swingers

after debating back & forth more than necessary, i met up w/viv for dinner out in santa monica. i was exhausted from the day, so i'm glad i got a bit of a power nap in before our early dinner (regardless of the drool on my futon).

i decided that we should check out swingers, who everyone (including sarah, camelia, and katie -- all veggie-oriented folks) have raved about. since i wanted to go light for dinner, this was the perfect place. the girls had all mentioned how great this place was in terms of veggie options, so i definitely checked out those dishes first. my eyes fell on the veggie burrito and the veggie wrap, both of which looked scrumptious. however, i really wanted tofu and i really wasn't feeling the crispy onions, so i went w/the burrito.

normally (as i'd mentioned to katie just the other day), i'm pretty anti-rice, which means i'm pretty anti-burrito (at least the typical ones). but when i saw that this burrito had quinoa (along w/tofu and spinach), the decision was pretty easy. not only was everything wrapped up nicely in a whole wheat tortilla, but it was *really* good and super light. i finished it (as i do most things) pretty quick (though i really ought to train myself to eat slower), and i didn't feel it in my tummy at all! which is always fabulous b/c i really hate that gross full feeling i get from eating just a tad too much. *sigh*

when i was mid-burrito, i decided to order the side of mac n' cheese as well, since it's been AGES since i've had it. unfortunately, i was totally disappointed b/c it was totally bland and not cheesy enough. plus, they totally skimped on the breadcrumbs! viv says she's not a fan, but i really don't think she knows any better (sorry, viv) b/c it's ALL about the breadcrumbs. and despite its similar neon yellow/orange hue, this dish was way less flavorful than velveeta's version. never mind comparing it to the real thing.

viv ordered the turkey meatloaf, which came out on a plate w/a bit of spinach and literally the biggest mound of mashed potatoes i'd ever seen. i mean, it looked as big as a hamster! needless to say, she barely made it through 1/3 of the dish and had to take home leftovers. but the meatloaf itself was quite moist, which is very much unlike other meatloaves i've had. it's still not really my thing, but at least this version had a bit more texture and it wasn't just a lot of crap mushed together. i mean, we could taste stuff in it!

while the service was pretty good (w/the waiter coming to check on us pretty regularly), i was annoyed by the fact that he brought us the check w/o us asking for it. when that happens, i always feel rushed. i mean, i don't LOOK done, do i? plus, you never know if i'm going to want something else! and that's totally what happened tonight. the guy brought the check. but viv & i had totally been checking out the red velvet cupcake from the beginning! so we definitely had to order that. we split it and both of us found it a little dry. (thankfully, nothing close to the ones at one sunset, which had totally tasted like cardboard. totally gross.)

so the guy brought the check again. but then we decided to try another cupcake. this time, the chocolate one w/peanut butter frosting. when we ordered it, the waiter seemed surprised. (i mean, what? do we look like we can't handle it?) we split this one too and both us found it much moister than the red velvet one, though i enjoyed the PB frosting more than viv, who thought it wasn't PB-ey enough. personally, i thought it was perfectly delish. (i mean, who wants a glob of PB on top of a moist chocolate cake anyways? well, i guess viv did.)

when the guy brought the check the last time, viv was actually still considering the raspberry cupcake, though i really didn't think i could handle any more sugar. so thankfully for the waiter, we finally paid. but seriously, he wouldn't have had to change up the check if he'd just waited till we asked for it. so there, point made.

at any rate, everything was really really good -- and i still felt pretty light when i left! i think we both felt heavier from dessert, which is the whole point of making room for it at the end! this is definitely a returner. next time, i'm tackling the veggie wrap. woohoo!

swingers
http://www.swingersdiner.com/