Giorgio’s of Gramercy, Flatiron

Another delicious date night! Dinner at Giogio’s of Gramercy with a coupon from Bloomspot. We’ve been here once for my birthday, and I’ve always wanted the excuse to come back. This time around, we were seated further inside, surrounded by velvety red walls and smooth jazz. A lovely candle lit dinner. (Unfortunately, the dim lighting wasn’t good for photos, but you get the idea.)

The menu wasn’t the most veggie friendly, but we had some solid options. I don’t eat fish, but I occasionally eat seafood, and Giorgio’s has scallops! How can I turn that down?!

Appetizer #1: Buffalo mozzarella, grilled ciabatta, apricot preserve, rosemary infused olive oil. The apricot preserve was my favorite part of this dish. A nice surprise hidden between the creamy mozzarella and ciabatta.

Appetizer #2: Chickpeas, avocado, hearts of palm, orange segments, roasted tomatoes, honey, dijon mustard. The combination of chickpeas, avocado and dijon mustard was light, but creamy. Quite addictive too.

John’s entree: Baked macaroni with fontina, smoked cheddar, asiago, broccoli, leeks, garlic. I didn’t taste this, but judging from how happy John looked, it must have been quite tasty. Just the thought of that combination of cheeses makes me hungry. It’s never occurred to me to add leeks to mac and cheese. Must try that at home sometime!

My entree: Caramelized sea scallops with cauliflower fondue & florets, golden raisins, roasted almonds, balsamic glaze. Ordered this last time we had dinner here. Watching Hell’s Kitchen has made me crave scallops lately, and these scallops totally hit the spot. Large, juicy scallops, perfectly caramelized. I was in foodie heaven. The cauliflower fondue was lightly sweet and creamy. Everything just melted in my mouth. Amazing. I had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Dessert: Creme Brulee topped with amarena cherries. How can you not love creme brulee?! John originally wanted the rice pudding, but I convinced him that we needed some creme brulee in our lives. ;) He was not disappointed. The cherries were delicious! and packed a bit of a punch.