Blue Hill

Once a year, usually in February, we go out for a super-nice dinner. Last year we chose One If By Land, Two If By Sea, usually voted the most romantic restaurant in New York. This year we moved north a few blocks and went to Blue Hill, whose fresh-from-their-own-farm produce and other products were enough to make me forget my vegetarianism for a night.

We began with glasses of pinot nior and pinot gris, then had squash ravioli with spinach and crabmeat on finely sliced apples as starters, lamb with parsnips and cobia with chickpeas as entrees, and apples with oatmeal crust and chocolate bread pudding with caramel as dessert. Yum, yum.

The space used to be a speakeasy, but it's been revamped with exposed brick, soft brown banquettes, and copper-toned mirrors. Nice enough to ease digestion, yet no so distracting as to take away from the food. While the food was delicious, it was my company that really made my meal.