Well, actually dinner at Naples 45. My cousin flew in from Vegas and is staying for the week, so I decided to take her out for dinner. I invited my drinking buddy, and also cousin to join us for a 6.45 dinner. We met at Grand Central’s Information Booth and went up the escalator to the Met Life building lobby where we entered Naples 45. I requested an outdoor tables. So we ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio (unfortunately, I forgot to take the name down), calamari, and a pizza – half artichoke, half prosciutto. So we were enjoying our meal and catching up on things. I ordered a small bottle of Pellegrino, As I sipped on my glass and ate some prosciutto, I noticed it got chilly, and the winds picked up. Gazing into the street and people-gazing, I noticed 2 tables away, a table umbrella began lifted off its table post, up into the air, then came slowly toward our table. Boom! Right it came, I still saw it come in slow motion, then our tray of pizza came flying toward me. I guarded my white shirt and new khaki blazer with my hands, and managed to tilt the tray of pizza so that the marinara and prosciutto wouldn’t land me. All of a sudden, glasses flew off the table, and my cousins and I laughed as we were the restaurant’s center of attention. “You saved the pizza!” said our neighboring diner’s…and I screamed back – “Yes! Gotta save the pizza!” and I smiled. It was still amusing. “So surreal.” My J.Crew leather bag was soaked with sparkling water, but it survived, well, maybe not my new edition of Food and Wine magazine. We were immediately seated at a new table and started dinner all over again.
We ate again, starting from scratch, laughed about the moment, and alas we were finished stuffing our faces. I finished our second bottle of Pinot Grigio, and ordered an extra glass of Cabernet, and so did the others. Then dessert came. We ordered Tiramisu, Gelato Affogato, and a Cannoli ($6.50 each). I must say, of all the desserts – Gelato Affogato was the best dessert. It probably beats my favorite, Creme Brulee. It was a perfect blend of sweetness and caffeine. Still reminiscing the great taste in my mouth. I would go back just to get another dessert. Oh yes, I also got a double espresso, and one of my cousins got a Macchiato. So we finished, or at least attempted to finish our dessert, and then the manager came over and said the meal was on the house because of the flying umbrella scene, but we left a generous tip because of the excellent service we got. Despite the madness, it was well worth it and I would definitely go back for more. That is, unless I crave French food at my favorite restaurant, Cafe Centro which is just a few feet away.
