toloache 82

A couple of weeks ago my friends went to dinner at Toloache.  My mom was in town and I couldn’t go, but everyone loved it.  So when my two big-eating and very hip nephews (Adam and Jason) suggest dinner tonight (my mom, sister and niece are in town), they ask me to choose the restaurant.  I pick Toloache, and am excited to introduce them both to one of the few restaurants on the Upper East Side they don’t know.

I get to Shari’s around 4 to help her prepare for the last night of Shiva. She lives around the corner from Adam, where my sister Jean, her daughter Sally, and my mom are all staying.  My phone rings at 6:50.  Alexander and I are just saying good-bye.  It’s Jean.  I tell her we are on our way to meet them.  “Okay, we’ll wait.”  Wait?  It’s a 15-minute walk to the restaurant.  But then I remember my mom’s phobia about being late.

The restaurant is great.  It’s busy and loud (even in the back room), but the service and food are excellent.  Eating with my nephews is an experience.  They are generous and gracious, and always over order.  The restaurant’s signature shrimp dish and flank steak are spectacular.  Everyone tries everything, except for Sally who last week became a vegetarian.  But there are still enough options for her.

It’s a great night, made especially nice by seeing my mom relaxed and laughing.

I hope the fitted dress I’ll be wearing tomorrow night still fits.