We spent yesterday indoors avoiding the cold and rainy weather, but come dinnertime Eric suggested a few options to get us away from our computers. We settled on Parizade, located in Erwin Square in Durham.

Our first impression was positive, large paintings covered the walls and the open kitchen was bustling. We ordered a bottle of Spanish cava (sparkling wine) and the gnocchi appetizer to begin our meal. The delicate gnocchi were clearly fresh and the mix of roasted chicken broth and pancetta were just salty and hearty enough. Plus, it was the perfect portion to split for a starter.

I surprised Eric by getting a pasta dish as my main course, but the combination of salmon and artichokes in a tarragon cream sauce sounded too good to pass up. Eric ordered the bolognaise with beef tenderloin and pancetta. Both dishes were delicious and chock full of the advertised ingredients. I can’t tell you how annoyed I get when I have to hunt for the tasty elements supposedly included in my entree. My cream sauce just coated the pasta, so I got all the flavor without the cloying, thick texture of some creamy sauces.

We ended the evening with a monster slice of the 3-Chocolate Torte, and even though we aren’t typically big fans of orange flavored chocolate, the flavor was subtle and overall rich and tasty.

The service was also stellar, our champagne glasses were never empty and Michael was even kind enough to keep us updated on the Davidson/Kansas score. :)

Overall, atmosphere and food were great, I would definitely make it back here in the near future.