-mill cotton candy.. it has a lime flavor to it, and the amount they bring would feed at least 6 people... it was freaking good!!

Bottom line is, I don't think we would go back for dinner - however I very much want to go back for drinks in their popular and cozy bar.. they have a small plates section on their menu, and the entire staff (right down to the valets) seem to LOVE the tacos... they have a lobster taco on there that I WILL be having sometime soon... and if I ever have a really bad day, I am gathering the girls for a few rounds of "The Boss" cocktails and a huge plate of that cotton candy!!