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Eh bien, tavern Guildhall à Poole Quay aimerait me donner tort.
En entrant, vous remarquez subtile décoration française, mais sans le arrogance du "kitsch" que vous pourriez trouver dans un restaurant italien ou mexicain ... les Français sont un peu moins évidente.
La taille des portions aussi défient la norme française - ils sont massifs. Nous avons commencé avec une sélection de canapés pour £ 2.90 par personne, incluant soupe à l'oignon française, saumon en croûte, grillades gambas et pâté. Tous étaient délicieux.
Outre une expérience fantastique globale, taverne Guildhall offre également plusieurs événements spéciaux manger chaque mois - dégustation de vins, ainsi que d'une Soirée dédiée français, où vous pourrez déguster de délicieuses spécialités françaises avec un menu unique, musique live, et un quiz en français, vous émergents dans la culture française. [Réservations nécessaires.]
Well, no doubt you've noticed that it's that time of year again -- Christmas!!! This is bar-none, hands-down, no doubt my absolute favourite time of year. There are no words to describe the excitement I have for the Christmas season. It starts around 
Whether it's decorating Christmas cookies together, wrapping presents together in front of the fire, putting lights up on the house, decorating the tree, or simply watching Christmas movies - celebrating in your own way is what makes this Date Night great.
We got home and Brett started in on the ham. (We very quickly realised our apartment didn't have a pan to fit the ham, so off toASDA we went to snag a bigger one - just a quick 30minute Date Night Detour!). Back in the kitchen, ham boiling away like a happy little piggy, I started in on the Mulled Wine and some homemade mushroom and spinach tarts.
The smells coming from the kitchen were extraordinary.
The ham was finally done and cooked to perfection, so we dug in.
If it's Pizza Express, then yes! It CAN be healthy! Pizza Express is a chain of pizza restaurants (i know, this goes against Brett's "chainy policy") throughout England that offers fabulous wood-fired thin and thick crust pizzas. They are fabulous. And, with a healthy option available, we figured it a great start to our first Dorset Healthy Date Night.
After our bellies were full of yum, Brett and i headed down the block to Laser Quest - Bournemouth's very own Laser Tag center! I was PUMPED when i found out this place existed. I love laser tag! It's just cheesy enough, and just thrilling enough to make the perfect Date Night activity. I scored major points with hunny on this one too.
Brett and i were literally the ONLY ones there. We decided to go for it anyway - we'd have the whole court to ourselves! For only £5.95, we got a 20-minute round in the arena. We had to sit through a safety video (my lord please watch this video NOW - was worth the £6 just to see this! ), and then were harnessed up in our Laser Quest Pack. We looked GOOD. 
Laser Quest
Brett's turn to plan date night took us to a sweet little French restaurant over in Southbourne called L'Assiette (French for 'the plate'). He found this place on Trip Adviser - as it is rated NUMBER ONE! of all local restaurants. You can see all the great reviews here! And, we're about to add to them.
Once seated, we were immediately brought over a jug of water, and amuse bouche's from the chef - i LOVE this!
L'Assiette
Well, today's Living Social 'escape' has a deal you can't pass up:
Living Social agrees, by adding, "Reel in majestic views of the breathtaking Elliott Bay, the regal Olympic Mountains, and Seattle's sparkling skyline from the world-renown hotel nestled on the city's Pier 67, only steps from unique downtown art, architecture, and attractions."
I thought the whole thing was best described as stiff. From the seats to the crowd to the jerking movements of the some of the violinists and finally the dance, if you can call it that, of the conductor. At some points, if I didn't know better, I would have called 911 and got the bloke some medication for the apparent fit he was having.
I definitely felt the emotion in each piece. The story was Romeo and Juliet, and you really could hear the battle, the love, the sadness in all the songs.
RATINGS:
Straight from their website, "Central Cinema is Seattle's only Dine-In Cinema is located in the Central District neighborhood at 21st & Union. A place close to home for your total Date-Nite experience in one spot." What more can I say? It really is just that.
Look, I’ll be the first to admit the missus and I are 80’s tragics so this night was made for us. I sometimes think we were born 20 years too late. And not just because of the music. The movies (who doesn’t love Top Gun!), the style (have you seen Mandy’s hair in the morning?) but most importantly the attitude - everything about the decade rocked, and so did the Central Cinema.
A $19 fee includes 
Want to impress someone? Sweep them off their feet, pamper them, and have an absolute ripper of a time while you do it? Walk a few steps in the shoes of the mega-rich??
With a predetermined budget and menu (Mandy helped), Ricky handles everything, turning up with all of the ingredients and everything needed to cook.
Making a full three course dinner with meals that would feel at home in any local fine dining restaurant, Ricky provides an in-depth lesson on the technique you’re applying and why it makes the food so good.
Brett has been cooking heaps since moving into our new place (and finally having a kitchen we can both move around in!) so I thought it’d be the perfect gift to get him an at-home cooking lesson. Not that he needs it, but I knew there were some techniques he’s been itching to learn, and it never hurts to keep learning! ☺
This made it truly special.
The only thing I’ll warn you about – this is probably not the best first date, as it’s super intimate.Okay.
If any of you know us, you know about the miserable time we had at Crow on lower Queen Anne. Could be because we were seated behind the door so the waitress forgot about us. Twice.
