Good morning! I’m up early so I can get my check list done before spending the afternoon in Hoboken with a girlfriend I haven’t seen in ages! Today’s list includes:

• Grocery store for dinner ingredients and breakfast ingredients for the week
• Gym elliptical and abs session
• Put away laundry
• Blog

Let’s rewind to yesterday. 

After yesterday’s lovely girls day out , I was craving a date night with Bo.

After busy weeks, we tend to spend our weekend nights at home, relaxing. This is normally okay with me but last night I wanted nothing more than to sip a glass of wine over a delicious relaxing dinner.

We spent 30 minutes looking up some of our area restaurants and other restaurants that have been on our list to no avail. Everywhere had an hour to 2 hour wait time or they couldn’t ft us in at all. I even tweeted about our search, hoping to find somewhere. Unfortunately, New York isn’t the best city for spontaneous date nights.

We finally decided to bundle up and walk in the direction of Union Square, hoping we’d find a bar spot at either ABC Kitchen, Craft Bar, Gramercy Tavern, or Barbounia. In the end, our stand by favorite, Barbounia, won with 2 corner seats at their bar. 

Bo and I have been to Barbounia 6 times since we moved to Gramercy and we’ve never been disappointed! You can read my full review of the restaurant here .

Last night, we started with their mezze sampler which was delicious as always. We chose the hummus, spicy feta, and roasted eggplant. The spicy feat was especially delicious last night.

There was lots of energy in their bar as the restaurant was packed. Luckily however, our service was better than normal and we were able to order a glass of wine with ease and even enjoy our conversation.

We decided to try something new last night and sample some of their appetizers. We’ve never ordered any other appetizer than their mezze sampler so this was a treat.

The charred octopus was my favorite by far. It’s flavors were surprising mix of sweet and savory as the mint balanced the smoky octopus and the fennel provided a refreshing crunch. The portion size was perfect for sharing.

Bo was intrigued by the iron skillet shrimp after seeing it go out to three other parties. It did not disappoint, though the oil was a bit overwhelming for my taste. Bo loved the strong garlic flavor of the dish paired with the tender shrimp.

By the time our entree arrived, which we planned to split between us, we were stuffed. Instead of wasting it, we asked our bartender/waiter to box it up so we could enjoy it for leftovers.

Our relaxing Saturday date didn’t end there. Instead, we finally saw The Black Swan together. We’ve heard so much about it through friends, bloggers, and the news that we had to experience it for ourselves. WOW! Natalie Portman was absolutely amazing in this role but the movie itself was quite intense. After the first hour I think my eyes were covered by my hands more time than not but it was still a wonderfully performed story. I think it shows the true side of the pressure we often put on ourselves to be perfect.

What did you think of Black Swan? Would you see it again? Do you think it’s too extreme?