Wednesday, July 12th 2006
Entertaining Rita
We started out with 56 reservations on the books today when I went in and by 9pm we had 22 cancellations and no-shows. A small part of this was due to the rain we had, you can always count on a few people put off by the weather, but 22?!
Standing around the podium at the front desk talking shop we came to the conclusion that this might have something to do with an unfortunate event the city of Boston experienced recently. Monday night a panel of the Mass Turnpike, the newest addition to the system of tunnels that make up the Big Dig, fell down on a car killing a woman. This probably scared a few motorists from driving in and around anything to do with subterranean tunnels. I know it scared me enough that today and yesterday I took surface roads to work, avoiding anything underground. As of now there has been over 60 “trouble spots” identified with fingers and blame pointed at everybody involved. The nation’s largest public works project is turning into a brawl of accusations. It sucks no matter how you slice it.
Moving right along to the brighter side of things, my biggest fan in Philadelphia, Rita, and her husband surprised me and made my week by coming into the restaurant tonight for dinner. She had mentioned early in the month prior that she was coming to Bean town and asked for my recommendations for good eats. I of course recommended Aquitaine and 3 or so others I felt were up to our standards. A little after 6:30 I was standing at the back when this adorable woman came towards me and assuming she wanted the restroom, I smiled and said, “First door on your left”. She replied with, “I’m Rita!” Needless to say I was floored. We talked a bit; I met her husband Jim and had the chef cook up a little Soigné course of Duck Ravioli. They seemed to enjoy themselves very much. I was proud that they chose Aquitaine and that it lived up to my bragging.
Greetings, Rita here.
Ah… my work in Boston is done — I’ve made it to Johnny’s “Fans, Stalkers & Innocent Bystanders” category! And as far as Aquitaine goes, they really should post a large warning sign on their front door reading “Strikingly handsome waiter on staff. Dangers include possible whiplash from trying to catch sight of him as he works the floor.”
Johnny is without a doubt much more handsome in person than on camera, and I simply can’t imagine how that can be except for the possibility that charm and charisma must have a hand in it somehow. That said, I’m going to revise my “strikingly” handsome to “dashingly” handsome — evocative of the 1920’s era romantic movie stars. And my impression of Aquitaine is almost equally flattering.
Almost all the restaurants I’ve dined in of Aquitaine’s reputation excel at either ambiance, service or quality of food, but rarely all three, and Aquitaine is one of those rare exceptions. The space has a sophisticated, yet casual air which is very nicely set off by a top-notch, friendly wait staff. I lack the restaurant reviewers flare for describing dishes and flavors, so suffice to say, my husband and I were left ’stupid’ with epicurean delight.
Thanks, Johnny, for the great restaurant recommendation, and thanks to everyone at Aquitaine for helping us feel so welcomed.
Rita, seems like you do have a restaurant reviewer’s flare after all, based on your description, among other things, of Johnny being quite the dish. Very appetising. So I can’t resist asking: Tell us more… about the duck ravioli!
I love duck, and had considered ordering Aquitaine’s duck ravioli because Johnny had mentioned it in a previous posting. The menu reads “duck ravioli with foraged mushrooms, sauce foie gras & white truffle oil.” The dish is richly complex with a smooth, savory/sweet, earthy flavor. Johnny said it was his favorite menu item, and it was wonderful of him to surprise us with such a deliciously satisfying treat.
Mmmmm. Rita, you make my mouth water! (This is why I love the internet. You go to a gay pornstar site and tell a woman she whets your appetite…) Thanks for the great description. I always thought the mark of a good writer is how they write about food - and our Johnny’s not bad at that either. Come to think of it, Aquitaine should hire you and Johnny as their PR persons!