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Dinner Beginning with Cupcakes

By Courtney 43 Comments

Goooood morning! Oh, I’m so so excited for Friday (and I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but I can’t help it). This morning I allowed myself to sleep in a little extra longer in place of a workout, thanks to somewhat of a later night than usual. But it was totally cool, since last night was loads of fun with lots of great food.

Beginning with…cupcakes?

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Okay, so I’ll explain the random mini cupcakes at our table at the restaurant. Jay and I met up last night with Sarah and Jeff and our other friends, Kanika and Shaheen (who you’ve certainly seen around here before).

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So back actually at Brian and Mal’s wedding, we found out that Kanika was expecting! She’s due about 5 weeks after I am, and yesterday they found out the gender of their little one…hence the cupcakes. ;)

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Gosh, I need a haircut. BAD. And I also swear we were not in mourning based on our clothing preferences for the evening.

So before anything else, we HAD to dig into the cupcakes…

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It’s a GIRL! It’s so funny, because out of our circle of friends, they babies are basically 98% boys. I feel like everyone I know lately is having a boy, so we all felt like Kanika just had to have a girl. Turns out, we were right!

As a little gift, Sarah and I decided to buy two different newborn outfits – one for a boy, one for a girl – and whichever she was having she’d get to keep and we’d return the other one. Welllll….I decided to just hold on to the little boy outfit for my little guy because it was just too cute to pass up.

I mean, c’mon…a V neck onesie? Can’t even take the cuteness.

*****

So we all met for dinner last night at Risotto, a fairly new restaurant in the Albany area. Sarah had already been before and raved about it, so I was excited to give it a try. In addition to a bunch of different risotto dishes and entrees, Risotto also has a pretty extensive tapas menu so we decided to try out a bunch to share with the table.

Now I’ve had tapas before…sometimes I find you get fairly small portions, but other times it seems like they’re pretty generous. At Risotto, they were VERY generous. Here’s a look at what we got…

Calamari, which came with parmesan cheese, scallions and peppadews accompanied by a lemon dill béchamel and spicy tomato sauce. The calamari was great, but I took the tomato sauce without knowing it was spicy which I didn’t love…I heard the lemon dill sauce was incredible though.

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Primo Risotto- chicken, cappicola ham and swiss cheese stuffed in a fried risotto shell, served with hollandaise sauce…and a side of Sarah being a goofball (haha, sorry Sarah, it was the only photo of them I got!). These were one of my favorites.

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Risotto Chips- fresh cut potato chips topped with cappicola ham, onions, tomatoes, andouille sausage, banana peppers and fontina cheese sauce. These were OMG amazing.

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Taste of the Mediterranean platter- hummus, tzatziki (DELICIOUS), tahini, baba ghanoush, grape leaves, falafels and kalamata olives.

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Chicken Athenian- chicken breast rolled with kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, artichokes, and fontina cheese. This one wasn’t my favorite.

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We also got a bruschetta dish as well, but I apparently forgot to snap a photo of that one.

And since I couldn’t go to a restaurant called Risotto without actually trying the risotto, Jay and I opted to share one.

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We went with the Chicken Hendizarro, which was made with loads of provolone and fresh mozzarella, topped with a crispy chicken breast and finished with a fire roasted tomato chutney.

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This dish tasted absolutely amazing, but I’m so glad we decided to split it because I think we still went home with at least a third of it. Soooo good, but sooo filling!

*****

So what’s good for the weekend guys and gals? Jay and I don’t have any major plans at the moment, although we are hoping that the rest of our nursery furniture came in so we can work on that! I also went ahead and booked myself a pregnancy massage for Saturday morning, thanks to a gift card that I received from Christmas. I’ve been waiting and waiting, but I think it’s finally time. I am stoked!

Happy Friday everyone! :)

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April 5, 2013 Filed Under: Dinner, Friends, Restaurants Tagged With: albany, gender reveal with cupcakes, kanika and shaheen, risotto restaurant albany, sarah and jeff, tapas restaurant, tapas restaurant in albany ny

About Courtney

I'm a working mom of two beautiful little boys, Lucas and Alex, and I began writing Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life in April 2010. I enjoy chronicling my love of food (healthy and indulgent!), baking, motherhood, fitness, fashion, and everything in between!

