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Last night Amy and I had the luxury of a date night in our quaint little village of San Sano. Grandma stayed home with the girls. They cheered quite loud for us to go as perhaps after 100+ days together they needed a break too.
We got ready for dinner at 8:30pm and walked 21 steps, I counted them, across the street to our town's restaurant, Trattoria La Grotta della Rana. So off to the frog cave we went.
The frog cave is owned by a family who's been in business over 20 years. Your waiter is the son who's in his 40's and Dad, who also runs the little market next door and is probably in his 80's is the server and bus boy. Dad puts in a long day opening the market at 7am and he's still moving quite well going up and down the stairs to the second floor of the restaurant.
Our table on the second floor overlooked and let us look into our villa. You'd figure after so much time together that's the last thing we need, but it was funny watching the girls and grandma play together from our perch. At one point they even went upstairs and were waving at us and making funny gestures from across the street.
The menu was handwritten and included things added in pencil as well. We had a glass of Prosecco to drink to review our options. I saw what the locals next to us ordered and chose that for my primi and secondi.
For the primi it was a spaghetti with a spicy thick red sauce with cheese. The secondi would be a veal covered in asparagus and cheese that Amy would share. Being in the Chianti region we did not have much choice, but to choose a chianti for the wine which was fine for us. Amy opted for ravioli in a more delcious red sauce with meat. As she was sharing my veal she broke out in tears that meal was so good. The last time I remember her doing that was eating peach gelato in Cherry Creek.
In the restaurant there was a very young couple which reminded Amy and I that it was around this day 22 years ago that we first met on a blind date. We met at the Royalton Hotel in NYC and then went to the east village to a restaurant called Fruita de Mare which sadly is no longer there. So there we sat 22 years later in Italy on a date night with our kids and grandma across the street.
We finished up with dolce of chocolate cake which we did not leave a morsel. I went for the obligatory grappa which put me into a nice coma-like state as we walked about 24 steps, I may have stumbled some, across the street. The girls and grandma were full on into a 500 rummy game and wide awake at 11pm. I'm looking forward to a return trip to the Frog Cave.
AG
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