June 6, 2011

Getting my Italy fix in Browne’s Addition.

I mentioned spending four months in Florence, Italy earlier. Well, surprise- I am bringing it up again! After this study abroad experience (a.k.a the 4 month carbo load), I thought I would never want to see another bowl of pasta in front of me. I took a good two weeks off from Italian food once I was home, but now, I am back to wanting those fine, fresh, Italian meals back in my life. Last night, Sean and I were on quest to find a place to go to dinner. We were in search of Café Marron in Browne’s Addition. Unfortunately, it no longer exists. Fortunately, it has been turned into Italia Trattoria.

We got to Italia Trattoria at 5 pm this past Wednesday. I was embarrassed for literally being there 60 seconds after it opened for dinner, but thank goodness we got there when we did. Within about 20 minutes of sitting down, the place was filling up and as we were working on our main course, they only had about three tables open. This restaurant is in a converted garage and next to an art gallery. They get free art and the best lighting around- sunlight streaming in from the street! It is a delight. They strive to make it local and unique. The setting is cozy without having everyone sitting shoulder to shoulder. The wait staff is attentive, patient, experienced, and extremely knowledgeable. It is a breath of fresh air for an upscale Italian place. From a girls night out, to a reunion of college friends, to awkward first dates, and to a midweek family dinner, this place is suited for every type of group looking to get out.

I love people watching and eves dropping. That’s how I was able to pick up on the different dinner dynamics that were around us. I get that from my dad. We always have to tell him to stop staring or swiveling his head to look around the restaurant and get the scoop on everyone around us. The table one over from us was full of three girlfriends and as one was sitting down, she was saying how it had been to long since they had all gotten together. Another thing I overheard was “those four years sure did go by fast!”. I observed the group that the comment came from and heard the word “college” shortly after. There was a group of 8 people, who were now married, experienced in life, and reunited there at that dinner table. This was the perfect image to see college classmates back together in one place with their new spouses enjoying an evening out and reminiscing about those college days. It was perfect because earlier that day, one of my best friends and former housemates at Gonzaga left Spokane and was embarking on her next life adventure. We had our goodbyes before she was taken to the Greyhound station and that last thing she said was “until our paths meet again”. I cannot wait until our paths do meet again in the next chapter of life when we are all able to share stories over the dinner table with some good wine and even better friends.

Meeting up with old friends, catching up on life, and being able to enjoy the others’ company is to be treasured. The memories made in that restaurant that night will last until all of those paths do meet again.

Oh I guess I should mention what we ate, right? I guess could rave about dinner for the rest of this post, and yes, I could talk too much about the delectable braised rabbit raviolini with pea and morsel cream sauce or my refreshing Blood Orange Bellini. I could bring up the saffron seafood risotto Sean got or the asparagus with a lemon aioli and Parmesan we got as a side. Or maybe, I’ll skip all that and talk about the tiramisu that was to die for or the orange doughnuts with a chocolate mouse sauce that seemed to disappear from Sean’s plate within minutes. Or I could just leave it at that. There is no part of that meal that was short of perfection. Every bit was perfect, the presentation was flawless, and the attention to detail and originality that went into each dish was evident. Feast your eyes on these photos, which do not even start to give the meal justice.