The Leptologists Eat at Due Amici

Candice: Here we sit in Due Amici, our first and second choice were too busy and too casual for us.
Paul: Maybe we'll hit Tip Top next time. But we'll mark The Carvery off our list.
Candice: I do not stand in line to order. Well, not for this blog.
Paul: We've been to Due Amici before, but never to review it.
Candice: Translated from Italian, it means "Two Friends."
Paul: How apropos for us. Which reminds me: Happy Birthday, Dear Candice!
Candice: Why thank you so much!
Paul: John, our server, promptly lets us know the specials.
Candice: I go with the lunch special, an Eggplant Pasta, and the soup of the day, Vegetable Chicken.
Paul: I get the Meat Lasagna and the soup as well. As appetizer, I choose the Spinach and Artichoke dip.
Candice: That is so suburban.
Paul: If I don't order the dip, we'll end up with the Steamed Mussels. It's a pre-emptive apperitizer order.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Candice: Very true and well played.
Paul: The dip arrives... and it looks like Stonehenge!
Candice: The crostini slabs are very good, but this dip is no different than any other such dip.
Paul: I like it quite a bit. The flavor is subtle, not strong. The crostini are structurally sound and get a good dollop of dip on them.
Candice: Are you describing dip or Stonehenge?
Paul: Yes. Here's the soup.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Candice: The lighting makes the soup look bland.
Paul: But how does it taste?
Candice: It's bland.
Paul: I'll add some salt.... That didn't help.
Candice: I don't find much sublety here. I appreciate the dark meat, but not the bacon.
Paul: The white corn is nice. It adds a little sweetness to it.
Candice: But not enough. The potatos are uniform and have rounded corners. They may be from a can.
Paul: Yet you have eaten it all.
Candice: Good point. I needed energy to power my critique.

Eggplant and Pasta

Paul: Your pasta arrives. That's pretty.
Candice: It's a wonderful arrangement of cheese. The flavors are very well done. The spice kicks in after a moment. My only complaint is the eggplant, which is chewier than I like it to be.
Paul: The cheese is melting from the heat of the pasta.
Candice: The cheese has a good flavor. There's chicken in here too, but it's so smokey that the flavor is overpowering.
Paul: I'll try it. Wow. That is strong.
Candice: It's ruining it for me.

Meat Lasagna

Paul: There's enough of my Meat Lasagna if you'd like some. It's a block of cheese, noodles, and ground meat.
Candice: I like my lasagna wthout meat, but for a Meat Lasagna, yours is very good.
Paul: It is the best such I've ever had. Wow.
Candice: I think you've won this round.
Paul: On your birthday. That seems unfair. Maybe you should get dessert.
Candice: You talked me into it. I order the Tiramisu.

Tiramisu

Paul: Yum. This is awesome. Rich, but not too much so, creamy, and chocolatey.
Candice: Though our picture looks like a close-up of a wolf spider.
Paul: Spiders - Your favorite!  Perfect for a great end to your birthday lunch.
Candice: We should mention that the Tiramisu was provided free of charge from John. That was nice of him.
Paul: Yes, it was.  Your conclusion?
Candice: Decent dip, decent soup, okay pasta ruined by the smoky chicken, but some awesome Tiramisu. Worth the wait, worth the price, and worth coming back.
Paul: Agreed. I loved the dip, could have done without the soup, but found the lasagna among the best I've ever tasted. The Tiramisu was excellent. Happy Birthday!
Candice: Thank you! Now get me to the airport. I need to fly to Scotland.

	Candice	Paul
Worth the Price?
Worth the Wait?
Worth Coming Back?

The Leptologists Eat at Philco Diner

Candice: Notice us...notice us...notice us <eyes squinting in telepathic effort>...
Paul: Never fear! Our hostess comes.
Candice: See?  I'm magic.  I made the line really, really short here at Philco Diner.
Paul: We are the line.
Candice: Duh - magic.  Anyhoo - We choose seats at the bar right next to the classic fan.

Retro Fan

Paul: Someone should turn the fan on. Cigarette smoke is drifting in here from someplace.
Candice: It is a diner.  Maybe, they're going for ultra-retro.  The decor certainly speaks that way. The fan, the clock. It's ultra retro: an uber classic diner feel.
Paul: It does have that. I doubt more than 30 people could eat here at once.
Candice: Standing line only!  The mirrors opposite the bar open up the room enough that we don't feel crowded.

