Saturday, January 30, 2010

A little slice of paradiso

The parental visit is going well, on the whole, although I forget how high-maintenance my parents are. I know that they would protest to that and would then insist that they *NEVER* see me, so of course they want to cram as many activities and as many minutes of talking and 'visiting' as they possibly can, but it's still exhausting. I, then, feel like an ungrateful daughter because I want to be able to get up and make coffee without my father lurking in the kitchen (in his mind, he is helping, but to me, he is lurking). It is good to be reminded me that I treasure alone time and that my wonderful husband gives me plenty of that, because he's an awesome person who understands me.
Speaking of awesome husband, I may nominate him for sainthood after this visit. He has spent far more time with mis padres than I have. While I went to work on Thursday, he drove my parents to San Diego so that my father could meet up with some old Marine buddies. Seriously.


All the complaining aside, we've had some wonderful moments, one of which was last night (I'm up at 2:30 am, by the way, unable to sleep). We ate at a restaurant at which I had been hoping to eat for AGES. Seriously, I've made reservations there twice for different events, but then we opted for another place (I make reservations at multiple restaurants for birthdays and anniversaries, and then as the date nears, we make a decision and cancel the other reservations; I did the same for last night's feast, and my dad had the final word). Anyway, Angelini Osteria was/is pretty much a place where I could eat my last meal and then die happy. So much for Dante's Beatrice being the the personification of love, leading one to Paradise. I believe that I experienced the sublime in last night's meal. I don't necessarily gravitate to Italian food when I want a total 'foodie experience', but Angelini Osteria certainly presented us with one of the most enjoyable dining experiences that we've had. Not only was the small, more intimate space an inviting place to tuck into wonderful bread, a good Chianti and food made from fresh, local ingredients, but our waiter made the meal. He showed us a picture of his "children" on his iPhone - two dogs! As usual, we ate as though we were in a Chinese restaurant, sharing everything, from the roasted bone marrow appetizer, to our more substantial main plates which ranged from a pork chop to veal shank to pumpkin tortellini to venison chops.
This may be my new, favorite, "fancy" but not stuffy place to eat. I'm sure that Michael and I won't be back for at least a year (sad, but true), but it's nice to know that it's here!
We leave for Palm Springs in the morning (in just a few hours - I can't sleep, not sure what is going on). On to the desert and to snow, possibly and crazily?!

1 comment:

Kim said...

I know what you mean about parental visits and lurking. I need my space!
Sounds like you're having a good time though, and so glad your husband is such a great sport ;)
The dinner sounds wonderful and fancy. I love special dinners like that. That's a great idea to make multiple reservations. I never thought of that, but it would be smart for me since I'm very particular about what I'm in the mood for as an event approaches.
Have fun in the desert! Hope you were able to rest some!