cousins

I am loving our monthly cousin’s nights out! We’ve had a few now and it’s been fun trying new restaurants and taking the time to hang out.  We all get a chance to choose a restaurant, order dependent on birthdate.

This month, it was hubby’s turn to choose a restaurant. After much deliberation, he chose Pio Peruvian. We had been wanting to check out the place for a while so it was perfect that we could do it with our cousins. The restaurant, located on Sunridge Way, was small but packed – always a good sign for any restaurant.

Since we were having dinner on a Thursday, we were able to have the El Menu Special – an appetizer, entree and dessert for $18.99.  We started with ceviche. The marinated tilapia was served with sweet potato and toasted Peruvian corn. This was refreshing and spicy and a great way to start the meal.

Hubby and I also shared the Salchipapa – beef sausage with fries and Pio sauce. The sausage was sparse but good and the fries were amazing.

For our main, we had the Pollo Saltado. Flavourful pan-fried chicken with onions, tomatoes and peppers served with fries and rice. Our chicken dish was amazing. It’s one I think about often and I can’t wait to go back for more.

We ended our meal with Alfajores – shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche. I thought it would just be a regular shortbread cookie but it was far from it. The warm cookie was buttery and flaky and the caramel made an amazing addition. It was a delicious way to end a tasty meal.

Do you have any suggestions for our next dinner?

I’m so lucky that I have a wonderful bunch of cousins that I can actually call my friends. Since life can get busy, we have started a monthly dinner for those of us in town – cousins night out. It’s a great chance to spend time with the ones we love while having a dinner out.

Since my cousin’s wedding was last month, everyone was in town! With nine cousins and seven spouses, our group of sixteen took over a long table at Brava Bistro for an amazing dinner.

Brava was very accommodating, fulfilling our desire to eat family style. It was perfect – by sharing, we were able to try many dishes and weren’t limited to just one – the best way to avoid food envy.

The appetizers and salads we sampled were delicious! The Prawn and Avocado salad was light and tasty while the Burrata and Tomato Salad was a great showcase for the creamy cheese.

Lobster was the star in both the Lobster Gnocchi and the Lobster Poutine. The poutine was my favourite of the night and I will definitely be going back for more.

Our mains were just as delicious and I was happy to be able to sample a little of everything. I really enjoyed the pasta dish, the Orecchiette Alfredo, which was creamy and garlicky.

Everyone loved the Beef Short Rib which was soft and tender. This was served with Mac and Cheese and Broccoflower.

The Atlantic Salmon was perfectly cooked and Crispy Cracklin Chicken was surprisingly juicy.

The night ended with sweet treats of Creme Brulee, Warm Gingerbread Cake and a Brownie Sundae. Delish!

It was a wonderful night with family. Can’t wait to go back!