What/Why
We’re hoping to maximize the time that everyone can hang out and get to know each other at the meetup, so we’ve scheduled a dinner for Saturday night at our favorite local Italian restaurant.
When
Saturday Night, March 21, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. (CT)
We’ll finish when we finish, but I’d imagine we’ll likely be at the restaurant until at least around 9:30.
Where
Sweet Basil
17610 Midway Road (at Trinity Mills)
Dallas, TX 75287
Those who attended last year’s meetup will recognize this; It’s the same awesome place we held last year’s dining out.
Attire
One of the reasons we love this restaurant so much is that it’s very casual. Jeans and a T-shirt are no problem, but dressing up is fun, too. The bottom line: whichever way you choose to go you won’t feel out of place. (Costumes, however, would likely be out of place here.)
Menu
We’ve arranged for a prix fixe four-course dinner as follows:
Hot Antipasto
Combination of fried zucchini, stuffed mushrooms with crab meat, and fried mozzarella cheese
Salad
Caesar Salad or Mixed Green Salad
Entre? (choose one)
Chicken Sweet Basil
Grilled chicken breast, mushrooms, and cream sauce.
Veal Marsala
Veal slices, mushrooms, and marsala wine sauce.
Salmon Del Chef
Grilled fresh salmon, lemon butter sauce, and capers.
Dessert
Cheesecake or Tiramisu
Price/Payment
The meal is $30. Wine and non-alcoholic drinks are available as well, and each diner will pay their bill separately at the end of the night. The restaurant accepts cash and credit (Visa/MC/Amex). Please note that the restaurant will likely add a reasonable gratuity based on the size of our party.
How
Seating is limited at this event as well, though like before we don’t imagine it’s going to be an issue. Regardless, we’re treating this as an invitation/RSVP event.
If you’d like to attend, PM me with the following information:
[ul]
[li]Your real name.[/li][li]How many people are in your party. (Please limit your party to no more than two unless we know the people in your party. If you need an exception to this, we probably know you. :))[/li][li]An email/phone where we can reach you in case we run into any problems.[/li][li]If you’re coming from out of town, please note this fact.[/li][li]If you’re attending the entire meetup (staying at the hotel and/or attending the Friday night group-watch and Saturday’s other activities), please note this fact.[/li][/ul]
I’ll reply to you with an RSVP confirmation that we have a seat for you at dinner.
What if I require a vegetarian option?
If you are for sure planning to attend the event, we can make arrangements for this. Please let us know. There may be additional/different cost. Please don’t ask for this option unless you really need it (in which case we understand).
Notes
The people that own and operate this restaurant are very good friends of ours, which is how we managed to even set up dinner when we have no idea how many people are coming. (Most places would stick it to us or turn us away.) To put it in perspective, Audra and I had our second date there nine years ago. They’re nice people, and I think you’ll enjoy meeting them. (And not that I imagine you’d consider it, but if you were mean to them I’d take it personally.)
I don’t know what the added gratuity will be, but I can tell you that I generally tip far more than standard rates at this restaurant because they’re so kind and attentive. So my bet is that if they add 15% or something you might even want to drop a little more. You’ll just have to see how you feel afterward and decide for yourselves.
I’ve actually tried all the menu items and found them to be quite good. (My favorite of the three is the salmon, but YMMV.)
Wine, should you choose to indulge, ranges from $25 to around $50 a bottle. They have quite a selection in that range.
Important: The restaurant is a good ways away from the hotel. You’ll need a car (or a ride with someone who has a car) to get there. No van or bus transportation is provided, so if you’re not either local or planning to rent a car, please be sure to get with our official travel coordinator Raemani to work out any travel details.
