Date Night in
The little things that make a perfect dinner party for two.
I grab the fancy blanket, an arm full of eclectic candles and the flower arrangement from the entryway. I take over the patio, transforming the glass topped table to a dining room fit for date night. Kids asleep, we settle in for buttery noodles, crudo and eggplant. With no hour and a half time slot to worry about, we eat slowly and watch the candles burn low.
Thank you for reading Acre. As an Art Director, gardener and cook, my content is a mix of seasonal recipes, kitchen notes, dinner party curations, and garden updates. I would love to have you join me on the Acre.
The first time we dined in verses going out I felt a little silly pulling it together. I had to settle into the idea, get comfortable with how to set a table for just the two of us, instead of throwing on sweats and eating on the couch. In the first evening on our patio, I had a few takeaways in how I set up and what we ate that made it easy and really fun. Hope my tips help you settle in to date night at home.
1. Set the table
This is the one bit of prep I will insist on that really helps get you in the mindset of entertaining your significant other-spend time decorating the table. This doesn’t have to be elaborate, as I shared mine was an eclectic mix of what I could find quickly. There is something to putting together the table that makes the evening feel special and set apart.
2. Simple & fancy food
Hear me out - don’t overthink the food. Keep it to three dishes–app, pasta, vegetable–and make at least two of these an ‘assembly-style’ dish. Assembly-style (my made-up word) is layering elements together to build flavor with little to no cooking, having it come together in a flash. Choose one element that requires a bit more cooking or prep time, but still keeps the ingredient list small and easy to achieve.
Crudo is perfect for date night, it feels super fancy and is so easy to make at home.
Start by thinly slicing sushi grade fish (tuna is the easiest to find) and dresses it in lemon or lime juice, olive oil, herbs of choice (shiso, cilantro, parsley, dill), jalapeño or Serrano if you want a kick, and Maldon salt. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. I also came across this delicious crudo recipe recently and may make this next date night.
