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“Oh,
jeez.
You’re
wearing
that
again?”
I
teasingly
asked
F,
as
we
prepared
to
head
out
the
door.
“Of
course
I
am.
Everybody
loves
my
scarf.”
“Everybody”
in
this
sense
referred
to
a
select
few
patrons
at
Dada,
a
funky
artsy
café
in
Delray
we
visited
on
a
chilly
night
a
few
weeks
ago
(see
our
review
from
Nov.
6!).
F
gets
a
few
compliments,
and
he’s
never
taking
the
thing
off
again.
Nevertheless,
I
humored
his
newfound
love
of
draping
fabric
dramatically,
with
the
knowledge
that
once
the
cool
weather
departs
for
good,
thankfully,
so
too
does
the
scarf.
Personally,
I
was
of
the
opinion
that
I
looked
pretty
darn
nifty—I
had
become
partial
to
a
“Mad
Men”
1960’s
geeky-chic,
business,
Honey-I’m-home
style
adopted
for
these
cool
nights.
The
look
was
much
more
fitting
for
our
current
outing:
to
nationally-known
executive
restaurateur
Todd
English’s
newest
endeavor,
Da
Campo
Osteria.
Known
for
his
rustic
Mediterranean
cooking
style,
English’s
new
restaurant
is
located
in
the
il
Lugano
Hotel
on
the
Intracoastal
Waterway.
(F
and
I
were
not
entirely
familiar
with
il
Lugano
either,
so
to
give
you
a
visual:
it’s
in
the
same
parking
lot
as
Dudes
Bar.)
From
the
street,
one
would
not
realize
there
was
a
restaurant
located
within
this
archetypal
condominium;
but
just
past
the
attractive
doorman
and
a
short
walk
down
an
art-lined
hallway
gives
way
to
this
new,
hidden
gem.
An
illuminated
wine
bottle
wall
entrance
opens
to
a
modest,
inviting
lounge
area,
intimate
dining
room
and
open
kitchen
all
contemporary
in
design.
I
called
it
mid-century
modernized.
Just
like
my
ensemble,
thank
you
very
much.
F
and
I
were
promptly
seated
by
a
friendly
hostess
and
instantly
felt
at
home
by
wait
staff
who
are
attentive
and
informative
and
in
no
way
rushing
to
get
you
through
service.
As
F
and
I
were
plotting
our
way
through
the
menu,
a
table
across
the
room
piqued
our
curiosity
level.
Aside
from
the
fact
that
the
woman
seated
with
her
obvious
gay
son
and
partner
bore
a
striking
resemblance
to
Barbara
Eden,
there
was
excitement
with
some
type
of
tableside
preparation.
Our
server
informed
us
they
were
relishing
in
the
signature
starter
of
freshly
made
mozzarella
pulled
tableside
($15).
We
had
to
get
us
some
of
that.
The
mozzarella
service
commences
thusly:
a
gentleman
bearing
only
a
large
copper
bowl
and
a
steaming
pitcher
of
heavily
salted
water
talks
you
through
the
process
of
cheese
making
as
you
witness,
within
an
entertaining
five
minutes,
the
transformation
from
the
oatmeal
like
consistency
of
curds
and
whey
to
the
shiny,
flavorful
ball
of
gooey
goodness
known
as
fresh
mozzarella
(pronounced
“moots-a-RELL,”
thank
you).
With
six
uniquely
appealing
preparations
to
compliment
the
lonesome
cheese
round,
we
squabbled
over
our
individual
likes;
I
missed
partaking
in
the
decadent
“Dolce”
with
honey
spiced
walnuts
and
blonde
raisins,
while
F
admitted
defeat
and
passed
on
the
Prosciutto
and
fig
olive
oil.
Our
compromise
was
the
simple,
fresh
and
traditional
Caprese
consisting
of
juicy
Sun
Gold
tomato
slices,
sweet
basil
leaves
and
luscious
swirls
of
flavorful
olive
oil
and
rich
balsamic.
Semplicemente
favoloso!
F
and
I
had
been
sampling
new
recipes
for
our
Thanksgiving
menu
earlier
that
day,
so
we
were
already
loosening
our
belts
a
bit.
For
that
reason,
we
opted
to
keep
our
selections
small
and
omit
the
temptations
from
the
larger
plates.
With
an
enticing
array
of
dishes
like
Yellowtail
Snapper
Marsala
($32)
and
Basil
Crusted
Chicken
with
Heirloom
Tomatoes
($26)
taunting
us
from
the
Main
Courses
we
had
to
force
ourselves
to
behave.
Although
we
had
also
been
drinking
wine
all
afternoon
as
well.
“I’ll
give
you
a
quarter
if
you
go
ask
Barbara
Eden
for
her
autograph,”
I
dared
F.
“That
is
not
Barbara
Eden.
She
wouldn’t
be
wearing
a
fake
fall
like
that
lady.”
“Gutless.”
Before
I
could
goad
F
into
ruining
the
evening
for
Ms.
Eden’s
doppelganger,
our
beautifully
plated
entrees
arrived.
I
delighted
in
the
Butternut
Squash
Agnolotti
($19),
a
harmonious
harvest
of
flavor.
Homemade,
delicate
pasta
pillows
are
filled
with
a
sweet
and
fluffy
squash
puree
and
tossed
in
a
deliciously
salty
sauce,
which
makes
for
the
perfect
balance
of
contradicting
spices
on
the
palette.
F,
unable
to
forget
his
previous
craving,
favored
the
Fig
and
Prosciutto
Pizza
($14).
Generous
in
both
size
and
taste
with
caramelized
figs
and
thinly
sliced
ham
layered
atop
fluffy
...
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