Back to today's menu: ice cream from Baskin Robbins for lunch. A killed me when she pulled out two containers of ice cream. I was trying to be good on account of going out tonight, but when she had that extra and offered it to me, I couldn't resist. So we sat there and ate ice cream in the office. I had the Tiramisu flavor, which was possibly better than the actual dessert itself. At least she got kid-sized scoops of each. I'm not sure I could have handled the regular one on my own, since I was stuffed and slightly nauseous after what I had. The ice cream pretty much counteracted any sort of good the non-fat cottage cheese and low-sugar granola bar I ingested earlier. But at least I was full, right?
Dinner was set for 5:30 in Walnut Creek at Prima Ristorante, an Italian restaurant rated 15/20 on Gayot. It was definitely a good dining experience. We were seated immediately in the area where they host private dinner parties, and we were the only ones in there for a good 15 minutes or so. The staff was super friendly and several people welcomed us. The restaurant itself was lovely--spacious, tastefully decorated, and romantic. Even at 5:30 there were quite a few diners already. The first thing I noticed was the huge, well-stocked bar. In fact, the room we sat in had a glass wine cellar right next to our table. It was absolutely beautiful. There is a specialty wine store next door that we weren't able to look at, but I would love to take a look another time.
We were each personally served bread, with some shared olive oil for dipping. The olive oil was probably some of the best I've ever had and for the first time ever, I could taste the olive essence. It actually tripped me out a bit, and I was a bit unsure at first, since I'm not the biggest olive fan out there, but I ultimately decided I liked the oil. I typically prefer flavored oils or at least some balsamic vinegar to go with it, but this EVOO was so fruity and rich that it didn't need anything extra. The bread itself was nothing special, but it really served as a vehicle for the star, the EVOO.
They didn't actually have anything vegetarian on the menu, but our waitress offered me several options, including simply leaving it in the Chef's hands, which I ended up doing, along with a dinner salad consisting of butter lettuce, radicchio, other greens, and shaved parmesan. I love the color combination of the red of the radicchio and the bright green of the lettuce--so pretty and vibrantly contrasting. Jim ordered the crab cannelloni and the garbanzo vegetable soup (in chicken stock). Our salad/soup came out almost immediately, but unfortunately they dressed the salad (I had ordered the dressing on the side). She took care of it right away, but it took a while to get another salad out. When I finally got it, it was very good, and the parmesan was extremely tasty and high quality. Really, the parm made the salad for me. Jim enjoyed his soup, although it didn't compare to Villa Romano's (his favorite Italian restaurant). We discussed Villa over dinner. I think we both have a soft spot in our hearts for the place, Jim more so than me. I went with my ex to the place for the first time and had a terrible experience. I had no intention of ever going back there, but because Jim loves the place so much, I agreed to give it a try. I admit that ever since then, I've had nothing but delicious food there.
Anyway, back to Prima. The cannelloni had a very strong crab flavor, which Jim liked. What he didn't like were the two tubes of pasta he got. There just wasn't enough food there. Luckily for him, I gave him about half of my meal, not because I didn't like it, but because I was still full from that dang ice cream from lunch! For me, the chef picked a tagliatelle pasta tossed with EVOO, leeks, and chantarelle mushrooms. It was soo good! Surprisingly filling, the pasta was very hearty and robust with flavors. I really liked the combination of the leeks and the mushrooms, and the fresh pasta matched perfectly in its shape and texture. I think it was slightly under al dente and could have cooked for a little longer, but nothing significant. The dish really was excellent and significantly larger than it looked initially all piled up and stuff. I have to say, as far as plating goes, mine was much prettier. It was all piled up very nicely and the height of the pasta just looked very visually appealing. Jim's was just pasta flat on his oval plate. The two sauces used were swirled, but nothing all that special.
As big as I felt my meal was, Jim was still hungry, so we each got a dessert to share: raspberry tiramisu and strawberry-rhubarb crespelle with a creme fraiche zabaglione. The tiramisu was absolutely decadent, with tons of marscapone and a strong espresso flavor. In my opinion, it overwhelmed the raspberry flavor, which I would have preferred more of, but then again, I'm not the biggest coffee fan in the world. It works in desserts, but I'm always going to pick a fruit flavor over coffee. My crepe was amazing. I could have foregone any of the tiramisu for the entire crepe. It was that good. And both were tiny, so although dessert is always an indulgence, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Again, the plating wasn't great (I would have preferred a greater color contrast), but the desserts themselves were quite tasty.
The best part about Prima is that with Open Table, we got 1000 points. And because of Jim's company's perks, one of our entrees was free. Since they were each $21, it's a mystery as to whose was complimentary. But it was the first time we utilized the card, so it was very exciting.
I absolutely will come back to this place, but not just b/c of the Open Table points and the discount. Really, what made it for me was that the service was absolutely outstanding. The food was very good, but not earth shattering. Comparing it to some of the amazing Italian restaurants we've been to (Giorgio di Baldi!), it's not the best, but it was certainly better than Olive Garden.
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