Osteria di Tramonto and Hancock

It seems like it's been a while since I've done a dinner an a movie. The truth is that I have seen Iron Man since Baby Mama came out...and all I have to say is that it is hands down one of the best movies I have ever seen. Not much more to say than that. Then more recently, on July 12, 2008, I went with a pal to have dinner at Osteria di Tramonto and then join more pals to see Hancock.

First, the food... Osteria di Tramonto has been recommended to me more than once by various circle of friends. So, it was about time we gave it a go. Decor is nice, upscale, but not stuffy. Very open and comfortable. After you are seated, the floor manager comes by and welcomes you with an amuse bouche comprised of cheese, greens and walnuts. No idea what it was called, but it was delicious. I appreciated this little perk because it allowed me to use my Top Chef knowledge where I had originally heard of an "amuse bouche." They also brought out complimentary warm crusty bread with fresh basil olive oil that they mix in front of you.

For appetizers, we ordered the Beef Carpaccio with olive tapenade, garlic aioli, and sea salt, and the Spinach Fondue from the farmer's market menu. The Beef Carpaccio was hands down the best I have ever had. The portion was much larger than I expected and the flavors combined to make a melt-in-your mouth sensation. The dish came topped with arugula, which I did find a tad over powering to the delicate nature of the beef, so I just brushed it off. We were less impressed with the Spinach Fondue. While it had good flavor and large leaves of spinach, it was more like a creamy spinach soup because it was so runny.

For the main entrees, my friend ordered the Beef Tenderloin Medallions which were Gorgonzola-crusted, on a bed of sauteed spinach, topped with crispy shallots. She did not like the gorgonzola at all, and it did permeate through each of the mini-filets. If you are a blue cheese fan, I think this dish would have been excellent because she had no other complaints other than the overpowering cheese flavor. I ordered the Rainbow Trout from the specials menu. I was not impressed. It came with a ginormous shredded asparagus and other veggie salad on top of the fish, I had trouble finding the trout. It wouldn't be such a bad thing if the salad was good, but it was not. It was a bad combination of sour and bland. Then the trout itself was pan-fried, but it was overcooked. The delicate fish came out dry.

While we were under-impressed with the entrees, the appetizers, bread, and service was good enough for us to think about trying again.

Then onto Hancock - despite bad reviews, my friends and I still wanted to see this unconventional superhero movie amidst a bunch of conventional superhero movies out this summer. Hancock was a surprising charmer. Perhaps it was due to our low expectations, but it did wow us with the character development, injections of humor, and the twists in the plot. While it might not be one of the best movies ever made, this one certainly was entertaining and we all enjoyed it.