Slow the night down, actually talk

Starting at Komorebi sets a quiet, unhurried tone that carries into the park — by the time you're standing at Kalamoir watching the last light leave the West side hills, you've already been talking for an hour. The park does the work a restaurant can't: no menus, no noise, just the two of you and the lake. CeCe's closes the loop with something warm in your hands and a reason to linger. Total damage is $22 a head, well under budget, with one stop that costs nothing at all.

The route