Sometimes Life Calls For Really Good Food...

...even if it's a bit on the pricey side.

Both Ken and I had a pretty long and stressful week last week, so when we woke up on Saturday morning to overcast skies and a pressure in the air that proceeds a storm--making it almost unbearable to be outside, we were thrown into the mental pit of despair.

To make matters worse, our air-conditioning stopped working in the middle of the night on Friday and it wasn't up and running again until much later in the day yesterday. Air-conditioning (or the lack thereof) ain't-no-thang if you have at least one fan in your possession.... But we don't. So we were both hot and miserable, and given yesterday's hot, headache-inducing weather, going outside provided little to no relief.

We were sad and uncomfortable, and we needed some comfort food and an escape from our warm, sticky apartment (and from our puppy who was completely unaffected by the weather and positively bouncing off the walls).

So we went for Italian food at CaFfinO in Liberty Village. It was the best mistake we've ever made.

The first reason I say it was a "mistake" is because we were both feeling melancholy and felt like we deserved an appetizer and a bottle of pinot noir to go with our comfort dinner. Hey, when in Rome, right? (The prices at CaFfinO are fairly reasonable, but we went a little overboard.... And it was so worth it.) 

The bruschetta was the best we've had. Ever. 

I don't know what Ken ordered (I was too focused on my own menu-decision to notice) and Ken doesn't remember what it was called. He declared on a number of occasions, however, that it was the best pasta dish he ever had. Side note: His pose in the above picture was intentional, although I don't know exactly what he was going for. (He doesn't know, either.)

I've been on a gnocchi kick lately (even though my pronunciation of the word is always horribly incorrect), so I ordered the homemade gnocchi. And guess what? It was the best I ever had! (Noticing a trend here?)

The second reason I said going to this place was a "mistake" is, not only is the food amazing, but the atmosphere is very Italian, very quaint and, yes, a bit on the romantic side. Ooh-la-la.

We learned after chatting with our friendly server that CaFfinO has been around for over 15 years, but it's a new and extremely dangerous discovery for us. Why? Because we're kind of in love with this place and it's only a twenty-minute stroll from where we live.

Dear Bank Account: Get ready to take a couple of hits before the summer is over.