Return to Restaurants

This past Saturday evening I was sitting around home in jeans and a tee shirt eating pistachios and drinking a Martini when I decided on the spur of the moment to walk downtown and have dinner out.

Restaurants had opened a couple days before after the two-month COVID shutdown. Until recently eating out for me was commonplace. After a significant hiatus, it felt special somehow. A bit like going out on a date. I showered, shaved, sprayed on some perfume (Nicolai’s New York Intense), and put on some dressy clothes. Ferragamo shoes - it goes without saying that footwear makes the outfit. Here in San Luis Obispo the local fashion in clothing is aggressively casual. If someone sees you in suit and tie, they inquire if you have been to a funeral, and shorts and flip flops are not uncommonly seen even in fine dining rooms. But I always feel dressing well adds to the occasion and shows respect for the restaurant.

The choice of the restaurant was easy. A good friend owns an Italian place only four blocks away. It was on the late side, which normally means tables would be open. I was surprised when I walked in to see every table full. I guess I was not the only one missing restaurant life – or tired of their own cooking. The hostess was new and telling me nicely that no tables were available when the owner’s brother Paolo came up and said, “Larry always has a table.” That felt comforting and sweet. It took away some of the nervousness I felt about being in a room full of strangers.

Resting my forearms on the white tablecloth felt so familiar and pleasant. Being asked what wine I would like to start with, hearing the specials, all the beloved rituals of a meal out. Despite this, I still kept asking myself as I looked at my fellow patrons, “Is this a good idea?”. The wine arrived – a Greco de Tufo, that managed to be simultaneously rich and fresh, then the fish with the familiar tricolor vegetables – spinach, carrots, and potatoes. It was a lovely meal.

The owner sat down removing his mask and gloves and we shared a glass of the wine. He asked if I wanted anything else. No, no, I was full. He said we have a special lemon and pine nut tart tonight. I said yes. It was divine. Something I didn’t know I needed, but my friend Andrea knew better. Like the evening itself. We all need safety of course – we need to survive, but we need other things just as much, maybe more.