8th Anniversary! Piattino and 16 Prospect Wine Bar

Celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss required some FOOD that made us HAPPY DANCE!

The actual anniversary fell on a weekday, so Mel looked for a creative takeout option for a festive dinner.  As luck would have it, the special of the day at our beloved Piattino was Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe - a dish we fell in love with in Italy.  So it was easy to decide we'd have a pasta feast in honor of our foodie honeymoon!  We also ordered the Duck Maltagliati in case the cacio e pepe was a bust with the added element of cauliflower.  Both wound up being delicious, so it was a double win!

Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe

(Homemade Linguine, Roasted Cauliflower, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Parmesan)

Duck Maltagliati

(Duck and Truffle Sugo, Wild Mushrooms, Thyme, Topped with Fried Egg)

And DJ brought home a delightful, "hearty" (get it? HA!) treat from La Maison du Macaron in the city.  A perfect sweet chocolate mousse bomb to mark the special occasion. 

We wanted to be sure to have a date out of the house to celebrate as well.  So when the weekend rolled around, we headed to 16 Prospect Wine Bar and Bistro in Westfield to see what it's all about.  This spot has come up many times when we search for good eats in the area.  Apparently their big draw is live music at night, but we figured we'd give it a chance during the day since wine bars often have quite a cozy setting.

The setting is indeed cozy.  There are high top tables toward the front next to the bar and stage area, and regular tables in the back.  We agreed that it definitely has a worn-in, dive bar kind of vibe to it.  Lots of memorabilia on the walls, regulars sitting at the bar, and the wine/beer/liquor/faded-cigarettes-from-yesteryear aroma of "these walls have seen many a happy late-night crowd."  This place has history.

Overall the food was enjoyable!  We decided to snack on a few items just to get a sampling.

Garlic Shrimp
(Extra virgin olive oil, hot pepper flakes, garlic, roasted red pepper, four jumbo shrimp, over a garlic crouton)

Roasted Pear & Fennel Salad
(Baby arugula, crumbled bleu cheese, spicy walnuts, apple cider vinaigrette)

Five Cheese Pizza
(Tomato sauce, Asiago, Pecorino-Romano, Mozzarella, Fontina, Aged Provolone, spices)

Our favorite dish was definitely the salad; you can never go wrong with a nice pear/blue cheese combo!  Perhaps we'll keep an eye on their live music offerings and come back sometime for snacks and a show.  In the meantime...

CHEERS TO 8 YEARS!