Soreness all around

I met up with Jim, L, and A for lunch today before they went wakeboarding. I was sad that I couldn't go, but at the same time, it frees me up to do a lot of stuff that I need to get done. I was a bit perturbed with Jim, because I had specifically asked him to call me as soon as they left, so I would have time to pick up lunch and meet them at Carl's Jr. (not too much vegetarian-friendly food there). Of course, he waits until 10 minutes into their drive, which puts me behind. That aspect of his personality drives me absolutely crazy. It's like, if I ask him to do something, why can't he just do it? It's not like it was difficult or an imposition, and I had already explained my reasoning behind my request.

Anyway, I got a sandwich from a little deli across the street from CJ's. I don't even remember the name, but it's been there for as long as I can remember and has the reputation for good food. I've never been there with Jim, because he won't eat cold sandwiches, so today was the perfect opportunity for me to try it. The line was crazy long, and it took a while before I reached the counter, where I ordered a veggie sandwich on sliced wheat without mayo, mustard, pickles, or cheese. It came with avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber, pepporcini, and supposedly sprouts, but they were out (grr!). It was a moderate wait, but for a mom-and-pop place, I expected it. So for $5.75, I got a pretty yummy sandwich and an old, divorced, father of four hitting on me while incessantly smiling with his freaky fake veneers. I was actually quite pleased with my sandwich--it had the typical deli lettuce and tons of veggies inside. Of course, I had to eat quickly, since I was probably about 10 minutes behind them and they needed to get out to the lake.

L and I had talked on the phone earlier that day and ended up choosing Postino, an Italian restaurant in Lafayette that accepted the Passport. I made Open Table reservations for 9 pm and we ended up only being 15 minutes late. The four of us tackled two plates of bread, which wasn't at all a surprise. I sampled a bit of the garlic butter and was pretty unimpressed--it reminded me too much of Alouette. There were two types of bread, one a typical crusty sourdough and the other a toasted garlic topped foccacia. Both were good, and we were all starving, so the plates emptied quickly.

I don't think any of us will be forgetting this meal anytime in the near future, given the service we received. Our waiter verged on crazy, but managed to barely keep to the "extremely enthusiastic" side. A's theory was that he was drunk, and I was inclined to agree, but he managed to describe every special in such great and glorious detail that we may as well have been watching The Food Network, and that kind of made me think that he was just really, really excited about the food . He listed every major ingredient in the dish and touched on the preparation method, too. I think we all avoided eye contact with each other to keep from bursting into laughter. His bombastic delivery paid off, since the carnivores went with the soup of the day (lamb stew). I got some sort of salad with Gorgonzola, candied pecans, and frisee. I asked for the blu cheese dressing on the side and was glad I did, since I didn't like it at all and the Gorgonzola gave the salad more than enough flavor anyway. The greens were light enough that I didn't miss the moisture dressing usually provides. The stew was a hit for the others, and that means I guess I'll have to try making it sometime. Giada has a recipe for lamb stew with papperadelle (I think), so I'll give it a whirl.

We all got different main courses. A was feeling the swordfish, L the pork, Jim the tri tip (of course), and I ultimately decided on the eggplant parmesan. I was torn between the eggplant and the farfalle pasta dish, which came with mushrooms, a truffle broth (both yays!) and artichokes (eh). Since I love eggplant parmesan and had run over 3 miles today, I figured I would splurge and get something I would be highly likely to enjoy.

My mezzaluna was pretty darn good. It's been so long since I've had restaurant eggplant parm that I didn't really have a point of reference (except to my shame, I still have yet to find a restaurant that serves better eggplant than Buca di Beppo!), but it was yummy. I really liked the added touch of grilled zucchini, which was beneath the eggplant. I got three slices of the stuff, which was cut in about 1 inch rounds. The marinara was a little too sweet for my tastes, but so long as I was eating it with the eggplant and not with bread, it was fine.

Jim's tri tip was beautiful. It came carved up and perfectly medium rare. There was a veal reduction, bacon mashed potatoes, and green beans. The plate itself was gigantic, and the server made a joke about how he had insisted on a big plate and clearly the kitchen hadn't listened. Jim tried to feed me the potatoes, but luckily for me, I had read the menu and knew he was giving me tainted food.

L's pork was actually quite pretty, too. His came out on a rectangular plate as did mine. Despite it being an Italian restaurant, the rectangular plates gave a pretty strong Asian influence to the presentation. He liked his dish a lot, too and when he and Jim swapped plates, to my surprise, Jim also liked the pork. Looks like I'll have to try making a roast loin of pork sometime, too. I learned tonight that L is all about the pig. I noticed before that he gravitated towards it, but didn't realize the extent of it. Something to keep in mind the next time he comes to dinner. And since Giada has all of those roast pork recipes . . . I still don't know how I feel about cooking pork, since I've always been raised to believe that it's an unclean animal. I don't think I could feed my children the stuff. The smell is horrible. But at the same time, I don't think I have a moral objection to it. It's just . . . gross. But if Jim likes it, I'd give cooking it a try. And he seemed to really like it. I'll have to ask him his honest opinion on it away from company before I make that sort of pork commitment.

A was all about the swordfish. Of the platings, hers was actually by far the ugliest. The off-white of her swordfish was washed out by the off-white of her mashed potatoes. It looked like a big lump of stuff. But luckily for her, in this case, looks had nothing to do with the taste, and she ate all of her fish like a total champ. I was a impressed. She didn't quite finish her potatoes, but the meat was completely gone. Apparently swordfish is a pretty dense fish, whatever that means. Jim said he prefers light and flaky. Again, whatever that means.

For dessert, the server brought out the cupcakes I gave to A for her birthday. He plated them up and stuck candles in them. It was adorable. Jim officially likes the cupcakes, which made me so happy. L seemed to really like them, too. I would have preferred to try one of Postino's desserts, but the bill was so much anyway that we probably didn't need the added expense. But the strawberry-rhubarb dessert was definitely calling to me. Ah well, maybe next time.

Amusing points of the evening:

Watching our busboy in action was amazing. The guy was seriously on crack. My water glass was never empty, and the plates were cleared away in an insanely efficient way. I was fascinated just watching him dry wineglasses.

Listening to our waiter crack horrible jokes, go into long-winded explanations of the food, and speak with his hands (in true Italian fashion).

Trying to explain the Passport to A without letting her know it was a discount card.

Lots of fun tonight. The only bummer is that we were all sore, the three of them from wakeboarding, and me from my stupidity in running over three miles of hills after not having run in about a month. My knees are killing me.