Could be because it took us 3 hours to eat, and not in an Elemental @ Gasworks sort of way.
Or could be because the food just WASN’T good. (Peas floating in chicken broth for $8... No, but thanks for thinking of us.)
Probably was a combination of all three.
So, you can imagine our apprehension when we were looking for a place to have a bite for last week’s Date Night, and the only place without a 20-minute-plus wait (Emmer&Rye, we’ll be back!) that we hadn’t already been to was Crow's sister restaurant, Betty.
But, we were starving, and decided to give it a try. We’re equal opportunity diners, and don’t judge a restaurant by its siblings. Okay, we do, but we shouldn’t.
Because Betty.Was.Fabulous.
From start (the secret entrance, open floor plan, large picture windows, and our ADORABLE 60s inspired waitress) to finish (an appetizer, two entrées, 3 beers, unlimited bread paired with the most amazing olive oil/balsamic mixture for under $70!), we were blown away. And we went in already hating the place, so this was impressive ...
We started our culinary adventure with the tomato heirloom plate ($12, and worth every cent), which according to the sign out front was “back by popular demand”.
And thank GOD it was, because it was phenomenal.
A medley of ripe and sweet tomatoes, doused in olive oil, basil, and goat’s cheese - it was a welcome twist on the Caprese salad – but I’ll tell you, goat’s cheese kicks mozzarella’s ass in any competition, and Brett and I all but licked the plate clean. We had to have thirds on our bread to sop up all the deliciousness. And our waitress was more than happy to oblige!
Brett and I decided to share our mains – he the pan-roasted chicken fingerling potatoes, roasted garlic, & natural jus ($17) and me the catch of the day, which today was salmon ($25). Both were phenomenal! Although the salmon was a little over-cooked, the garnish made up for it – roasted peppers and vegetables covered in some sort of delicious gravy. I don’t even remember... I think I blacked out while eating it it was that good.
Our only regret? Not trying her out sooner. Especially since she’s just up the hill from us. Definitely recommend. Not necessarily the most romantic of restaurants, but the food shined like few restaurants’ do these days. We’ll certainly be back, those heirloom tomatoes have too strong and sweet a siren song for us to stay away for long.
Getting back into the swing of things, Brett and I decided to continue with our once-monthly tradition of Healthy Date Nights with a night of Hot Yoga!
Now, let me warn you, this date idea is not for the weak of heart. Or for a first date. In fact, this may be the WORST date idea ever, unless you really know the person well. Or you don’t care that (s)he sees you the nastiest you’ve ever looked in your life.
What is Hot Yoga? Well, you can read about it here. But basically, you do an hour and a half of yoga poses in a room heated anywhere from 85 – 115 degrees. It’s crazy! But also the most exhilarating thing you can do for yourself EVER.
Brett and I have both enjoyed hot yoga separately, but never together! We picked up some vouchers on Groupon for a month of hot yoga at our neighborhood studio Breathe for like $25 bucks. That’s one thing about this practice – it’s super pricey, so it’s great to keep an eye on Groupon or living social for some good deals. Most studios offer an introductory package for cheap, too, in case you hate it (but you won’t! you HAVE to go at least twice and then you’ll be addicted!).
We showed up a bit early (good to do before a first class), well hydrated and scantily clad. Breathe is unlike any yoga studio I’ve been to. Their waiting room is actually a personal training room full of really fun workout contraptions, so while you’re waiting for the class before you to file out, you can try your hand at the balance ball!
The studio was great – bright and sunny; because it is not a Bikram studio, but simply Hot Yoga, there is no stinky carpet! Yay! And there is a temperature variation from the front (110 degrees) to the back (85 degrees) of the room, so you can choose your row depending on how hot you would like to be. Genius!
We laid our mats down in the back (85 degrees). Brett and I kept trying to make each other giggle in the front mirror throughout the workout. We bent and stretched in unholy ways, in unholy heat. But at the end of it all, you are filled with such a renewed sense of self! It’s an unbelievable feeling!
The coolest thing about Breathe Date Night is that they have a freezer in the lobby with frozen meals from Queen Anne’s Eat Local! Eat Local prepared foods are made with Northwest farmed, organic or sustainably grown produce, grass fed and finished meats andfree range chicken.
Because yoga lasts 90 minutes, and you are so spent by the time it is over, the last thing you are wanting to do is cook a meal! So Brett grabbed the pot pie, and I grabbed the onion pizza, and we headed home for a yummy meal on the couch, after a great workout! And it was delicious!
NOT a romantic date, per se, but certainly something fun to do with your someone if you have not tried it yet, and if you are open minded and comfortable enough to look like this around him or her!
Breathe Hot Yoga
2230 8th Avenue, Seattle
(206) 682-2949
Romance: 0 - we're not kidding. it gets nasty.
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 4 - Very cool studio - the training room in front is awesome!
All Around Service: 5 - nicest staff i've EVER known at a Hot Yoga/Bikram studio
Cost: Classes around Seattle run about $20/class, not cheap. But you can try it before you buy it, sometimes a month trial for $20 (also check out groupon and living social for specials)
Would we recommend it? 5: Yes! And can we come with you?
* Photos taken from the Breathe Hot Yoga Website…
