If you want to have a successful excursion in this town, you need a plan—and it better be a good one. Since it's not always easy to strike that perfect balance between "pre-game" drink, food and a show, we bring you the Date Night series — a block-by-block guide to weekend itineraries that only require one parking space. This weekend, we've got an artsy excursion to the Dogpatch on tap.
See: Journey to the Dogpatch's Romer Young Gallery (1240 22nd St.) to take in Lucy Pullen's HUE, one of our 6 Must-See Gallery Openings this month. Four brightly colored and playful Plexiglas sculptures let you break the normal boundaries around art exhibits by walking amongst them and taking photos at will.
Eat: Walk two blocks down 22nd Street for a smooth segue into Piccino's (1001 Minnesota St.) seasonal takes on thin-crust pizza. Get there a little before 5 p.m. and you'll have prime seating for sunset hues streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling West-facing windows. Take it in over a glass of Sorelle Bronca Prosecco. The "rosmarino" pizza made with delicata squash, gorgonzola, fennel and chili follows nicely.
Drink:It's almost too perfect. You can continue the 22nd St. crawl and smack right into Yield Wine Bar at the intersection with 3rd Street. Sommelier and owner Chris Tavelli sources mostly biodynamic and organic wines. He's also got an eye toward fuller bodied whites and reds that can stand alone, which makes this a great post-meal stop. There's a section of the menu devoted to after dinner drinks like late-bottled port and moscatel, but a rich glass of the Casnati Malbec, with notes of hazlenut and chocolate, makes a fine "dessert" too.
Got another great weekend itinerary to suggest? Do tell, in the comments.