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Comments

  1. Sarah @PickyRunner says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:03 am

    Aw congrats to your friend! It's such a fun way to announce that you're expecting. Plus, who doesn't approve of cupcakes before dinner? ;)
    Reply
  2. Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:04 am

    Sounds like you've already got a little baby play group formed! ;)
    Reply
  3. Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:08 am

    Mmmm love falafel! My husband on the other hand, not so much. He always says... falafel is awful ha! How cool your friend is having a girl :-)
    Reply
  4. Jennifer@knackfornutrition says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:10 am

    I like your style in having cupcakes before dinner! :)
    Reply
  5. Natalie @ Free Range Human says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:11 am

    All that food looks so good! Congratulations to your friend! A little girl is very exciting :)
    Reply
  6. Erin @Axell's Kitchen says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:20 am

    I got a massage while pregnant on our honeymoon in Jamaica..and it was amazing!! I will say though the one after I had the baby was even better- your body needs it after having all that extra weight and giving birth!
    Reply
  7. Ashley @ Life and Fitness says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:20 am

    I think I could eat that whole plate of calamari by myself haha, looks amazing! I love getting pampered at the salon. Enjoy the massage!
    Reply
  8. Danica @ It's Progression says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:37 am

    I bet that massage will be fantastic! I have a deep tissue massage scheduled for Sunday afternoon, and though those aren't as relaxing during the session, they definitely make me feel better later...hope you have a great Friday!
    Reply
  9. alyssa - life a la wife says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:40 am

    Dinner that begins with cupcakes is always a fun night! Your little man is going to have a girlfriend ready for him :)
    Reply
  10. alyssa - life a la wife says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:41 am

    Dinner that begins with cupcakes is always a fun night! Little man will have a girlfriend at a very young age ;)
    Reply
  11. sara @ fitcupcaker says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:42 am

    I love cupcake idea, so cute! You can never go wrong with cupcakes!
    Reply
  12. Val @ Making It Sparkle says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:44 am

    Your cupcakes always make me crave some. I might do some baking today!
    Reply
  13. Sam @ Better With Sprinkles says

    April 5, 2013 at 10:31 am

    I love the idea of using cupcakes as a gender reveal. Congrats to your friend! Considering that we did a lot of running around for Easter last weekend, it's going to be a quiet one around here. I think we're going to go out for dinner tomorrow night though.
    Reply
  14. Amanda @ .running with spoons. says

    April 5, 2013 at 10:32 am

    Congrats to your friend! I've noticed the same thing when it come to everyone seemingly having a boy these days. But boy or girl, babies are absolutely precious :)
    Reply
  15. Emily @ The Good Era says

    April 5, 2013 at 10:35 am

    So cute!! The V Neck Onesie is adorable. I'm going away for the weekend with friends for a wiffle ball tournament. Luckily the weather has finally decided to act like Spring, so it should be nice to get outside! :) Have a great weekend!
    Reply
  16. Lauren says

    April 5, 2013 at 10:53 am

    There is never anything wrong with dessert first! So glad you had a wonderful night out. :)
    Reply
  17. Katie @ KatieEnPursuit says

    April 5, 2013 at 10:53 am

    Yes please on cupcakes to start a meal! Nothing better than dessert first :) Sounds like all of the kiddo's are going to have a blast playing together!
    Reply
  18. Lisa says

    April 5, 2013 at 10:59 am

    Happy Friday to you too:) Congrats to your friends, such a cute idea. Such a great way to announce the gender. Totally agree that the baby boys seem to be taking over these days, which may be a good thing since I read a fact that there are 2 million more girls than boys in the world....random ha.
    Reply
  19. Andrea @ Andrea out loud! says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:03 am

    Mmmm... cupcakes!
    Reply
  20. Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:06 am

    What a cute little outfit! All the food looks fantastic. Glad you guys had a great evening out!
    Reply
  21. Lyric says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:14 am

    Congrats to them! Babies are awesome. Those little risotto balls look seeew good. C'mon, how could deep frying rice cheese and ham not taste delicious?!
    Reply
  22. AshleyCarole says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:18 am

    Wow those risotto chips look amazing! I agree- completely happy it is Friday!! Our weekend plans are working out in the lawn doing some spring cleaning!
    Reply
  23. Mommypage says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:22 am

    This sounds like fun! All the food you ordered looks delicious- especially those mini cupcakes! I hope you all enjoyed the night!
    Reply
  24. Avery @ SBLW says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:22 am

