Miami Date Night: Anniversary Dinner

My IG feed and stories mostly feature my face but behind the camera of many of the recent shots is a wonderful, handsome guy, Sam. Sam and I are both PhD students at UM, though he’s a 5th year Pharmacology student and I’m a 3rd year Neuroscience student. We work in the same small lab building, studying different aspects of mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell. Although our circles often crossed, it wasn’t until August 2019 that we went on our first date. Things were accelerated when my lease move-in date didn’t line up with my move-out date. I put the majority of my stuff into a storage unit for the meantime, and brought the essentials to Sam’s apartment. Keep in mind, we had only been seeing each other for a few weeks. Miami, being Miami, means that new buildings don’t have their shit together. So my move-in date moved back a week, and then another week, and then they predicted another MONTH. This was one of the most stressful times of my life and this sweet, sweet guy was doing everything he could to keep me from the edge -- leaving me his card for food after a particular rough day, surprising me with a nice meal out, making me dinner (can you tell I love food?). Ultimately I stayed at his place for 2-3 weeks before moving into a different place, and you know he helped me move all morning. On September 24th, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and of course, I said yes. A year has flown by, in what feels like a snap of my fingers. A whole year of holidays, birthdays, accomplishments, smiles, laughter, and love. Not to be sappy, but I really am grateful for this amazing man. 

What I Wore

Our dinner reservations were set for 7pm, which gave me just enough time to do my yoga, shower and get ready after work. But in perfect girl fashion, I was debating between three outfits, all with very different vibes. I ultimately chose this metallic mocha pleated skirt I ordered recently from SheIn ($17). The length and style of this skirt is classy but not overly dressy for a dinner date. While usually I would go for a white top, I knew white and Italian food is a recipe for disaster and chose a plain, sleeveless black top instead. I finished off this neutral ensemble with multi-metal, textured earrings, and a cream fur purse. I almost went with heels, but as we would be walking and more rain was forecasted, I opted for my leopard print flats. This look overall gave chic fall vibes and wasn’t too heavy for Miami’s heat and humidity.

Delightful Dining

To celebrate our first full year together, we went to dinner at

North Italia, an amazing Italian restaurant, which also happens to be the location of our first date. We had planned to sit outside, but unfortunately the rain decided otherwise. The interior design has a natural feel with wooden ceilings and booths and greenery paired with elegant marble high top tables and globular hanging light fixtures. Social distancing was well enforced with alternating empty tables. I have to say, it feels weird to wear a mask everywhere, but as soon as you sit down at a restaurant, you can take it off? We accessed the menu via QR code, but still received a physical wine list.

As it was a special occasion, we ordered a bottle of wine. I typically prefer white wines, but based on our entrees, we decided on the 2017 Pecchenino san Luigi Dogliani Docetto. It wasn’t too heavy of a red but was high on alcohol content (13.5%), which we blissfully discovered later. We started with their Prosciutto Bruschetta. This loaded appetizer has crescenza cheese, grilled asparagus, truffle, and grana padano cheese. Let me tell you, this was the best asparagus I have ever had. It was a surprisingly light and fresh bite with the savory and salty prosciutto and cheeses. 

Prosciutto Bruschetta

Short Rib Radiatori

The first time we came here, I had gotten their Squid Ink Mafaldine -- absolutely divine and just the right amount of spicy. But I wanted to try something new and went for the Short Rib Radiatori, while Sam got the Chicken Pesto. All of their pasta dishes are made with fresh, homemade pasta. The short rib pasta was a really unsuspecting complement of flavors. You don’t usually see short ribs paired with pasta, let alone a cream sauce. The short ribs were so tender, just falling apart. The pasta was tossed in a parmesan cream with fresh horseradish and wilted arugula. Sam’s chicken pesto was light and fresh with added pine nuts for texture.  

Hazelnut Torta

Although we don’t usually order desserts, we had to make an exception this time and I’m so glad that we did. I picked out the Hazelnut Torta -- a chocolate hazelnut cake, topped with salted caramel gelato, surrounded by a swirl of nutella cream and hazelnut toffee. I almost regret sharing it, that’s how good it was. It was the perfect blend of textures and flavors; I think I’ll be dreaming of it for a while.

North was a great pick for date night. The portions were generous, but not over indulgent. The service was fast and polite. I think they made great accommodations for dealing with a pandemic. Their brunch menu has been raved about so we’ll have to make a point to check it out in the future (maybe with that new striped skirt I got in my Goody Box).

You Hold the Key

In terms of gifts, I didn’t get all mushy gushy. No Xbox boxes filled with reasons I love him or anything. His Xbox headset has been crapping out on him for a while, so I ordered him a new wireless headset from Turtle Beach. Sam, on the other hand, is much more thoughtful and romantic and ordered me something special. The only hint I was given was that it was not something I had mentioned before. Really narrows it down. When it had arrived, he told me to close my eyes as he unboxed it, because the packaging would give it away. This gave me a small inkling but for the most part I was surprised when he handed me the iconic Tiffany blue bag. Inside was a box, tied up in the most perfect white ribbon bow. Pulling the bow undone and lifting the lid, I found a beautiful sterling silver heart key pendant. It’s been a long time since I’ve received a piece of jewelry, especially a piece to wear daily. I find myself fiddling with the key to his heart as I sit at my computer. I truly couldn’t ask for a better partner.