Tomorrow we have to say “arrivederci” to Bellagio. Three days was not enough time. We were hoping to have a special dinner on our last night here. Our hopes have already been fulfilled – and we’re only half-way through our last meal in Bellagio.
Let’s pick it up where we left off last time, sitting in a beautiful little restaurant on a Bellagio side-street. The restaurant is on the second floor, the windows are wide open, and the atmosphere inside is warm and cozy.
Mr. Used-to-be-Serious
I’m calling the gentleman who’s running the show “Mr. Used-to-be-Serious.” He had initially greeted us with a stony, intimidating look of disapproval, but his stoic veneer has completely melted away.
We’ve been drinking wine, eating bread, and chatting with Mr. Used-to-be-Serious and the waitress in half-english, half-italian, which is always good for a few laughs. They’ve made us feel like we’re their special guests tonight.
Our “primi piatti” was mushroom risotto. After the initial prep in the kitchen, the team of Mr. Used-to-be-Serious and the waitress finished it off tableside with a flourish. I’m thinking… Wow. This is nice. We should eat like this more often!
For our “secondi piatti,” we ordered veal Milanese and a swordfish dish. To make Veal Milanese, the cook takes a veal chop and whacks it with a mallet until it’s almost flat. Then he coats it with flour, egg, and bread crumbs, fries it, and finishes off in the oven. It’s the Italian version of schnitzel.
Trouble
We were the first customers in the restaurant tonight, but the place quickly filled up. We were waiting for the main course when there was a commotion at the door. A rude group of people had come in and were making a scene.
Apparently, they wanted to come in and sit at the one vacant table in the place. Our guy went over and explained to them that it doesn’t work that way.
They sounded to me like a group of Americans. The leader of the pack was a woman who was large and loud. She was one of those people who think that if someone doesn’t understand your language, that just means you have to speak LOUDER.
She made quite a commotion for a few minutes. Our guy, Mr. Used-to-be-Serious, switched back to being Mr. Very Serious. Now I could see how that intimidating veneer could come in handy.
At one point, while he was dealing with the unruly customers, Mr. Used-to-be-Serious turned around and gave us a look. He made a face and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling as if to say, “Oy vey!” It was a hilarious.
Negotiations went on for a while. Apparently they had a reservation. Fortunately, they worked something out without anyone being thrown out of one of the open second-floor windows.
The main courses arrived and they were fantastic. No surprise there. After we’d cleaned our plates, the waitress dropped off dessert menus. We were stuffed. On the other hand, everything else had been so good. We should probably have a little something for dessert. Besides, we didn’t want to leave.
No Good!
We looked over the dessert menu, but we couldn’t decide. Mr. Used-to-be-Serious came by to take our order. The conversation went something like this. I asked,
“Non sappiamo cosa vogliamo per i dolci. Forse i amaretti e gelato?” (We don’t know what we want. Maybe the amaretto cookies and gelato?)
At this suggestion, Mr. Used-to-be-Serious paused as if he were thinking. Then he scrunched up his face, shook his head from side to side, and uttered a stern sounding, “No good.”
Hmmm… OK. No problemo. There were other things on the menu.
“Pensiamo anche ordinare uno spumoni.” (We’re also thinking about ordering spumoni.)
Mr. Used-to-be-Serious made his scrunchy face again, shook his head, and said, “No good.”
Well, OK then! We continued down the dessert menu. “Come dei cannoli?” (How about some cannoli’s?)
“No good”, came the response, as he stood there with his pen and pad of paper, still waiting to take our order. Somehow he managed to keep a straight face. Mr. Used-to-be-Serious was too much. Was I in a Seinfeld routine? Were there cameras hidden somewhere?
Tiramisu was next on the menu. We like tiramisu, so I said,
“Forse dovremmo ordinare del tiramisu.” (Maybe we should order some tiramisu.)
Buona Scelta!
Aha! Mr. Used-to-be-Serious smiled and said “Buona scelta!” (Good choice!) And then he ran off to check on other tables. Ha ha! Mr. Used-to-be-Serious is something else, eh?
Had they run out of the other desserts on the menu that night? Or was tiramisu really the best thing on the menu? Don’t know. It was delicious – that’s all I know.
Sadly, our dining experience had to end. I managed to take a picture of Mr. Used-to-be-Serious and the waitress – our new friends. Thanks to those two, we’ll never forget our wonderful last meal in Bellagio.
To be continued…
Just for fun…
Vogliamo – We want. (Volere – to want)
Sappiamo – We know. (Sapere – to know)
Dovremmo – We should. (Dovrebbero – should)
Forse… – Maybe…
Note:
The restaurant we were at in Bellagio was Ristorante Terrazza Barchetta.
