Potatoes in the Mist

Last night I had dinner with A and E. Both of them are teachers, and the strain of a new year was showing. I hope it gets easier for them. I liked the restaurant a lot. I got there a few minutes early so I busied myself by reading the review outside. It explained that everything -- the pale orange of the walls, the "banal" music -- was designed to soothe. There is even a box inside with a fortune for every diner. "Fortune, no cookie," the review explained. Mine said something like, "Life can only give you what you are willing to put into it." A's fortune was more convoluted, suggesting that "by being in the moment, your personality" will transform something. Neither of us could follow it. It was a bit of a sketchy neighborhood. Some guy offered to "show me something" and then said "You don't even have to get on," pointing to his skateboard. Then someone asked us for money, heavily slurring his words. A said, "Ther...

So we had dinner with P and L. I ate more than I do in a week. Here is what I (gulp) consumed: bread and sheep's milk ricotta roasted red peppers beet salad (small) sweet corn ravioli (small) some of L's fettucine with pesto 2 small, fresh-baked doughnuts Dang, it was good. The doughnuts were called "bombolina." The waiter came over to tell us, "Your bombolina will be out in five to ten minutes...we had to put in a new batch." P said, "I thought he was going to tell us they were out of them...and I was going to KILL him." They were divine. You know the kind of dessert where you cry out, "Oh, my GOD" as you're eating it and you're transported to food heaven? Yeah. That kind. I always eat more with them. I think they have a relaxing effect on me :) Before dinner, I watched Million Dollar Baby. The acting was great. I thought they all deserved their Oscars. Hillary Swank was really likable and also buff. I was in awe of her arms. Bu...

So D and I had lunch with P and his new girlfriend. P is a long-time summer employee of D's and friend of ours; he lives in London and goes to film school during the rest of the year. P made a great choice of lunch place and girlfriend. I thought they were both fabulous. I told him they should get married. I have a very good sense of when couples should get married ;) I won't push it too hard, however. Mentioning it once is enough, right? As for the lunch...awesome. They served everything with a light touch, and yet it was utterly satisfying. Small, delicious portions. I had black bean soup, a red wine poached pear salad, and a petite piece of carrot cake. The carrot cake was served with ice cream, which formed a lovely little lake at the bottom of the plate :) On the way home, I saw two of the cutest dogs ever. They were frisky golden doodles. The girl had a pink leash and the boy had a purple leash. The boy settled down on the sidewalk so I could pat him for a while. "Oh...

So D and I went to the beach yesterday with DG. D actually rode his bike (yup, 32 miles) and DG and I took the train. We were seated near the bathroom (never optimal), but the girl behind us said she would put up a sign saying "Out of Order" if too many people used it and it started to get icky. (Incidentally, the grossest bathroom I ever saw was on New Jersey Transit. Don't use it.) The beach itself was beautiful. We were lying near a toddler who kept speaking her own language. I wished I could understand it, but it was cute anyway. We ate on the main commercial strip near the beach and I had a mango martini with my dinner, which consisted of roasted beet salad and a side of mashed sweet potatoes. I love both beets and sweet potatoes, though I didn't mix them together - don't worry. D took his bike on the train on the way back, and we saw someone from my year in college with his girlfriend. We chatted with them for a while. She's a nurse but doesn't wear ...

We had dinner last night with a couple of friends, T and A (I know, I know ;). The waiter, whom I've known for a while, suddenly had wild, red bushy hair; the look was not unflattering, but made him seem like a mountain man. As he brought our dishes, he said, "You're the special nuggets, you're the five treasures, etc.," referring to us by our entree names. This sparked a memory for him, which he shared. As a child, he was eating out with his family, and they all ordered sodas, which was a rare event, he said. They were all excited. The waiter brought them their drinks and said, "You must be the Coke, you must be the ___." Then he contemplated the youngest, who was small for his age, and said, "You must be the squirt." Everyone laughed and the poor kid was traumatized. The thing was, he actually did order a squirt. I think it was a grape soda of some kind. I also got thinking about T's hair. She's worn it short for a while, and I though...

So we went to dinner with A and R tonight, our friends in the area. Conversation ranged over a wide variety of topics, including whether A and I should attend our upcoming college reunion. Am not sure why I am angsting about this so much. I went to my fifth-year reunion without a second thought, and had a good time. A isn't sure she wants to go, either. I made an "I'll go if you go" offer and she laughed and said, "I'm not ready to commit." She said she got post-traumatic stress disorder from her high school reunion. I steer clear of those :) And I did like my college, so again, I'm not sure why I'm putting so much analysis into it. Moving on... We ate at the Pelican, a fun, uber-trendy hotel with a sharp green awning and a pink padded door to the ladies' room. I got orrechiette with eggplant, cheese and tomato sauce, which was nothing less than splendid; and D and I split a key lime pie, my favorite Floridian dessert. R cracked us up with an...