Realization of the Day:

Sometimes slower is better!

I had a leisurely dinner this evening at Cigala's with Dr. V before she heads back to the States. We had some of the tastiest sangria I've had in a while -- it had a great cinnamon and fruit tang that reminded me of gluhwein. We sat out on the patio since it was such a lovely night and watched everyone walk past us. There was only one waiter for the outdoor section of the restaurant, so the service was slow, but it really was okay. Cigala is on a street that's very pedestrian and bike friendly; there's room enough for a car to pass, but not many did while we were there. It's filled with restaurants, pubs, and shops, and has a really nice feel about the place.

We each ordered three tapas and shared everything. It was the perfect amount of food, and the right choices too! We ordered bleu cheese and candied figs, lamb meatballs, spanish ham with tomato toast and olives, marinated anchovies, sautéed chicken livers, and sautéed spinach. All was wonderful. I especially enjoyed the marinated anchovies and the chicken livers. The livers were mixed with caramelized onions and were the best I've had in a long time! After dinner we basked in the twilight as the pubs around us filled up and ordered dessert. I got rice pudding, which is one of my favorite desserts. There were little bits of orange zest in the pudding, which gave it a really wonderful flavor. Dr. V had a meringue with strawberries and cream on the side. I'd never had a homemade meringue before, and it was one of the best confections! Light and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside...Kevin and I will have to experiment with these.

All in all, dinner probably took over 2 hours, but the pace seemed just right for the mood I was in. It wasn't a cheap meal, but it was perhaps one of the nicest I've had in a very long time!

(Thanks to someone on Flickr for taking the exact picture I wanted to!)