Date Night

Since Jim's sister Julie is in town, we decided to use her babysitting services last Saturday night and went on a date. I have been looking forward to this date since December when we found out she was coming. I told Jim that it was his turn to plan the date since I am always the one planning our dates and/or outings. As the day was getting closer I was worried because I knew that Jim hadn't planned anything due to a busy school schedule. Nonetheless, I kept my fingers crossed. Well on that Saturday morning all 5 of us went for a family run together on Pepperdine's track which was fun. Isaac enjoys getting out of his jogging stroller to run beside us and believe it or not, he can run for a while. The bonus of the run was that when he was done running, he had Julie to play with until Jim and I were done.

After the run we showered and ate some lunch then were off to our date. We went to Disneyland (where else would go?) but this time WITHOUT KIDS!!!! We never even stepped a foot into Fantasyland! It was great being able to ride "big kid rides" and not have to maneuver a double stroller around. For dinner Jim took me to the Grand Californian to eat at the Napa Rose. We have been wanting to eat there for some time but have always opted to eat somewhere else because it is a bit fancy.

The restaurant was wonderful with big loungy seats, thick, pressed napkins, beautiful lounge with fireplace and very delicious food. The menu changes seasonally to accommodate the food that is in season. This was the first time that Jim and I had ever had a "fine dining" experience. Below is a sample menu but is not the current menu that was being offered when we were there last week.

		Menu Date: January 2010 Winter Dinner Menu 2010 Starters Sauteed Hand-Harvested Diver Scallops - with a Sauce of Lemon, Lobster, and Tahitian Vanilla. $19 "Ahi Carpaccio" - Pounded Thinly, Tian of Blue Crab, Black Beluga Lentils, and Lemon Creme Fraiche $17 Pappardelle Pasta - tossed in Arugula Pesto, Roasted Veal Loin, Sauteed Coastal Mushrooms, and Dried Local Cherries. $17 Baked Winter Squash - Napa Valley Goat Cheese Tart, Roasted Duck Confit, and Cranberry Port Vinaigrette. $16 Oak Roasted Sonoma Quail - Filled with Portobello Mushroom & Swiss Chard, Sweet Potato Polenta, and Dried Apricot Sauce $16. Fried Halibut Bradade - with Meyer Lemon Aioli, Warm Fingerling Potato Salad with Green Olives, Capers and Petite Arugula. $15 Our Signature Pizzetta - Smoked American Prosciutto, Red Flame Grapes, Caramelized Onions, & Cambozola Cheese $15. Salads & Soups Tempura Fried Lobster and Spicy Asian Beef Salad - Mizuna Salad with Daikon Radish, and Coconut-Lime vinaigrette. $18 Winter Endive and Watercress Salad - Candied Walnuts, Poached Pears, Rogue River Blue Cheese, and Pear Vinaigrette. $15 Select Organically Grown Field Greens and Baby Lettuce - with Shaved Marinated Cucumbers and Napa Rose Fresh Herb Vinaigrette. $12 Portobello Mushroom Bisque "Cappuccino" - with Brandied Thyme "Froth". $15 Market Inspired Seasonal Soup - $15 Starters to Share (Please allow 15 min preparation time for these starters as they are made to order!) Seven Sparkling Sins - An Array of Tantalizations Featuring Spicy Beef & Peanut Roll, Curried Crab Taco, Seared Ahi Nacho, Shrimp in Cucumber Wrap with Lemon Dill Creme, Citrus Cured Salmon with a Corn Cake, Tangierine Grilled Scallop, and Grape Leaves Stuffed with Pheasant. For two. $45 The Sizzling Beach Rock - A Combination Appetizer of Garlic Seared Shrimp, Soy Glazed Spare Ribs and Lemon Grass Chicken Skewers cooked on a Hot Beach Stone. For two. $36 Main Courses Thyme Grilled California Swordfish - on Braised Beef Oxtail and Lobster Bubbles. $38 Wine Country Cioppino - Wild Stripe Bass, Sea of Cortez White Shrimp, Snow Crab, in a Hearty Roasted Tomato Broth. $37 Maple Leaf Farm Duck Breast - with Marinated Juniper Berries, Fire Roasted Chestnuts, Pancetta, Salsify and Blood Orange Jus. $38 Portobello Mushroom Ravioli - in Sauteed Truffled Sage Brown Butter, Winter Vegetables and Parmigiano-Reggiano. $32 Zinfandel Braised Angus Beef Short Rib - with Risotto of Wild Rice, Pine Nut and Dried Cranberries, with Butternut Squash Sauce. $40 Grilled Petit Filet of Angus Beef - with Crisp Yukon Gold Potato Gnocchi, Smoked Bacon, Grilled Onions and a Merlot Jus. $40 Walnut Crusted Mountain Meadows Lamb Rack - with Boneless Braised Lamb Shank, Roasted Parsnips, and Sonoma Mushrooms. $40 Napa Sides Sauteed Market Eggplant - with Yellow Bell Peppers, Toasted Garlic, Pine Nuts and Olive Oil. $10 Truffled "Mac & Cheese" Orecchiette Pasta - with Parmigiano-Reggiano. $12 Roasted Organic Broccoli - with Applewood Smoked Bacon and Tangerine Hollandaise. $10 "The Vintner's Table" A Chef's Tasting Menu inspired by the Bright, Fresh Flavors of Summertime's peak. Four Course Prix Fixe Menu: $85 - Add Flight of Four Wines: $45 (The Vintner's Menu changes every Friday) Manila Clams - Roasted in Our Wood Burning Oven, a Citrus Watercress Salsa and Soria Chorizo - Leek Broth Nora, Albarino, Rias Baixas DO, Galicia, Spain 2007 Sauteed Veal Sweetbreads - with Winter Trumpet Mushrooms, Reggiano-Parmigiano Flan and Port Essence Camille Giroud, Pinot Noir, Gevry-Chambertin Bourgogne 2005 Braised Angus "Beef Pot Roast" - Oven Roasted Local Rainbow Carrots, Scarlet Turnips, in a Rich Zinfandel Essence Robert Biale Vineyards, Zinfandel, Black Chicken, Napa Valley 2007 Baked Crepes filled with Milk Chocolate - topped with Pecan Brittle Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream and Candied Orange Peel Magicale, Brachetto, (Sweet Sparkling Rose) Piemonte DOC, Italy 2006 Napa Rose Desserts S'Mores Pop-over - with toasted marshmallows, peanut butter ice cream, and chocolate sauce $11.00 Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee Tart - with marinated raspberries $10.00 Scharffen Berger Chocolate "Truffle Cake" - with Cinnamon Ice Cream. $12.00 Summer Sweet Peach "Sandwich" - Layered with Homemade Fresh Sebastopol Blueberry Sorbet and Honey Biscuit. $10 Sugar Free Citrus Vanilla Italian Custard - Orange Mango Broth and Blueberries. $9 Fresh Homemade Ice Cream or Sorbet -- Single Scoop $3 -- Double Scoop $6 -- Triple Scoop $9

Jim and I opted for the Vinter's Table and had a lovely 4 course meal. We ended up taking home our rabbit since we were so full. Everything was unique that we ate from the anise bread to the lemon meringue napoleon with mango and strawberry confetti to the beet tartare in a cone. 2 1/2 hours later and a full belly, our dinner was over and we headed back to the park for another hour or two. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who wants a fanatastic meal in an intimate setting. It was nice to have some time to ourselves since Jim is always busy with school and the kids are always around. So thanks Julie for watching the kids so we can have some time to ourselves!