We live in the middle of the city without a yard to spare (thank god for the parking spot that lives in our former backyard!), but we have a tiny outdoor space on our roof deck that we make serious use of in the warmer months. It could use some sprucing up — at the moment it’s a mix of grilling area/nice outdoor sectional/a formerly nice steel table covered in “washable window crayons”/24,000 army men, insect toys, tiny water cups — but once I do a few things, I’m really looking forward to having a date night in at our own rooftop bistro. Over the years, my husband and I have realized that the key to a good date night (at home or out on the town) is: (1) good, but not overly filling, food; (2) a few drinks, but not too many that I fall asleep at 10; and (3) the ability to have actual conversation, which hopefully isn’t all about our kids. And I think my idea of a rooftop bistro date covers all three. Here’s how:
1. When we first decorated our roof deck, I had bistro string lights (like these) all around the perimeter. They hit the road when the kids showed up, but I think it’s time to bring them back. It’s like instant romance.
2. A new intimate dining table is definitely in order and I love this marble and chrome Wayfair table paired with IKEA’s URBAN chair.
3. Date night in at our house doesn’t start until after the kids have gone to bed, so I really like the idea of working cooking time into the date by grilling pizza together. The Kitchn has a great cooking lesson on getting it right and I’m dying to try The Bitten Word’s carmelized-onion and gorgonzola grilled pizza.
4. While the pizza is grilling, I’d love to sip these Italian Sangria Floats.
5. I imagine that the patterns cast about by these mercury tea light holders from WestElm would look so pretty at night.
6. While we’ve never been to Italy together, we spent a great mini-vacation last summer in Boston and had a fabulous time exploring the city’s South End — particularly testing out the pastries from several Italian bakeries to find our favorite treats. Modern Pastry won and when he can, my husband sweetly brings back rainbow cookies and cannoli from there when he travels on business. I’ll have to figure out how to ship these in for date night.
7. A little Italian Love Songs from Dino can’t hurt (find it here or on Spotify too)
A Feteful Life 