Ma and Pa celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary by treating us to lunch at Italianni's, our default celebration resto in Makati. Our love affair with this New York style Italian restaurant started when ma got a gift certificate for a free appetizer at this place. We had never been there and we were afraid it would be too expensive. The price was rather stiff but the magic words that turned us into fans were 'our meals are meant for sharing'. That was a concept we Filipinos shared with Italians. No formalities about eating only what you ordered. Here, we make sure we don't order the same stuff so we can all taste something new and share everything with everybody just like we would when eating at home. We also like the fact that they offer us complimentary foccacia bread and olive oil while we wait for our meal(which led Jon at 12 years old to exclaim: libre to?!*munch,munch,munch*). Sometimes, when the crowds are huge and we have to wait to be seated, customers are offered iced tea or water.
Here's the appetizer that started it all: Spinach and artichoke formaggio, which we order everytime because it's Jon's favorite.
For a change we decided to skip our other usual orders like caesar's salad and try something new:
I forgot the name of this salad but it was a mix of greens,fruits and cheeses.
Then came the meaty lasagna made in the real italian style---meaning sour, not sweet tomato sauce. This meal is so filling, your stomach will groan long after you've left the place.
My favorite meal was the seafood risotto. I first had risotto at a small homey resto in Boracay and I can''t have enough of it. The thick slab of grilled salmon on top was so succulent and fresh but I felt the serving of risotto was not enough. We loved it so much I have downloaded recipes to make the meal myself. 
