3 hours, 5 glasses of wine, and a short drive home

Last week, I cashed in on my birthday gift from Dan and choose to make reservations for the both of us at a wine pairing dinner at A Mano, a pizzeria Napolitano in suburban-swanky Ridgewood, NJ. I read an ad in The Record that advertised a five-course meal with pairings from Alba Vineyard (located in Milford, NJ) for only $35, which included tax & tip. We had been to A Mano a few years ago to sample their Napolitano style pizza (they import the flour from Napoli and make the mozzarella on site), and I was thrilled to see that they served my favorite: mozzarella di buffala (buffalo mozz pizza).

The dinner was on Tuesday night at 7:00, and when we arrived we were seated in a private room at the back of the restaurant. As I twiddled our thumbs in anticipation and eyed the evening's menu, Tiziano Ferro, my current pop-music obsession, came on the stereo and I FLIPPED (though very discretely)! Dan rolled his eyes while I squealed--it was a perfect start to the evening.

The first item they brought out was a small pizza (plain without toppings - a typical appetizer) with olives, which I didn't see on our menu, but was delighted to see on our table. I had to use a good amount of self-control not to wolf it down. Shortly after, they brought out a white Mansail wine, which I've never tried before. It was citrusy and light, and within minutes I wolfed that down. With the wine they served a pinwheel of mozz, prosciutto and veggies, which was a bit soggy and flavorless. After that came the insalata di mare, which I never thoroughly enjoyed in Italy (even in Sicily I was weary), but this was a refreshing dish. A chilled bowl of shrimp, conch, scallops and meaty mussels with olive oil and red onion was so uncomplicated and enjoyable. The Chardonnay, however, was not (I'm generally not a fan). It was pretty much chilled torture in a glass.

Forgive me, but oh did I eat some meat that night: tasty ground beef blanketing the lasagna bolognese. It had a great texture and a succulent red sauce, but I, for the life of me, could not find a single lasagna noodle within. The dish should simply have been called "bolognese" as there was no evidence of any pasta. It was served with a godly Merlot, which I stupidly gulped and then fought Dan for his. Again, I was discrete about it.

To, quite literally, pile it on, we were then served a pecorino and porcini pizza, which our waiter placed on our table and told us to "dig in" because it's best fresh out of the oven. We could barely move at this point, but we did, just for the sake of the pizza. The creamy tang of the pecorino, which I've never had before on a pizza, was delicious. Sidenote: this would NEVER happen in Italy! When you're done with the second course, you move onto the fruit and cheese and basta, not another second course. This was served with a rich Cabernet Sauvignon, which was decent and not too dry. I felt guilty asking our waiter to box the rest of our pizza for us - I knew it wouldn't taste the same ever again, and that's the point of Italian cooking: you eat it now, no leftovers. Tupperware doesn't exist in Italy (even Rome)!

For dessert was a creamy tiramisu and a hazelnut gelato. Both were fantastic, and I craved more despite my seriously topped-off stomach. Dessert came with a white, dry Riesling, which I'm sure I drank, but can't recall a thing about. By this time, I had the giggles and trouble finding the bathroom (ah, what it means to be wined-up).

The only setback was our bill, which we were told would include tax and tip, when it included neither. Despite that, it was well worth a little extra since $35 was such a reasonable price in the first place.

We headed out the door at around 10:00, thanking the helpful wait staff and some guy in white, who I would image was the head chef (?). The rest of the crowd seemed pleased: parties of women perhaps having a "girls night out", other older couples, and us (the kids of the group).