Valentine’s Day with My Brother

           I’ve never been super into Valentine’s Day, besides the fact there is almost always candy involved; and who doesn’t love those little paper valentines you can buy at CVS? Anyway, my Saturday turned into a pamper yourself day: facial, nails, and Law and Order SVU marathon. Who needs all the fuss of Valentines Day when you can relax all day after a long week of work? I did have plans that night with my brother though!!

            I am so lucky to be living so close to my brother! We both are living in Brooklyn and only 4 subway stops apart, so I get to see him a lot. At least twice a month we try and have a nice dinner together and since neither of us had plans on Valentine’s Day we thought we might as well be each other’s valentines. He is the big foodie in the family so I always let him choose the restaurants and this weekend he chose a place called Le Fanfare. Don’t let the name fool you, although it sounds French, but it is actually Italian.

            Le Fanfare is located in the Greenpoint neighborhood, which is so cute and trendy and all the way at the top of Brooklyn. If you don’t already live in Brooklyn it is a hard neighborhood to get to because for the most part it’s only accessible off of the G train which is a Brooklyn only train. The atmosphere is vibrant and fun, and all of the decor had a somewhat reinvented handmade feel. There was a beautiful round bar in the front and live music in the back. Our reservation was at 8:30 so when we got seated we were ready to order! We decided to be a little lavish that night and ordered probably more than we should have, but it was all so delicious from the beet squash and burrata salad to the grilled octopus, the pork loin and a few others. We ended the meal with the most delicious pistachio raspberry lemon cannolis. Needless to say we spoiled ourselves that night, and had a wonderful Valentine’s Day together! I am so happy to be able to spend all of this time with my brother while I’m here in New York, and I know I’m going to miss it when I leave in March.