Boston Date Night Series: Valentine’s Day in the North End
Valentine’s Day is an extra fun day for Darren and I because it also happens to be Darren’s birthday! As a result, we get to do twice the celebrating in one evening. This year, we split up the night, starting with Valentine’s Day dinner and ending with a round of birthday drinks. We headed to the North End for yummy plates at Tresca, owned by former Boston Bruins legend Ray Bourque. Then we headed over to one of Darren’s favorite Downtown spots, Tiki Rock, a tropical-inspired bar serving fun tiki drinks and pan-Asian cuisine.
The atmosphere at Tresca was perfect for Valentine’s Day. It was busy of course, but it wasn’t noisy or crowded. The service was stellar and there was no wait between each part of the meal. The waitstaff brought fresh bread and olive oil to start, and kept our glasses filled throughout the night. We kicked things off with a delicious plate of Aranchini – crispy breaded rice balls with spinach, ground sausage, Mozzarella cheese, and pomodoro sauce. For entrees, Darren went for the Veal Marsala and I had the Pollo Santino – a pan roasted Statler breast, prosciutto, provolone, wild mushrooms, artichoke hearts, lemony pan jus, and rigatoni. SO GOOD! To end on an even better note, the check came with a beautiful rose in it.
Next, we were off to Tiki Rock for some drinks. As a “Landlubber” (a.k.a. non-alcoholic drinker), I ordered The Other One, a delicious mix of clementine, lemon, hibiscus, and soda topped with a fresh flower. Darren enjoyed two different tiki cocktails: the Saturn, a gin base with passion fruit, lemon, orgeat, and falernum; and the Suit + Tie, a mix of Singani, gin, canteloupe-cucumber, lime, and orgeat. He was a very happy birthday boy!
We ended the night with sweets from Mike’s Pastry and Blackbird Doughnuts at home. It was another great night out in Boston and a very nice Valentine’s Day for Darren and I!
