&otIf my posts seem hasty tonight, that’s because I really have to pee but I’m scared to get up and (a) lose my chair (it’s crowded in here), or (b) lose my stuff if I leave it in the chair to reserve it only to have someone steal it. Welcome to New York.
[Ok, ok, the Welcome to New York gag is getting old. Welcome to New York.]
Last night, my friend JC was in town en route to Yale where he’ll be studying religion and art in the fall. Lisa and I met up with him and we caroused a bit, breaking beer bottles and tormenting children until we stumbled across a place on (wouldyabelieveit?) 8th Ave. called Cola’s.
Almost immediately, we were presented with bread and a white bean/olive oil/garlic concoction. It was delicious:
So delicious, in fact, that we all began feeling incredibly photogenic. “Photograph me!” cheered JC. I did.
“Photograph me!” Lisa and I cheered. JC did.
The service at Cola’s was remarkable. Every time a water glass began to empty it was immediately refilled. The bread and bean stuff was constantly replenished: man COULD have dined on bread alone.
The host/waiter man was incredibly accomodating and endured (or perhaps even enjoyed) the following dialogue with Lisa, who pondered the artichoke ravioli on the specials menu:
Lisa: Now this artichoke ravioli…
Waiter: Yes…
Lisa: Is it just like a piece of artichoke in ravioli?
Waiter: Yes.
Lisa: So there’s nothing else in there, like cheese or anything?
Waiter: Right, just the artichoke.
Lisa: Ok. Now sometimes when I order ravioli you get a big bowl of ravioli, is this a big bowl of ravioli? Or is just a few pieces of ravioli on a big plate?
Waiter: It’s a big bowl of ravioli, I’d say.
Lisa: What kind of sauce does it come with?
Waiter: It’s a pink sauce.
Lisa: Ok. And how much is it? It doesn’t say on here.
Waiter: It’s $14.95.
Lisa: Oh wow, that’s way out of my range. I’ll have the penne with tomato sauce.
I ordered pasta bolognese and all the food came out quite promptly. Here’s mine:
You can see JC’s in the background (who ordered the same thing as Lisa) and we all scarfed down quite gladly. Was it the best we’ve ever had? No; but it was perfect for the moment. And that’s the thing: there are places you should go out of your way to eat in (Babbo, for example) and other places that are great if you happen to be in the neighborhood and you’re hungry. This one’s the latter. So if you’re at a gay porn shop or watching a Tango show and you’re hungry, why not get some pasta? Cola’s is the place.
