February 16 (the sweet life)

I threw all digestive caution to the wind tonight and encouraged Rob to forget about my crazy-making restrictions and simply choose someplace to eat that sounded good. We went back, far back, to our roots as a couple, and dined at La Dolce Vita. Familiar faces appeared there—Hostess Mama, who is still cute as can be and still doesn't speak English, and the humbler of The Handsome Brothers, who waited our table with humor and graciousness. The salad, iceberg, is the same, and I'm still okay with it, though I'm morally opposed in nearly every other setting to iceberg lettuce. The bread—not quite as tasty as it was back in the day, but fine. The pasta? Still good. It was a nice, if gut-challenging, meal. LDV was probably the first place Rob and I ate out together besides our beloved Govinda's (may it rest in peace, hare krishna, etc.), where we actually met. I have so many LDV memories, some including Rob, some not, all good. I'd nearly forgotten how entertwined that place is with my personal history, particularly pre-marriage. Hmm, perhaps I should go there more often and while I'm enjoying a spinach calzone or a plate of gnocchi, write down some of the important memories. Atmosphere helps you know. Anyway, it sounds like a great excuse to compromise my digestion occasionally.

I do remember once after we were married, when Rob's grandparents and aunt and uncle and cousin from Maine came for a visit, we took them to LDV. After our meal, Grandma B., who had been a great gardener before she grew too sick with cancer, stood admiring the roses outside the restaurant. The owner spotted her through the glass, rushed out and clipped the most perfect flower in bloom, handed it to her with a romantic flourish, and said richly, "A beautiful rose for a beautiful woman." Man, he was good. Grandma B. was very pleased and received the gift and the compliment just like a queen. A split-second later, Hostess Mama came tearing out of the restaurant, blazed over to her Husband Who Appreciates Women and gave him a violent tongue-lashing in Italiano that gave us all a mighty shock. We blushed and hurried to our car. Rob and I could never go by there again without stopping to admire Grandma's roses.