Valentine's Day Traditions

JO and I are really fortunate.  Celebrations like our anniversary and Valentine's Day involve a lot of tradition, and as a result, very little planning or stressing.  Our anniversary features drinks at the Kendall, where we stayed for our wedding, and dinner at Nubar at the Commander, where we got married.

Valentine's Day includes dinner in Harvard Square followed by Casablanca at the Brattle.  We decided to eat at The Grafton.  It's been ages since I ate here last.  The Grafton features a great atmosphere and delicious food.  The prices are pretty reasonable for Harvard Square, and the menu has a lot of variety from pizzas to sandwiches to entrees.  We started with the appetizer special of fried oysters with bacon aioli.  Although the portion was rather small, just four oysters, they were impeccably prepared.  The bacon aioli was stunning and worked so well with the oysters.  I had the short-rib pot roast and it was also cooked perfectly.  We both agreed that The Grafton should be added back into our restaurant rotation, although that rotation is getting pretty full.

After dinner we headed over to the Brattle for the annual showing of Casablanca.  This movie is absolutely perfect in every way.  There isn't a moment wasted.  Every piece of dialogue, every shot, has a purpose.  I'm usually not a huge movie person but Casablanca seems to float by.  Just as soon as it has started it seems to be over.  It's the perfect movie to see on the big screen in an old-fashioned theatre like the Brattle and I look forward to this showing every year.

After the movie it was still early and we toyed around with the idea of staying out a bit longer, but it was getting pretty cold, and with more snow on the way for the next day, we decided to head home to secure a parking spot.