The best of both worlds

As I was leaving the office for lunch with Jim, I walked by A's desk and her Mexican looked amazing. But then walking by J's desk, I saw her Mary's Pizza Shack and that also looked so freaking good. That put me in a quandry, because I originally wanted something light like sushi. The fact that even M's scat microwave food looked decent basically meant that I was just hungry. To make things more problematic, Jim was hungry on a Friday for once. I didn't want a heavy or big lunch because tonight we're going to The Front Room for Jim's sister J's going away party.

Driving out the parking lot, we still couldn't figure out where to go. I started rattling off places I was okay with, but none appealed to Jim. We ended up at Johnny Carino's, and I think we both were happy with the selection.

Carino's is an Italian chain, much like Olive Garden, but in my opinion, much better. First of all, their bread is amazing. They give you these freshly baked mini-loaves that are warm, brushed with EVOO, and flavored with fresh herbs (rosemary I believe). I love how squishy and soft the insides of the loaves are. Plus they bring out a plate of toasted garlic, which they then add flavored EVOO to. Soo yummy!

Jim ordered a bowl of minestrone soup and chicken milano, although he originally leaned towards the smoked turkey and bacon panini. The milano came topped with mushrooms, ham, and provolone, with a side of fettucine alfredo. I got the pasta primavera, which was supposed to be spicy, but other than the slightest hint of red pepper flakes, it wasn't at all hot. I got artichoke hearts (not so much my faves), fresh spinach, mushrooms, carrots, and tomatoes with my angel hair pasta. I ate all of the veggies except for the artichoke hearts and probably about half of the pasta itself. After finishing my plate and eating most of the two loaves of bread, Jim was "pretty full."

Carino's is the other business luncheon spot in this area. I've been there probably twice with my bosses for work-related lunches, but I've only been with Jim once before (or maybe twice). My problem with Italian chain restaurants is that so many other, better Italian restaurants exist, from holes in the wall to romantic upscale places. It's not that Carino's is bad, or that I never want to go there. Once in a while, Olive Garden is great. But it's always nice for variety. And more authentic stuff.

Later . . .

I had a county bar function I wanted to attend, so I dropped by there for Happy Hour and left as dinner started. I didn't realize it was a cash bar only and ended up paying $2 for a tonic with a twist of lime. Grr. Oh well. I met some new people and schmoozed for a bit, but unfortunately with no one important. The one person I wanted to see wasn't there, so it was a total bummer.

Anyway, the entire party was at the Front Room by the time I arrived, nearly an hour late. However, the food hadn't yet been brought out, so it was good timing on my part all in all. I was quite disappointed that the guest of honor seemed less than thrilled to be there, but personally I had a pleasant evening. The company and food were both excellent, so it was definitely a good night. I haven't seen Jim's cousin S, her husband J, or their kids in years. In fact, tonight was the first time meeting Baby C. I sat next to him, but he doesn't quite have a personality yet, so he wasn't very much fun. Jim's older sister K and her husband M were also there with their kids Big A and Little A. They are so well behaved that it's a real pleasure dining with them. I'm never worried that they'll embarrass us or have a meltdown. If only more children were like that . . .

The Front Room is probably the only nice non-chain restaurant in our home town. As a result, it's always crowded and noisy. It's a pizza/Italian-type restaurant that also serves some seafood and steak, but I think most people order the pizza. I've gotten pasta there before and it's good, but I usually order pizza. They have some amazing deep dish pizza there, but as I was the only vegetarian, I didn't get to sample the goods tonight. I think the rest of their pizza is pretty good though, so it's not as though I totally missed out. They ended up ordering a medium cheese pizza for the kidlets, a medium vegetarian with light cheese for me, a deep dish combination, and a deep dish Hawaiian. We were spot on with the ordering and only had a few slices left. It's hard for me to describe the pizza because nothing is particularly striking about it. The crust is chewy and on the thinner side, and the easiest way to eat it is definitely with a fork (at least halfway through the slice). They use the same dough for breadsticks, which they roll out into foot-long pieces and serve in generous, unlimited quantities.

I actually got Big A to try a slice of the deep dish pizza tonight. One of the Hawaiian slices was missing the actual toppings, so I had him take one. I was impressed--the kid at the entire slice and said he liked it. Both Big A and Little A are picky, but when it comes to cheese (or sour cream), I think they'll eat anything so long as it's smothered with the stuff.

One of the best things about the Front Room is that dessert is part of the meal. It's just a small scoop of ice cream or sherbet, but still. Supposedly the sherbet is rainbow-flavored, but I've never gotten anything but pink. They drizzle it with raspberry sauce and put some whipped cream on the side. Love, love, love it. And the vanilla ice cream has chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Jim and I usually get one of each and share. I prefer the sherbet, but a bit of the vanilla is nice.

Thanks to Jim's dad, this was one of the cheapest meals we've eaten in a while (even cheaper than today's lunch!). Even without his absent contribution, I found it quite amazing that after the drinks, beer, and pizza, the total bill including tax and tip was $121.47. For 11 people (7 adults and 4 kids), that's more than a good deal.

Overall, it was a good evening, starting with schmoozing during happy hour and leaving just in time to miss the boring dinner part to eat some real food!