I have lived in River Heights for almost 18 years and think that this restaurant has been on Waterloo and Corydon for at least that long but I have never tasted a Santa Lucia Pizza.  I can’t explain how this happened.  Sister #3 claims its Winnipeg’s best pizza and I would be tempted to agree.  But I would love your opinions on this topic if you have other favourites.

Earlier this week I was in what you might describe as a middle aged woman’s heaven: I got together with two women whom I love and we ate pizza, then a banana log Jeannie’s cake, washed it down with a fine German Riesling and watched the premiere of this season’s Dancing with the Stars!  Hard to decide what was the best part but the pizza was definitely outstanding.  We ordered the Santa Lucia’s Aloha which is double ham, double pineapple and cheese and a large feed four of us to satiation with a couple of pieces left over for lunch.

Now we are a home-made pizza family and I am very picky about my pizza.  I figure if I’m going to eat a day’s calories at one meal-it better be worth it.  Their crust tasted very close to the bread dough recipe that I use.  There was the perfect amount of robust sauce on it and once you add their toppings and cheese-yummers!

This photo is not a Santa Lucia Pizza-we ate it to quickly for me to take a one.

Kath’s quotes:  “Life is so brief that we should not glance either too far backwards or forwards…therefore study how to fix our happiness in our glass and in our plate.”-Grimod de la Reynière

The menu offerings at John’s of 12th St. are time-tested and as authentic Italian as it gets.  The kitchen still does its own butchering and baking.  The current chef has been there over 30 years and was trained by the chef before him.  Because as I’ve said before, taste is a multi-sensory experience for me, my meal was full of all the joy and all of the sorrows that have been celebrated and observed within the walls.

I could have pictured our young, handsome server in many of the trendier spots in the neighbourhood, but was really endeared to him for choosing this place.  Perhaps he was family. He was attentive, efficient and delightful.

We started with a tomato, basil and Buffalo mozzarella  salad and was duly impressed by the homemade cheese which was creamy and firm at the same time. The home baked bread basket was emptied very quickly, not because it was not well laden but because of the taste treats that it held.

The girls ordered Chicken and Veal Parmesan along side spaghetti and were well pleased.  I was tempted to try the evening’s special which was a pasta with black truffles but opted instead for Eggplant Parmesan which was rolled and stuffed with a full-bodied ricotta cheese-I was in heaven.

Too full for the array of authentic dessert, we strolled home.  Thankfully the walk was a number of blocks as we had extra calories to burn that warm August evening.

Kath’s quote: “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.”-Mae West

Not surprizingly we celebrate our wedding anniversary with a dinner date.  I remember back to our initial wedding anniversary-it was first time that we had left our new born daughter with a sitter.  We dined at Cibo’s which used to be in  the basement of the Townsite Building. I recall having the most delicious capaccio and then not sleeping all night long with worry that the garlic would stay with me, as I was nursing.  Didn’t even phase her……

We are partial to Italian and other Mediterranean food and chose Tre Visi for dinner.  Or I should say that I chose-D told the guys at work that it was a a Vietnamese restaurant.  Tre Visi one of the few restaurants on the east side of Main St that has had any longevity.  We had enjoyed its proximity to the theatre on previous visits.  The place was bustling on this Thursday night but our table was waiting and we were graciously served by a beautiful and attentive waitress.

Dinner started with a delicious little bread basket.  We were tempted to order more but were glad that we resisted because our dinners were so satisfying.  We started with Calamari that were huge and yet not too chewy and served absolutely piping hot which is a feat for this delicate seafood.  D professed that they might have been the best that he has ever tasted and that would be saying a lot since he has sampled the same in Greece and Italy.  For our pasta course we shared gnocchi that were tossed in a creamy pesto sauce.  The gnocchi had been made just a few hours previously and it was not hard to detect.  They were firm and yet tender and held onto the amazing, rich sauce.

For the our main dishes,  D ordered shrimp and scallops in a saffron cream sauce on angel hair pasta and I chose chicken and artichokes in a Madeira sauce.  I was pleased with mine but blown away by D’s and tried to resist too many forkfuls.  We chose an Argentinean Malbec to accompany our dinner and corked it up to share one last glass at home.  What a civilised concept!

Kath’s quote: “These things are just plain annoying. After all the trouble you go to, you get about as much actual “food” out of eating an artichoke as you would from licking 30 or 40 postage stamps. Have the shrimp cocktail instead.”-Miss Piggy

In the circle of life there are times when parents need little breaks from their children and then the loop reverses and the teenagers would just as soon not  connect with their parents.  We are entering the most wonderful portion of the ring right now-we crave being with our kids and apparently the feeling is mutual.

One evening D was going to get caught up on our banking and I was settling in to watch one of “my” dance shows, when the phone rang.  It was Daughter #2 calling to ask us to meet she and her fella for dessert.  OMGoodness-even in the pouring rain, we were there in less than seven minutes!

Baked Expectations has been around since my husband and I were courting and is still serving up consistently sumptuous tortes, cheesecakes and pies.  We nestled in for from scratch hot chocolate and flavoured milks.  D&I decided upon one item to share but the kids were not so successful in spite of their determination to do so.

So Crazy Chocolate Cake, Caramel Pecan Cheesecake and Tia Maria Torte were sampled.  All were distinct from each other and the tastes of fine ingredients were apparent.

Demographically, D&I we were the minority in that bustling little place.  We didn’t care.  Our glow extended to the paying of the cheque -hey we raised a very clever child.  Love you Boo.

Kath’s quote:  “….I can dream away a half-hour on the immortal flavor of those thick cheese cakes we used to have on a Saturday night.”-Mary Antin

The Redhead 349 13th St. between 1st and 2nd Ave. in the East Village.  We found this crazy/cozy little place on line and it was a pleasant stroll away from our home away from home in the Gramercy/Flatiron neighbourhood.

They do not take reservations and so our party of five had to perch in the bar until our table was ready.  We were content to start with Allagash “White” beer (from Maine)-a taste sensation that we do not enjoy back home on the Canadian prairies.  We also sampled the perfect bar snack-Bacon Peanut Brittle.    It satisfied our sweet/salty craving and was just enough to satiate us until we were transferred from the bar to the dining room-mere steps away.

I could go into detail about the housemade waffle fries with butter braised onion-dip , low country shrimp in Anson mills antebellum grits and pan-roasted grouper that we ordered but there is no need because the star of the menu and our evening was that ultimate comfort food-Buttermilk Fried Chicken!  Do not order anything else or you will sacrifice your taste of the most amazing fried chicken that I have ever tasted.  I am even including the freshly killed, fresh home bread  crumb-coated and lard fried version that my little Grandma used to make.  We speculated that the boneless breast and drum/thigh,  pieces were marinated in buttermilk to tenderize and maintain the unequalled juiciness.  All this was served with cornbread and a spinach, strawberry and almond salad for only $18.

We saw the Crawfish “Macaroni and Cheese” with tarragon and truffle jus being enthusiastically enjoyed at another table.  So too, the fried green tomatoes.  We could not resist an order of the Fried Blueberry Pie with lemon ice cream that we shared 4 ways.

The Redhead is a fabulous New York find for southern/comfort food at its finest.  To top perfection, they deliver individual cello wrapped coconut cookies with the bill!

Kath’s quote:  “Food, like a loving touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort.”-Norman Kolpas