Three Cheers for 118

So our Valentine's Day dinner at 118 Degrees was marvelous. (I'm speaking only of the food. Our server made us feel like we'd arrived at a truck stop, rather than the chic Raw restaurant we know 118 to be. On the plus side, the other staff was friendly and attentive, including the partner-owner, who checked on our table a few times.)

I used to dine at fine restaurants and linger over 5-course meals, but it's harder to do when you're eating Raw. We enjoyed the starter: wild mushroom rosettes on vegetable crackers. A serving amounted to one cracker, which was perfect. It was followed by an amazing cream of asparagus soup. This might've been my favorite dish, as I do miss soup and haven't been able to create one at home that satisfies. LB and I both enjoyed the salad (Wilted Sweet Spinach Salad with Crispy Tomato, Olives & Basil Cheese). We weren't served the oversized portions common to modern restaurants, but after this course, I couldn't eat another bite. In the old days, I would've either continued to nibble on my food or rested a while before diving back in. Instead I had my entree packed to-go, tasted LB's Basil Ravioli, and called it a night.

I enjoyed a glass of organic Cabernet with my meal, while Lovely Boyfriend indulged in Yogi Juice: Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice, Berry Juice, Bee Propolis and a splash of lemon juice. We both brought home our desserts, the Famous Chocolate Ganache, and we'll dive into those tonight.

We usually stay home on big ocassion days, avoid the crowds and high prices, but this outing was worth the time and effort.