Restaurant Review: Bruno's Italian

So my BFF Kristina's friend had been raving to me about this random looking italian place in a strip mall by our house, so Eric and I decided to drag our neighbors Jerry and Dawn to it as well. We had eaten at a few other "great" italian places by the house and had been sorely disappointed, so we didn't get our hopes up about this one. When the four of us walked into Bruno's we were immediately suprised by the lovely atmosphere. There was a pianist playing in the corner, and the restaurant was split up into a few little rooms as well as a glassed in patio. The atmosphere was great (def more on the grown up side, but not too stuffy), and we had a lovely evening. Eric and I enjoyed a simple, perfect Caprese salad to start, followed by the Veal Samtimbocca (him) and the Pan Seared Orange Roughy (me). They were both fantastic - so good in fact that I doubt I will ever be able to order anything else than this delightful, light, fresh fish. We both cleaned our plates, and Jerry and Dawn thouroughly enjoyed theirs as well.

We'll definitely be going back to Bruno's, especially when we want a dinner on the fancy side but don't want to venture too far from the house. Salad, dinner, and a bottle of wine was about $100 including tip. Hooray for a fun, yummy, independently owned restaurant close to the casa!

The Holiday Bowl

So, one thing that I think is important to capture in our blog is our fun adventures away from good old DFW. Eric and I had a fabulous trip to San Diego at the end of the year to cheer the OSU Cowboys on at the Holiday Bowl and stayed on to ring in the New Year. We stayed at the W San Diego (thank goodness for all of Eric's hotel points). We were met with a chilled bottle of bubbly upon arrival, so we got the party started and then got ready to head to the game. We were very excited!

Unfortunately with our quarterback's shoulder issues we didn't come out on top, but we had a great time checking out the stadium where the Chargers play as well as cheering on the cowboys. I also had one of the best Italian Dogs of my life!

We did also manage to enjoy a fair bit of the gaslamp quarter during our visit. A particular highlight was the incredible sushi we had on New Year's Eve at Taka. We sat at the sushi bar and our chef was as delightful and lovely as the fish! We also had a quick glass of wine at The Grape before heading back to the hotel to enjoy the New Year's festivities. San Diego was a great relaxing trip and great way to start the year off. We still hold out hope that in five years or so we'll be living in Cali - I guess we'll see what happens!

New Year, New Goal

Happy New Year! Well, my goal this year is to start a blog, so here's my first try. The funny part is that I'm so self conscious that I am not telling anyone that I'm starting a blog, it's more of a diary for Eric and I. Maybe after a few months if I really keep up with it I'll open it up to others, but right now I'm too shy. So, if you stumble upon me, I hope you enjoy and that I'm not too lame.

Other New Year Goals:

1. Get back into new music and bands: I used to be in the know of new upcoming bands and musicians that were really getting out there with new ideas, but since moving back from London I've let my knowledge start to slide. So, I promise to start experimenting with new music and reporting the good, the bad, and the ugly right here!

2. Support the arts in DFW: OK, so if I check out new local bands (see #1) I will be killing two birds with one stone, but I also mean other types of music and other types of art. I feel like Eric and I should take some of the money we spend eating out, and instead, cook at home and use that to attend more lectures, musicals, plays, art shows, etc.

3. Paint: So, almost six months ago I bought some acrylics and canvases, but have yet to jump in. I have loads of ideas but I'm almost afraid to start. If I ever paint anything I can stand to look at I will post it here, I promise.

To those of you that have goals for 2009, good luck!