Last Night's Dinner

Al Di La (5th Avenue and Carroll, Park Slope) with Youthie L.

My first time dining here, despite the fact that it seems to be an old favorite of many. There was really nothing not to like about this reasonably priced, rustic Italian trattoria. To start, YL and I shared the beet salad (two types of beets, both delicious with great texture), along with a salad comprised of white anchovy fillets, yellow and red tomatoes, yellow CHERRY tomatoes (juicy and sweet), over a bed of bread, dressed in a lovely lemon vinaigrette. Seriously tasty. For dinner, YL had the spaghetti con vongole (this white clam sauce somehow manages to be perfectly simple, but oddly SPICY at the same time) and I had pappardelle in an amazing duck ragu. The ragu was just rich enough and tasted slightly of Madeira. The house red is also quite nice here. We split a carafe, which was actually a country kitchenish looking pitcher, and agreed that it tasted like delicious jam! In a good way.

Afterward, I went to the Warsaw in Greenpoint to see Rogue Wave. Since I sort of live in a bubble, I of course had never heard of them, but I went because my friend Heather is friends with Evan (bass) and Gram (lead guitar, sometimes drums). I was pleasantly surprised and especially liked it when they sang 'the Kids Are Alright' with members of Nada Surf (I COMPLETELY forgot about those guys! I seriously have not thought about them since the nineties.). Anyway, in addition to being a cool venue, the Warsaw also offers cheap drinks and homey Polish fare. Despite being stuffed from dinner, I had some yummy kielbasa with pickles!