This past Tuesday, or maybe Monday, we had the wonderful joy of experiencing two things that start with the same letter: friendship and food.  Sam’s cousin, Julianna, and her kind friend, Natalia, came to our house and cooked a traditional Italian dinner that was tastier than we could ever have hoped to cook for ourselves.  The pasta was perfectly al dente, the sauce was savory and aromatic, the bread was fresh and crisp, the parmesan was aged and sharp, and the wine was red.  After we ate the dinner, we were treated to desserts from Mike’s Pastry, the finest bakery in Boston’s North End.  The cannoli were so good that I was obliged to eat two of them.

As we struggled with our food comas, we found out from Julianna and Natalia that Julianna’s mother’s close friend since childhood had purchased the ingredients for the meal from the most delicious eateries in the North End.  And this is why I am posting today: as the self-appointed food-appreciator for Darlingside, I want to formally thank this friend for supporting us, feeding us, and bestowing such a generous gift upon us.  It made for a night filled with merriment and good grub.  Thanks so much for the feast, we really appreciate it!  A huge thanks to Julianna and Natalia for their expert cooking skills (they whipped up an incredible sauce from scratch for the occasion) and for the great company.  And a special personal thanks to all the contributors for saving me from having to prepare dinner for the house on my scheduled cooking night!  I’ve included a snapshot to help paint the scene.