Our Sweetest Day Dinner!

So my husband Bryon and I, (as always) had a busy Saturday.  By the time we got home, settled, and the kids were all off to sleepovers– it was 9pm and I was literally exhausted. I really thought it was be a great night to just enjoy a kidless evening, at home on the couch relaxing and resting. Unfortunately, we were both hungry and pizza delivery didn’t sound like such a  great option. I was craving Italian, so I hopped on the Ipad and searched for options that stayed open to at least 11pm. I realistically knew I wouldn’t be up and dressed before 10.

My first thought was I don’t want to go too far from home because it was already so late. I immediately thought of Little Italy, but the place I had in mind was close to closing. While looking for other Italian restaurants I started to crave Chicken Parmesan. I started to think of authentic Italian restaurants close to our house and then BOOM, I remembered a small little family restaurant I hadn’t been to in literally YEARS!

My husband and I had gone here one time for a Sunday afternoon date about 5 years ago and really enjoyed it. However, my first time here was a year prior to that when I went with few colleagues. I remembered first arriving to the restaurant and being so surprised by it’s location. I had drove by this place a million times and never noticed it. I also remembered it being jam packed for lunch and that I enjoyed everything that I had. Fast forward to the time I returned with my husband I remembered the great wine and the stuffed peppers we shared as an appetizer. It was a great date and we always said we’d go back.

Well, this Sweetest Day was the perfect time to go. We arrived a little after 10 and it was as if we rented the entire place just for us! Pretty romantic I would say, we literally had the choice to sit anywhere.The inside was recently renovated, and I noticed the changes as soon as I walked in. There were 3 people at the bar clearly having a good time in their own little world. We were (obviously) seated without a wait and had impeccable service the entire night.  It’s a very open space with maybe 25 tables total. You definitely get the “homey” feel. I’ve seen this place packed to capacity but it’s never overwhelming.

We started with the stuffed peppers as our appetizer and YES they were as delicious and spicy as I remembered. They set my palate for what was to come. I ordered the chicken parmigana as expected, but  I went back and forth with that and the broiled stuff salmon. Bryon on the other hand went with mussels over linguini. Both were served with a side house salad which I contemplated changing to Caesar salad, but decided to try because it was pasta mixed with spinach served with Italian dressing. We were both very pleased with our meals! I ate all of mine but Bryon proudly went home with a doggy bag.

It was a quick dinner, we didn’t feel rushed,  but our food was finished so fast that we probably spent less than one hour total in the restaurant. When our check came, we were pleasantly surprised that our usual date night of $100 plus was only $47 dollars! I will say neither of us had alcohol, we both had water for dinner. I’m a big water person in general so if I’m not having a glass of wine, water is my drink of choice.

I’m sure many of you, if you’ve been to Golden Gate or traveled down Mayfield, have passed this small family owned, Italian restaurant and paid it no mind. It’s tucked away on the end of a plaza, right on Mayfield road. So if you’re every craving Italian, I’d suggest you try Arrabiata’s Italian Restaurant and tell them you read about them on #CourtneyCoversCleveland