A Very Pleasant Surprise

[Innkeeper]

Last week I took Bev over to Utica, NY again to see a special doctor. He was able to help her a lot, and she does not have to go back until late April, but he wants her to keep in touch by phone in the meantime.

The highlight of the three day trip was the dinner we had after the appointment on Wednesday afternoon. We had stopped at an information booth on the way into town and asked for recommendations for independent Italian Restaurants, for which the Mohawk Valley is famous. Three were recommended, and we found one of them before going to the doctor. Finding things in Utica is not easy! We got back to Grimaldi’s Restaurant (418 Bleeker St, Utica) at 3 PM and went in. We asked if they were serving, and we happy to hear them say yes. We were ushered into a simple lovely dinning room. White tablecloths and napkins, Tiffany style fixtures on the ceiling and walls, wait staff in both genders in tuxedoes. The salad was one of the best we’ve had out in years. Bev had a homemade blue cheese dressing, and I had Balsamic Vinegar and EVOO with freshly grated Parmesan. For entrees, Bev had a baked dish of eggplant, veal, Ricotta, Mozzarella, Marinara; with pasta on the side. I had something called Vodka Rigatoni. Rigatoni is super sized Penne for the uninitiated. The pasta was accompanied with flakes of Procuitto, onion, and other things. The sauce was a Vodka based rich cream sauce with just enough tomato paste to turn the sauce pink. Fantastic! We washed it down with three glasses (you can guess who had two) of house Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. We finished up with coffee and dessert; she had fantastically light Tiramisu and I had a tart filled with chocolate. The bill with tax and 20% tip came to $69!

For travelers, Grimaldi's is only five to ten minutes from Exit 31 of the New York Thruway.


[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 11-21-2004).]

[hotwine]

Mighty nice, IK. That sort of meal would easily be double the price here.