I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of believing the misconception that you must drive into town to enjoy a nice dinner. In fact, I will often say to Hubby, “come on, let’s go out-out… you know, like out of the neighborhood?” When I received a very generous $100 gift certificate to Assaggio, I asked Hubby if he had ever been to the Assaggio at Ala Moana, to which he responded in a very typical Hubby-like fashion, “No. Why would I need to go to Ala Moana when we have an Assaggio right in our backyard?” Touche. I made the reservation at the Assaggio in Mililani.

The Assaggio in Mililani has a more casual dining atmosphere than the one in Ala Moana Shopping Center. You would be hard pressed to find someone donning t-shirts and shorts at the Ala Moana location, but I observed quite a few patrons in very casual attire at the Mililani restaurant. I suppose most people think that since it’s in Mililani, dressing up is not required — and besides, we’re going to Long’s after this anyway!

Filet Mignon Carpaccio

We started out with the Filet Mignon Carpaccio appetizer which was quite good. I love capers and the dipping sauce was tasty. The thought of raw beef gives me a slight pause, but not enough to make me decide not to order it. I suppose I still have some faith in the FDA and the American food industry. Despite my affinity for steaks prepared medium-rare, I have managed to avoid contracting E. Coli and other undesirables. I am happy to report that I also survived the carpaccio.

Imported Italian Beer

Hubby usually likes to indulge in one imported beer over dinner. Tonight it was only appropriate to have the imported Italian beer, La Rossa. I, on the other hand, had an iced tea sweetened with Equal.

The Caesar Salad at Assaggio is prepared tableside if you have two or more orders. I recall when we had the tableside salad preparation a few years ago, our server was obviously a rookie. When cracking the egg, she dropped a few eggshells into the wood bowl that was already slathered in olive oil, parmesan cheese, and other goodies. With perfectly manicured nails, she picked out the eggshells. For a germophobe like me, that’s borderline horrific. I pretended not to notice and managed to convince myself that I was just hallucinating. Luckily, our server this time was a Caesar Salad preparation veteran. No eggshells, no visions of manicured nails in my dressing. The salad was a little heavy on the anchovies, but extremely tasty and tossed to perfection. I love Caesar salads in which every last piece of romaine is saturated.

Chicken Vegetable Linguine

Hubby ordered the Chicken Vegetable Linguine with Garlic Sauce. I sampled a few mouthfuls and really enjoyed that the noodles were delicately seasoned and how the natural flavor of the vegetables were given precedence. The chicken was tender and seasoned primarily with coarsely ground pepper. Overall, a nice dish if you’re in the mood for lighter (and probably healthier) fare.

Baked Eggplant Ziti

I rarely stray from my favorites, but tonight I decided to try something different. The Baked Ziti with Eggplant was covered in a rich marinara sauce and melted cheese. Although many dishes come in two sizes (small and regular portions), this one was one size fits all. The portion was very generous and I found that I was unable to finish more than one-third of the dish. The rest came home in a take-out box and will very likely be tomorrow’s lunch for Hubby.

Hubby took a breather before finishing the rest of his dish. He was waiting for his second wind for dessert.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Hubby is the chocoholic of the family. And you thought I was bad? If given a choice, he will always choose a dessert containing chocolate than any other. Tonight was no exception.

Of course, I had to sample a bite so that I would be able to give my opinion for this entry. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!) For the record, it was very good, delightfully more rich than you would expect a mousse to be.

Custard Flan

Feeling stuffed from the heavy entree, I opted for a lighter dessert and went with the Flan. It was smooth and creamy, a nice way to top off dinner.

I guess Hubby is right: Good food can be found right in your backyard!

Trackback URI |