Page 113 of The Manny

“Yeah, let’s get this party started.” He gave a fist pump.

Controlling the urge to roll my eyes, I said, “Did you have any trouble finding the restaurant?” As I spoke, I opened the door of the eatery, letting him go in first.

“Nah. I’ve been here before.” He entered the dimly lit building and I followed. “The cold seafood salad is to die for.”

“Maybe I’ll try it.”

“You should. You’ll thank me for suggesting it.”

An elderly woman approached, her black and gray hair pulled back in a severe ponytail. “Welcome to Osteria Mamma’s family restaurant. I’m Lucia.”

“Great to meet you, Lucia.” I smiled.

“Do you have a corner booth by any chance?” Dan asked. “We’d like some privacy.”

I didn’t object, but I wasn’t sure I actually wanted privacy with Dan just yet. Our online conversations had been pleasant and he’d seemed nice enough, but truthfully, we really hadn’t interacted that much. I’d only agreed to meet up with Dan so quickly because I’d needed to distract myself from thoughts of Jack. Waiting for the perfect guy hadn’t been an option. I’d settled for good enough, and now I was stuck with Dan for the next few hours. Hopefully, we’d click. If nothing else, I’d enjoy some delicious food and wine.

Lucia led us to a corner booth, and she handed us our menus. “Our specials today are Bigolo Al Nero, which is black ink pasta, shrimps, bottarga, and pepperoncino, and also Quadrucci Ai Porcini, which is homemade fresh spinach ravioli, butter & sage porcini mushroom sauce, with fresh truffle.”

“Sounds great,” I said brightly, although I wasn’t a huge fan of black ink pasta.

“Could we see your wine list?” Dan asked.

“Of course.” She left us and returned a few minutes later with the requested menu.

“Do you like wine?” Dan asked, making no effort to let me see the list.

“I do.”

“White or red?”

“Both, although I prefer red.” I cleared my throat. “Could I see the wines that are available too?”

He laughed loudly, the gold chains around his neck jangling. “No need for that. I’m an expert on wine.”

“Uh….” I laughed awkwardly. “I’d still like to see what’s offered.”

He ignored me. “Maybe a nice Chianti would do tonight. Did you know that Chianti wines are made from the sagiovese grape?”

“No—”

“They are.” He squinted at the list. “Generally, sangiovese refers to a specific red grape variety, while Chianti refers to a type of Italian wine. All Chianti wines contain sangiovese grapes, blending them with cabernet, merlot, or syrah, which provides the wine with a silkier texture, fine finish.” His words were stilted, as if he’d memorized that information from a webpage and was trying to recite them word for word.

“Is that right?”

“Yep,” Dan murmured. “Hmmm the pickings are limited.”

“I’m sure they’re all good.”

“Oh, decisions, decisions.” Dan sighed.

“If you can’t find a Chianti you like, cabernet is always good,” I nudged, wishing he’d let me at least look at the damn wine list.

When Lucia returned, Dan said, “We’ll have the 2016 Vicchiomaggio Chianti Classico Reserva.”

“Very nice.” Lucia nodded. “That’s a delicious wine. Definitely worth the price.”

“Only the best for us, eh?” Dan winked at me.

---