A meeting called on short notice in this little hamlet had me at my wits end. Between retrieving visiting Chinese nationals from the airport from 7:30 to 11:30, none of whom wanted anything more than a bed and a rest due to their long travels from the Orient, I found myself suddenly famished late into a Wednesday evening and in need of more than a quick fish and chips.\r
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Upon calling at 9:15 and asking how late this location was open, I was told 11:00pm. But only my superior intellect and acute investigative skills drew me to further inquire "Ah! But how late will you be serving food my good lady?", my having assumed that the young voice on the phone did indeed belong to a lady...."Uh, 11:00 PM......" she said, as if all establishments routinely served that late on a Wednesday evening! \r
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Entering at 10pm I noticed 3-4 booths to my left were already occupied but that there were several available, as well as a dozen or so tables to my right. My predilection is to not draw untoward attention to myself by eating alone at a table or a booth (a habit formed during my escapades in the Burmese War where I was set upon by tribal elders seeking my pipe tobacco in a trade...for a shrunken head no less, and who's features looked oddly familiar to me.)\r
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So I galavanted over to the small bar area in the back, which you need to seek out if you are truly in need of the spirits as it is not readily apparent to the untrained eye. A lone figure at a bar draws much less attention to himself there than sitting alone at a table in a restaurant full of patrons. \r
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Prompt and quick service was provided by Miss Debbie, a pleasant looking woman with an air of conviviality to her. Ordering a Johnnie Walker Black on ice and a menu I was treated to a healthy pour and a decently extensive food menu. And where Osteria Marco in Boca satisfied my seafood and Caprese salad desire the previous week I elected to test this denizens attempt at two of the basic stalwarts of Italian Heritage cooking: Minestrone Soup and Eggplant Parmigiana, a gastronomic invention from the Parma region in Italy where breading, sautéing, and baking in a red sauce with cheese has since allowed many an inedible ingredient to be masked by other accoutrements.\r
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"Garlic or none?" Miss Debbie inquired of me. Again, in my attempt to not bring further attention to myself I quickly answered 'garlic' not knowing what I had just indicated but choosing to allow the infusion of garlic vs. not as everything has a better succulence and pungency with a little well placed garlic and this would also be a further test where ever they decided to include it.\r
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The Minestrone Soup arrived at 10:15 and was served piping hot but not microwaved as the pasta was still al dente, included beans, carrots, etc. and with a broth that could easily be passed over as ubiquitous but should not be for the broth was an absolutely perfect blend of fragrances, tastes, and liquid but had not yet become the milky 'soup' of so many poseur enclaves. Delicioso!\r
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"I'm sorry if you did not enjoy your soup" Miss Debbie added, clearing away my now nearly sparkling bowl to which she had previously heaped a healthy dose of freshly grated cheese herself. Her timing and distance, not too close and conversational yet near enough to handle water fills and maintenance indicated an experienced and very sentient server.\r
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No sooner had the soup vaporized than a plate arrived with my entree, accompanied by a side of linguine with red sauce as requested. Again laden with another dose of fresh parmigianno cheese ( so crass to pour cheese from a dispenser or even spooned from a bowl...... None of that here!) I wondered how Il Mulino of Ft. Lauderdale would handle both this stalwart of Italian cooking and thus the mantle of the famed New York establishment of the same name.\r
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With serving size apportioned I tasted a wonderfully rich and surprisingly delicate morsel of flavor and was immediately gratified. The eggplant slices were the perfect thickness, the proper softness, the skin the softest so as to cut easily with a fork..... All the traits necessary to allow a dish like this to have at least a chance at being wonderful, and this version did not disappoint! Bite after mouth watering bite did ingest, marveling at the richness, when I chanced upon the linguine, also usually an afterthought in many an Italian kitchen. \r
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Not here! The sauce (or gravy depending on your original Italian roots) was no jarred, canned, or even basic melding but a delicate blend and amalgamation of all that is good in Italian cooking in general. It did NOT overpower the meal or the pasta beneath but held it's own and actually allowed one to taste both the pasta noodle and the minute ingredients within the sauce itself. THIS was a place that knows how to handle Italian cooking.\r
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And so engrossed with this experience was I that I completely kissed the placing of two Italian rolls to my left, on amplate with olive oil and infused with 'GARLIC'! AHA! Mystery solved!\r
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With a thorough cleaning of my dish, and another perfectly timed arrival by my delightfully off to the side bartender, I was quickly satiated, relaxed, and out the door by 10:45 in plenty of time to await his excellency Master Pi from the Formosan Island.\r
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THIS, my good friends, is a experience that has well earned another visit by this resident of 221b Baker St. And next time I will bring Watson and Inspector Lastrade for a delectable meal such as this must be shared with others.\r
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Now go quickly for the game's afoot!
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