july restaurant club

last night, restaurant club met at il vesco vino, a quaint little italian place settled in a 19th century victorian mansion in st. paul.

it was a gorgeous night out, so the girls and i situated ourselves at a table on il vesco's equally gorgeous patio, complete with waterfall, bar and woodfire oven, which gave off the slightest, sweetest bonfire scent. as the italians say, i was already enamored with the place before i even got my water– the patio alone gave me the tiniest urge to move to st. paul so i could be close enough to frequent the place. (no worries, it was tiny and fleeting. i'm a mpls girl through and through.)

lisa and i split a carafe of a merlot/cabernet blend wine– just sweet enough her, just dry enough for me. disappointed to find they were out of the gnocchi i was so excited to try, i settled for the shrimp and mascarpone tortellini in a browned sage butter sauce. this dish did not disappoint– it was absolutely delicious, and just big enough to leave me feeling full, but not too full.

opting against dessert, the girls and i instead sipped our wine and chatted as the sun set. a beautiful summer night, a beautiful patio, and a delicious restaurant i highly recommend– and, despite its being in the "other city," i will surely be back again.