    Congrats to Kanika! Cupcakes for appetizers are always a good idea :)
    Reply
  25. Angie says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:50 am

    Your hair is beautiful!
    Reply
  26. Cassie @RedLetterDaye says

    April 5, 2013 at 12:10 pm

    Glad to know Risotto is so good. I've been meaning to check it out and I've heard lots of good things about it.
    Reply
  27. michelle kim says

    April 5, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    In my family, the generation after mine has 8 kids so far... ALL GIRLS! Haha... so my grandpa has 8 great granddaughters. The first boy born into that generation is going to be spoiled like crazy. And that chicken dish looks amazing!
    Reply
  28. Lauren says

    April 5, 2013 at 1:08 pm

    Those dishes look FANTANSTIC! UGH. I absolutely love calamari especially with lemon dill sauce. Mmm. I love all the little things I've been seeing around to reveal the gender of babies! It's so cute and I just love it all! I'm glad you had a great night and you set up a relaxing massage for yourself! You deserve it! :-)
    Reply
  29. Shel@PeachyPalate says

    April 5, 2013 at 2:23 pm

    The food looks amazing! Great selection! Love that you guys do the baby cupcake thing! People in Ireland, well the majority, don't find out the sex of the baby...I so would! So much better for getting organised!
    Reply
  30. Annette@FitnessPerks says

    April 5, 2013 at 2:54 pm

    Ahhhh all that food looks/sounds amazing! What a fun night out. ANd congrats to your friend!!
    Reply
  31. Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says

    April 5, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    I really do not think that you can ever go wrong with dessert before dinner!! Sometime I want to go to a restaurant and order dessert first and then an entree! :)
    Reply
  32. Suzanne @ Mixing It Up says

    April 5, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    Oh my goodness, LOVING the v-neck onesie!!! I miss the day of adorable baby clothes. I think your hair looks beautiful however, I get the feeling of needing it cut. Mine is just too long right now and everyone says, "No, don't cut it" but I just feel like it would look better if I did. Decision, decisions!!
    Reply
  33. Ellie@Fit for the Soul says

    April 5, 2013 at 6:20 pm

    Omgness those are all such delicious dishes that I don't know where to begin! Tzatziki??? the best dip ever...And yayyyyy for girls! haha, I'm so happy for her even though I don't know her because I'm one of the few people that I know who's having a girl, so girl power. yeah! :D
    Reply
  34. Leigha says

    April 5, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    V neck onesie.. oh my gosh so cute! How much did all those appetizers cost?! So many! The risotto looks awesome. I've never tried it before, but I want to!
    Reply
  35. Erin @Axell's Kitchen says

    April 5, 2013 at 7:55 pm

    I'm such a pig I would totally ruin my dinner if I ate dessert first lol And that's how we told people at our wedding too, with cupcakes!
    Reply
  36. Bek @ Crave says

    April 5, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    Yay for sharing tapas- you get to taste lots of bits and pieces. And awesome portions too! Mmm I could go some risotto!
    Reply
  37. Danielle @ Truffles n' Treadmills says

    April 5, 2013 at 11:10 pm

    LOVE the vneck!
    Reply
  38. Nicole @ Curly Mommy says

    April 6, 2013 at 10:57 am

    I think that cupcakes should be at the beginning of every meal :)
    Reply
  39. Jaime D. says

    April 6, 2013 at 11:59 am

    OMG...those risotto chips look PHENOM! Yuuuuuuum
    Reply
  40. Katy says

    April 6, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    I've never been to a tapas place before but I have always wanted to go. I love getting to try lots of different foods at once! Tonight we are having some friends over for a bbq!
    Reply
  41. GiGi Eats Celebrities says

    April 6, 2013 at 7:56 pm

    I am on a SQUID kick these days - SOOOOO good! :D so I am jealous of your calamari!!
    Reply
  42. Emily N says

    April 9, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    My friends kind of went in spurts. For YEARS we had all boys in the group of friends, and I think we may be hitting the girl wave, finally. 3 due this summer!
    Reply

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Sweet Tooth Sweet Life
Court Profile CircleI'm Courtney, a 30-something wife and working mom living in upstate NY. I'm a food lover, fitness enthusiast, baker extraordinaire and lover of all things sweet.
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