It’s February, the month of romance AND it’s date night. On a freezing winter night in New York City, one of the coziest things you can do for date night is settle in with fellow New Yorkers at the theater.
But first, Date Night Dinner
Our first date night stop was Molyvos, an upscale Greek restaurant right near Carnegie Hall. Our martini round was accompanied by the highlight of our meal, Ouzo Flamed Haloumi Cheese Saganaki.
We also ordered the Three Spread Sampler with Taramasalata, Melitzanosalata and Tzatziki.
- Taramasalata: a classic Greek dip found on most mezze platters. Traditionally it has a starchy base, and at Molyvos they use almonds as bread as the base. Carp roe, lemon juice and olive oil are then mixed in to round off the dip.
- Melitzanosalata: a smokey eggplant dip with tomatoes, yogurt, garlic and herbs to Molyvos’ version.
- Tzatiki: a cucumber yogurt dip that’s our all time favorite Greek dip. We don’t eat a Greek meal without it! Molyvos makes theirs with sheep’s milk yogurt, cucumber, garlic, mint and dill.
For the main course we shared the Moussaka, one our favorite Greek dishes – think Greek Shepard’s Pie or Greek lasagna. Ground lamb & beef is layered with potatoes, eggplant, peppers and topped with a yogurt-based creamy béchamel.
Carnegie Hall
We walked the grand staircase to the second floor in the famous concert hall. An usher showed us through a small, personal coat closet that led us out to our incredible center balcony seats adorned in red velvet. My favorite detail at Carnegie Hall is the large bowls of Ricola throat lozenges scattered around the hall. I’ve always been a sucker for these, and it passive aggressively tells everyone – we don’t want to hear you cough during the performance, so grab some!
All of the Greek food sat heavy in my belly and the sweet lullaby of the talented orchestra nearly had me dozing off. It was so calming, happy and romantic.
Russian Tea Room
After the show, while everyone hurried to grab taxis, Brad and I decided to let the craziness subside and headed next door for a nightcap at the renowned Russian Tea Room.
Entering the Russian Tea Room always takes my breath away. It’s sophistication, opulence and over-the-top Russian modernist feel is otherworldly. You’ve suddenly left the stained sidewalks and honking traffic and stepped into elegance of a different time. We snagged two seats at the bar and went with something light, but traditional: a Russian vodka tasting.
Date Night Vodka Flight
- Khortytsa Platinum: a Russian vodka with a very mild taste which is attributed to their process of silver and platinum filtration technology. Hate the harshness in vodka? Try this.
- Karlsson’s Gold: a Swedish vodka described as slightly earthy with a clean flavor, hints of sweet nuttiness and a smooth finish.
- Jewel of Russia: a Russian vodka is described as using a centuries-old Russian recipe to ensure the authenticity of the “Drink of the Czars.”
- Jewel of Russia Wild Berry: a Russian vodka that uses wild hand-picked cranberries, that are crushed and soaked in their premium vodka. The color results in a pale ruby red.
We found our taxi and headed home after a full night of feasting on food, music and vodka. What’s more romantic than that? One of the best date nights.
Check out more of my favorite NYC spots.