Rino's Place

Last night TKO took me and my roommate Kathleen out on a date! I have never dated a guy who cared in the slightest bit about making sure my friends like him, so this is new territory for me. And I love it! It was so nice spending time with my best friend and my suitor (HAHA...did I really just say that?) at once.

I had been dying to check out Rino's Place in East Boston for years now. It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in 2010 and the images of homemade pasta and seafood made my mouth water then and now! (Here's a link to the segment on DDD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az2qmVglV8s)

We arrived at the restaurant around 7:30 and knew we'd be in for a wait. The place is small (only about 10 tables or so) and we had about an hour ahead of us. We walked over to a nearby bar for some drinks while we waited. I ordered a cantaloupe martini, which was watermelon vodka mixed with mango. It didn't taste like cantaloupe but was still good!

When we got the phone call from the hostess we headed back to Rino's for some dinner. We started off with a bottle of red, some bread and a few appetizers. We ordered stuffed mushrooms (which were stuffed with crab meat, ritz crackers and a lemon sauce) and something like eggplant rollatini.
Both were so good, but I was full before my entree even arrived! The main courses are GIGANTIC and come with salads. I only ate about half my salad in a weak attempt to save room for dinner. I ordered the frutti di mare which came with clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp and was served over homemade fettucine and covered in a white wine sauce. Soooooooo freakin' good. This picture does not do it justice -- this plate was huge. I ate probably an eighth of the meal and brought the rest home. Leftovers for days!!

Kathleen ordered the "Rino's Special" which looks pretty gross in this picture. It was chicken, veal and shrimp atop pasta in a brandy cream sauce. Girl likes her meat ;)

TKO ordered the famous lobster ravioli. I was tempted to order this but in the end am happy with the choice I made. I tried his and it absolutely lived up to the hype, but was way too rich for me to eat more than 2 pieces or so.


Today is going to be a "get back on track" day where I just eat normally! I have a few pretty indulgent days of eating under my belt and need a break. Breakfast this morning was a granola bar and an apple. Lunch is going to be my favorite canned soup -- chickarina soup!

I rarely eat canned soups anymore but this one just reminds me of home. My mom used to make it for me whenever I was sick and I just can't give it up.

I have zumba tonight and I can't wait! For some reason my right calf is sore though -- maybe I'm dehydrated? Gotta drink up that H2O before tonight.

Happy birthday to my wonderful friend Cara -- my one and only blog reader from the start!! I love you and hope you have an amazing day!