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?