Thursday, November 20, 2014

dinner with friends

Five of us meet to celebrate Pam and Janice's birthdays.  The restaurant is Cavatappo Grill.

It’s a non descript neighborhoody-looking place.  Nothing fancy. It would be easy to pass by, thinking it was a glorified diner.  That would be a mistake.

The ambiance is homey and comfortable. And while there’s a nice buzz, it’s quiet enough to easily converse.  The food is — across the board — outstanding. It’s near impossible to have only one piece of the amazing bread.  We order two salads: the beet and goat cheese salad, and the shrimp and avocado.  Each salad is enough for two people, but each is so good one person could happily eat it. 

I get the veal scaloppini that is outstanding.  In fact, not one morsel ends up in anyone’s plate.  We split two desserts: a panna cotta and a large slice of blueberry pie.  Though we are here for the company more than the food, everyone is impressed with the large menu, beautiful presentations, and excellent quality of everything we order. 

The five of us (two couldn’t make it) are all ex-Horace Mann moms.  And all of us have sons the same age.  I don’t see these woman often enough.  Our conversations entertain and challenge.  Tonight for example, before the appetizers have even been served, the staunch republican in the group and the equally staunch democrat start a discussion on Obama’s plan for immigration, which is being announced tonight. Surprisingly, they are in agreement.  But I sit in admiration of how articulate and knowledgeable they both are. 

It’s easy to feel like the lazy one among this impressive group of women. One runs 7-8 miles four times a week when she’s not seeing patients (she’s a doctor).  Another is a lawyer and also a part-time judge in the summer.  A third gets up at 5:30 most days and lives a full life before getting to her office where she acts as CFO for small businesses, or something like that.  And the fourth does some complicated international investment work.


This small circle of friends is one I am humbled to be part of.

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