In preparation for my big birthday on Thursday, Rafa and I celebrated tonight. The actual day of my birthday will be a flurry of family and preparation, so we set our special time aside a little early.

Rafa surprised me with a trip to a cute litte hidden Italian restaurant – Al Vento, near Nokomis. 

We started with melt-in-your-mouth bread. Then straight to the main dish –

I had saffron risotto with bay scallops and tiger shrimp. Rafa and a beautiful chicken breast with smoked ham fontina with squash risotto. I felt like I was a judge on Hell’s Kitchen – “The risotto was cooked perfectly!”

We finished with a delish tirimisou, served for two.