From another planet

Last evening Spouse & I had dinner with our lady-friends Deb & Greer. Having lived in the DC area before moving here, they are a lot like us. They love trying new restaurants and experimenting with different food combinations so we have dinner together every 4-5 weeks or so. They are our favorite foodie friends!

Last evening's dinner wasn't at someplace 'new', but rather, a place neither couple had been to for a few years: Planet X Cafe. The decor is kind of funky bohemian, with lanterns, chandeliers, leopard print and deep jewel-tone colors everywhere. We were seated at a table at the corner of the porch. How I love dining al-fresco!

Deb & I started with cocktails (of course). Deb had the Lemon Basil Gin Spritzer which she really liked, and I had The Green Galaxy which I liked as well. With its cocoanut rum and pineapple juice, it sort of reminded me of suntan lotion but I liked it. The Midori gave it the green hue.

As an appetizer Deb ordered the creamy tomato basil soup, topped with feta crumbles. One taste of it had us flagging down the waiter (whom we named Oliver; we have no idea his real name) to order another bowl for Spouse & I to share. OMG was it good!!

With precision timing our entrees arrived just as we pushed the empty soup bowls to the middle of the table. Greer had the Pasta Carbonara with asparagus, arugula, shaved parmesan, a poached egg, and pancetta. Deb had Crispy seitan with cabbage and noodles in a lime ginger broth. Spouse had the grilled Ahi tuna with scallops, roasted summer veggies, corn cake, and citrus slaw, and I had the crispy halloumi with scallops, roasted summer veggies, corn cake, and citrus slaw. As is our custom, we passed our plates around so each of us could sample everyone's meals. We were all very happy with the flavors and high quality of the food.

Then we were tempted with wonderful sounding desserts. Deb & Greer split a slice of homemade key lime pie while Spouse & I split the banana cheesecake wrapped in philo dough and drizzled with warm caramel sauce. It was so exquisite I was nearly transported from Earth to Planet X.

As always, we really enjoyed our dinner together and selected 4 more restaurants to try in the coming weeks.

Crush du Jour: David Moretti