Clock

Paul: I see your water has ice.
Candice: I ordered it without.
Paul: I hope your appetite is not put off.
Candice:  I am displeased, not daunted. Besides my dear friend, that is an impossibility, as you well know. I think I'll have the Traditional Breakfast and the Fried Egg Tacos.
Paul: Awesome. I'll have the Eggs and Grits. For an appetizer, we'll order the Sweet Hushpuppies and the Savory Hushpuppies.
Candice: Oh, and I'll have the Ginger Butternut Squash Soup.
Paul: Here are the hushpuppies!

Hushpuppies

Candice: They have arrived piping hot! Cooked perfectly through and through.
Paul: The exterior golden brown; the insides moist.
Candice: The savory sauce is a little like a tartar sauce, but not really.
Paul: The sweet sauce makes the hushpuppy taste like a corn pancake in syrup.
Candice: Yummy hush puppies. I like both sauces.
Paul: Same puppy, but each with a different hush.

Ginger Butternut Squash Soup

Candice: Have you ever heard anyone tell their puppies to hush?  The soup arrives. It's a perfect balance, salty with ginger. A very nice flavor. The soup was served with crackers again.  I do not eat the crackers.  Crackers are for cheese and pate.  (where's the html accent character? meh.)
Paul: Not bad. But I am not a squash fan. I'll eat the grits that have just arrived.
Paul: Oh, this is hideous. The grits have been burnt, making them inedible. The horrid taste has crept into the eggs.

Grits and Eggs

Candice: That's... just sad.  I love grits.
Paul: I can't eat this. I love grits too. I love eggs. But the chef has managed to ruin them both.
Candice: Luckily, I ordered enough food for two of me, which is three of you, so - please, eat.
Paul: Well, how are your two meals?
Candice: The Fried Egg Tacos are fresh. The salsa is spicy, but not enough for my tastes. It's a degree away from 'Wow'.

Fried Egg Tacos

Paul: Okay, trying them....The fresh ingredients give the egg tacos a wonderful flavor. Nice!
Candice: The bacon on my Traditional Breakfast is too thin and burnt.
Paul: Bacon needs to be thick!
Candice: Yes! and bacon needs to be yummy.  The cakes taste overdone. They are okay. Not light, not heavy. Just not great.

Traditional Breakfast

Paul: Well, what do you think?  I say Philco had some nice items today with a few real losers. I am disappoint.
Candice: Yes, some decent items - the hushpuppies were really good and I really enjoyed the tacos.
Paul: Looks like appetizers win out again for us. Is Columbus the city of appetizers?
Candice: It seems that way to us.  Does Columbus have a restaurant dedicated to just appetizers?
Paul: Uh...yes - the restaurant biz calls them small plates.  Really, Candice? Aren't you supposed to be a meta-foodie? I count on your knowledge and palate.  As it stands, my grits were inedible. They appeared to have been torched by the chef and the result was disgusting.
Candice: Sorry that you had such a horrible experience with your Eggs and Grits.  I wonder if the waitress noticed how burnt they appeared?
Paul: If she did, she should have taken them back or asked me to see if they were okay.  At least, your soup was good.
Candice: Very good, second to the hushpuppies. The Fried Egg Tacos were pretty good too with the Traditional Breakfast being so-so.
Paul: Worth the wait?
Candice: We did stand around a little while before the hostess  read my mind and sat us. And my water took a while to get refilled, but ultimately I think it was worth the wait. The walk here was pleasant and not too long.
Paul: Agreed.
Candice: Worth the price?
Paul: The prices were decent for the portions. How do I rate my inedible grits though?
Candice: Good question. Perhaps with the final question.
Paul: Worth coming back?
Candice: Is it?
Paul: You know, those grit really put me off. I don't want to come back after that fiasco.
Candice: My experience wasn't as bad as yours. We're split on that answer.
Paul: Indeed. You can come back on your own.
Candice: Maybe. Lets blow this popsicle stand.

	Candice	Paul
Worth the Price?
Worth the Wait?
Worth Coming Back?