With the boys all tangled up in "March Madness" me & my gal pal decided to have an impromptu ladies night out on Friday. She decided on Pandrino's Bistro & Italian Steakhouse in Hamilton, NJ since neither of us had ever been there, and it was indeed a GREAT choice...
We started with a basket of mixed bread and olive oil for dipping...I always love finding the "pizza & herb bread" hiding out in the basket;)
So since it was Friday and we were "treating ourselves", we decided to indulge in the appetizer special for the evening that just sounded TOO good to pass up: Fried Gnocchi. I figured we'd each get a little scoop to taste and be done with it. So imagine the test of willpower when the waitress came out with a SERVING SIZE bowls worth...
And talk about ridiculously tasty HEAVEN!!! The gnocchi was mixed in a cream sauce (hello?? Now do you know why I did the "triathlon" yesterday???), tomatoes and CHUNKS of CRAB MEAT! Oh my!!!!!!!! We still managed to keep our portions small, but WOW, talk about excessive on ALL fronts! ;)So in keeping with the excessive theme: We both decided to try out the manicotti, since they were homemade and hand rolled to order (fancy;). So before our dinner came out, the waitress came over and CLEARED both of our places and told us "your not going to believe these plates"....ummmmmm....she was right....
Thank God there were only 2 of us at the table!!! I don't know how else anything could fit!! :) They made QUITE a presentation, let me tell ya!! We both swapped a little piece of each. She ordered the Formaggi (tomato & cheese) and I ordered the Vegetarino (mixed veggie in a provolone sauce)....they were both DELICIOUS, and the vegetables on mine were KILLER...
Overall a really tasty and beautifully presented dinner! But a definite test in "large plate" willpower;) Talk about the antithesis of the theory of using smaller plates to eat less. Oh well, eating out should include a "WOW" factor, and they definitely have that going on with those serving plates! (not to mention the food was just as spectacular!!)
Thank God there were only 2 of us at the table!!! I don't know how else anything could fit!! :) They made QUITE a presentation, let me tell ya!! We both swapped a little piece of each. She ordered the Formaggi (tomato & cheese) and I ordered the Vegetarino (mixed veggie in a provolone sauce)....they were both DELICIOUS, and the vegetables on mine were KILLER...
Overall a really tasty and beautifully presented dinner! But a definite test in "large plate" willpower;) Talk about the antithesis of the theory of using smaller plates to eat less. Oh well, eating out should include a "WOW" factor, and they definitely have that going on with those serving plates! (not to mention the food was just as spectacular!!)Afterwards we had to head for one of my VERY FAVORITE places in the area for an after dinner fix....
"The Bent Spoon" is home to my most VERY FAVORITE cupcakes EVER. But the first beautiful spring night of the year could only call for one thing:
All of their ice cream is homemade and they make some of the best and most unusual ice cream around. (red cabbage apple sorbet??) They also use local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible (LOVVVVEEE That!!!) So even though they had the very seasonally appropriate Chocolate Baileys & Guinness flavors, I decided to try a scoop of the NJ Honey & the Mint Cookie ice cream (that's almost Irish, right???)
Fabulous as always! It made me SUPER excited for spring & summer:) If your ever in Princeton, NJ...you musttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt sample "The Bent Spoon" and "Pandrino's", you will NOT be disappointed!
"The Bent Spoon" is home to my most VERY FAVORITE cupcakes EVER. But the first beautiful spring night of the year could only call for one thing:
All of their ice cream is homemade and they make some of the best and most unusual ice cream around. (red cabbage apple sorbet??) They also use local, seasonal ingredients whenever possible (LOVVVVEEE That!!!) So even though they had the very seasonally appropriate Chocolate Baileys & Guinness flavors, I decided to try a scoop of the NJ Honey & the Mint Cookie ice cream (that's almost Irish, right???)
Fabulous as always! It made me SUPER excited for spring & summer:) If your ever in Princeton, NJ...you musttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt sample "The Bent Spoon" and "Pandrino's", you will NOT be disappointed! 
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