La Vineria

After a wonderful memorial service for the jazz musician Cecil Payne, we all (Aviva, myself, Aviva's parents Tanya and Bucky, and her brother and sister-in-law, Josh and Debbie) went to dinner at a nearby restaurant called La Vineria. A tiny Italian bistro tucked away in mid-town, the ambiance was cozy and a tad rustic, making you feel like you had walked into a restaurant in the countryside just beyond the borders of Florence or Sienna. The menus were yellow paper stapled to wooden boards and dimly lit single dining room was lined with shelves holding dozens of different wine bottles.

The restaurant boasted a robust wine list and Bucky ordered a very nice Barolo, which came out around the same time as the fresh bread and garlic soaked lentils and olives. Aviva's parents both say that you can judge a restaurant by the bread, and despite the fact that Bucky lost a tooth in the bread, it was excellent and set high standards for the meal.

The menu had a nice selection of home-style yet still modern Italian dishes, and Josh, Debbie and myself all had a very good the smoked mozzarella ravioli. Aviva and her mother both had Red Snapper in a light tomato sauce with potatoes, and Bucky had linguine with shrimp. All the food was very good, and Bucky's pasta was actually the best dish at the table, very simple but excellent. Desert was also good, with a fantastic Tiramisu ... good food and wonderful company, altogether another great meal and a great night with the Buchmans.