I know I am in the right
restaurant when their blog is called “The Slice”. Automatically my mouth is
watering for a big bite of their food.
This love affair all started with
an invite to celebrate my cousin’s fortieth birthday. What you have to
understand about this cousin is that she is the complete opposite of what we
use to think forty was like. Growing up, I am about to turn thirty-five, forty
sounded like the end of a dirty road. I know many women freak out about turning
thirty but I wasn’t one of them. Neither was this cousin. However now that I am
half way through my thirties I am beginning to feel like forty is an age that I
could never possibly be. I will officially be a grownup despite having acted as
one since I was six.
But it occurred to me that forty
isn’t what it used to be. This cousin of mine is exceptionally amazing. She has
a career she loves, spends her life with friends and family who are of the
utmost important to her, travels the globe, and finally found and married her
soul mate, a man I am proud to call my cousin now. Her beautiful stepchildren
are my cousins that I love as though our blood is linked. She never settled for
any part of a life that she didn’t deserve. She makes my dreams feel within
reach. Her love and compassion are qualities I treasure.
So how does one celebrate such a
woman? Apparently it is with a tour through Long Island’s wine country followed
up with a big Italian dinner. I was in like Flynn.
We had a beautiful November day,
which was a great start. We all gathered and got on a bus that would take us to
two wineries, neither of which I recall the name of right now. But it’s not
really about the wine, although I did manage to drink my fair share of it.
The wineries are pretty far out in
Eastern Long Island and there isn’t much else around but farms and other
wineries. Allegedly there are bulls or some similar animal you can see
depending on the road you take. I saw one out of the corner of my eye but not
in time to take a pic. Such a bummer.
After a day filled with day
drinking, we were tired and starving!! I had forgotten how day drinking had
that affect. Thankfully our dinner at aMano had been prearranged so we got right down to
business. All of a sudden I felt myself perk up a bit.
It was a price fixe menu
especially for our occasion so you had a choice of what to order for each of
your courses. For my appetizer I went with the “slowly simmered meatballs” that
were served with ricotta, tomato, and basil. Normally I am not a meatball fan
but for some reason I had a hunch I would like these. The result is the reason
I ALWAYS listen to my gut.
For starters they were the biggest
meatballs I have ever seen in my life. These also happen to be one of the top three
favorites ones of mine now. They were incredible. Moist, flavorful, and not
over or undercooked! You literally could not ask for anything more. I couldn’t
get the second one down but I was devastated by that.
Next up I had the “linguine with
shrimp, crabmeat, garlic, chilies, lemon, and arugula.” Another showstopper.
Que bella! This was an exquisite dish!! It was creamy but not so creamy it
would be heavy. It had the perfect amount of fish and the quality was even
better. I am picky so if I didn’t like this believe me I would have sent it
back. Yet another thing I didn’t finish because I HAD to be able to taste my
dessert.
Last but not least was dessert, a
“pistachio ice cream sandwich served with an almond olive oil cake”. The best
way to describe this is that it tasted like rainbow/ three layer cake cookies!
The girl that ordered it first was my inspiration for ordering it and also the
same person that came up with that description. The vibrant colors matched
their flavors. By the time I was done with this it was all mixed and melted
together looking like a mess, but surely a delicious mess.
The only mistake I made happened
today, as I was looking at the menu. I realized I should have ordered a pizza
and the steak with gorgonzola cheese to go. Since I did not see the regular
menu the night I was there I had no idea what else I was missing. Plus I left
so full I wasn’t sure I would be able to climb up the two steps to get back on
the bus. Thankfully I had leggings on or I would have had a wardrobe malfunction.
I could REALLY go for any of this
food right now or even tomorrow. As luck would have it I wasn’t eating my sad
turkey breast sandwich for lunch while doing this research or I might have
hurdled it across the room. By comparison to this list it sounds like dog food.
I believe that this day was
destined to be amazing, like the person we were celebrating. I knew it for sure
once I saw the rice balls we had brought for a snack at the first winery. I
mean there isn’t much that can top that. I know those around us with their
carrots and dips were jealous. I sure would have been.
We all had a great time spending
the day together and showing our love for this fabulous forty-year-old woman.
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