Elizabeth

Lately, in an effort to save money, my boyfriend, Ben, and I have been trying not to go out much. This basically translates to me cooking pasta and a salad or breakfast for dinner. The last time we went to a restaurant was a few weeks ago when I was visiting Ben in his stomping ground. The beautiful Trenton, New Jersey.

We had a lovely lunch at this place called T.G.I.Friday's. Never heard of it? I suggest you try it. We each had an entree and a soda for $22!

However, this weekend marked our 2-year anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to splurge a little bit and go out for a nice dinner. Alex suggested a fairly new restaurant in Nolita called Elizabeth. Once I spotted pumpkin ravioli on the menu, I was sold. There was still a pesky burger on the menu, though. In my restaurant search, I was trying desperately to find a restaurant without a burger on the menu. Ben always orders a burger. Always.

We ended up going to Elizabeth. Located on Elizabeth Street, the restaurant was somewhat hard to spot. There wasn't a sign or a number to be found so I awkwardly asked "Is this Elizabeth?" before we walked in.

I sometimes feel too young to be at a nice restaurant without my parents or my Uncle Don. My Uncle Don is usually the one introducing me to the fancy restaurants of Manhattan. I've been spoiled by his restaurant choices and his pressure to try new food. The last time I went out with him, I tried caviar for the first time.

Ben and I arrived early enough to be seated in the back room. The bar in the entrance was very comfy feeling and the lounge room on the way to the back room felt, well like a lounge. There were fire places with big comfy chairs for a unique dining experience and bottles of wine covering the walls. But I was glad we were in the back because, after seeing pumpkin ravioli on the menu, I loved the picture on the restaurant's website.


The ambiance created by the candles and plants was romantic and fun. Ben had the Crispy Cheese Burger with Garlicky Garlic Fries. The fries were thick fries served with a ketchup, mustard and mayo sauce that I just wanted to keep licking off my fork. The pumpkin ravioli was served on a smaller a plate and, at first, I was disappointed with the portion. It ended up being the perfect serving size for me. I ate every late bite.

At the end of dinner, I told Ben that I definitely want to come back. *hint hint*