Pair - Eat, Drink, Share

I got really lucky this Valentine's Day. We are such procrastinators that by the time we had called for a reservation at Murphy's the soonest we could get in was 9:30 pm. Anyone who knows me knows it can be dangerous to let me get hungry (I get angry quick, a downhill slope) so my husband agreed to let us get appetizers at 5 before catching a flick, to hold me over until the main feasting hour. (We saw Gran Torino. Recommended.)

My husband has always been apprehensive to go to Pair for some reason, I think he feels it is too "rave -umcha umcha umcha" for him. The music is very techno there, even on Valentine's Day where I had hoped to hear a little Dean or Frank or something romantic but they did make the place adorable. All of the servers wore black and red. There were rose petals all over the floors, white linens, candles and a special Valentine's Day menu.

I am a firm believer that the Yam Fries are the best in town so I knew I was ordering those but also felt frisky enough to go for the Gruyere spread. Nick ordered the Calamari with Spicy Aioli. I am sure he picked that because he knows I won't touch water food with a 10 ft pole. That is also a reason that I ordered the Yam Fries...he always winces at the mention of them, having never tried them. I felt I was safe and that they were all mine but he just dug right in. The price of the Yam Fries went up from $4 to $5 and the portion size was about 1/4 of the usual but they were served in a stemless wine glass so the presentation was great. It could have been a special adjustment for the night...I hope not permanent. The sweet Mango Sriracha dipping sauce was amazing as always. Nick's Calamari was good, apparently. He really loved the Aioli. The Gruyere spread with bread was delicious and garlicky. Warm, soft bread. It was really, really good. We signed off on the meal with a mini cake bites (they have a cuter name that I can't remember). It was Milky Way flavored, brownie with a caramel center and a cream cheese frosting. For only $1 I can see these becoming a huge hit there.

Pair has a great happy hour with fantastic deals on all of their appetizers which I will definitely be hitting up more, now that I have convinced the husband of the "amazingness" of Pair. Eat Drink Share.

4 techno, blinking forks.