Serendipity Happens: Lord of the Rings

Serendipity: "fortunate happenstance" "pleasant surprise"

Serendipity: A pretty good John Cusack movie

Serendipity: A chocolate shop where you can get this ice cream sundae:

For a mere $1,000. [source]

Serendipity: One of my all-time favorite words and a favorite occurrence. I get sad when serendipity happens and I miss it!

The other evening, while at Habanos, Valentino saw someone wearing a Tatuaje shirt and asked our friend and fabulous bartender Nathalie (Hi Nathalie!)* if he worked for one of the cigar companies. She said, "No," but thought Valentino would enjoy chatting with him, so she introduced them.

As they chatted, Valentino noticed a magnificent ring on his finger--in the shape of an ashtray with a cigar and lots and lots of shiny elements.Naturally, my man swooned, because that ring, loaded with sapphires and diamonds gold and silver is effing gorgeous.

The man, Hamo Tavitian, told our hero that he DESIGNED it. He MADE it. (You guys! How cool is that?**) He showed Valentino pictures of other things--cufflinks, money clips, bracelets...and much more, that he's designed. You can see some of them here. Gorgeous, right?

Of course, I didn't know any of this was happening because I was home grading papers.*** But when he returned to the homefront, a mere six minutes away, he told me the whole story and showed me pictures. How could he pass up a custom-made ring? Especially one as super cool as that?

Now if I had been there, I probably would have been vying for his attention**** and he might not have even noticed the nice man and his shirt, and then...and then...

The next day, he made the call and ordered this baby:

It's a little reminiscent of that delectable dish above, isn't it?
(Humour me and say, "Yes.")

But wait! There's more:

Here's a funny thing: Let's call it serendipity light.  We were chatting with our friends at Rolling Stogies during the Providence Columbus Day Festival on Atwell's Ave...

Thanks for the day off, sir!!

...and one of the guys (Hi Joe!) said, "Hey, we just saw a guy with a really cool ring. It was kind of like an ashtray."

We were all, "Whaaa?" and "OMG!"

Here's another funny thing: We were at the festival 1. Because you know we love those things and 2. To meet up with Hamo to pick up Valentino's ring!

And here's a fabulous thing about this ring: It is custom-made, so even if another guy did have one, it would never be the same as our hero's!!

 
You need to check out Hamo's website and then you need to contact him and then you need to get one and then you need to call and thank me and buy me a cupcake.*****

Lord of the Rings (and other lovely jewelry)

"I'm passionate about my work," Hamo said. "Jewelry is my first love and cigars are my passion--every piece of Design by Hamo jewelry is hand-designed and hand crafted by me. I hope you enjoy wearing it as much as I do making it." Trust us, you totally will.******

Note the H on the cigar. Hmmm...I wonder what that stands for...
(It's Hamo.)

Know what helps up the Cool Factor? It's as heavy as...a really, really heavy thing. So heavy that if I wore it around my neck for more than ten minutes, I'd become a C-shaped lady right-quick. But it would be worth it because everyone would stop and admire my lovely necklace, just like they admire his gorgeous ring.

Just so you know, Hamo creates a full line of men's and women's cigar-themed rings, cuff links, pendants and accessories with many various stones and metals including ruby, emerald, gold, silver and more. See just a small sampling here and here.

Let's take another look at this and swoon over the blue sapphires, diamonds, Argentinian silver, and gold. And you can't even see the ruby that's mimicking the lit end of the cigar.

Hamo's business is located in Boston, but that doesn't preclude you from chatting with him and maybe getting a little something--or somethings--for yourself, regardless of where you live. Or you could just happen to leave the website open on a page that just happens to have a picture of something you just happen to want. Because sometimes, just sometimes, serendipity needs a jump start.



*Hi (again) Nathalie!

**The Cool Factor is cranked up to a zillion!

***Grrrrrr

****Hahahaha

*****Cupcakes are the world's greatest reward.

******We are incredibly trustworthy, if we do say so ourselves. And we do say so.

Cuellar Connecticut Kreme: A Great Discovery (Or: Corruption of my own child, part 2)

Things you should know:

1. I don't confuse easily. Except anything to do with math. Math is stupid and I challenge it to a duel.
2. I am on a first name basis with the mighty, mighty internets and am pretty darned good at researching stuff. Except math. Researching math is stupid.
3. Different is cool. Except differential equations because that's math. Differential equations (sons of math) are stupid.
4. I know the font changes in this post. I'm sorry. I tried to fix it. And then I stopped trying because I needed to keep a modicum of sanity.

Keep these things in mind. They're going to come in handy later.

Sean (my son) and Valentino and I were on a bit of a mission* to fill a small humidor for the young one (well, relatively young one). We went with a bunch that we already loved--Nub, J Grotto Silk, My Father Connecticut.... Look! Here's a picture!
 

There were more when he left the house. Hmmm...I wonder what happened...

 
Anyway, the story isn't about that. It's about this...

The cigar with so many names it's almost unfindable
unless you have the correct combination.
Unless, also, you happen to see them in your favorite tobacco shop.

 
In the sea of deliciously dark cigar boxes sat a glossy, heavy-duty white box. Oooh. Shiny. But I was a little apprehensive. It was different. I like different. But was it one of those issues where the packaging made up for an inferior product? Because that happens, as we all know. (I'd give an example, but I don't want to call anyone out, so, yeah. You know what I mean.)
 
But our tobacconists, the incomparable Paul and Mark at Mr. J's assured us the Cuellar Connecticut Kreme by Villiger Cigars was more than just a pretty box. The cigar comes in four sizes--
 
Robusto: 5 x 48
Toro Gordo: 6 x 54
Churchill: 7 x 50
Torpedo: 6 1/4 x 52
 
We purchased three of the four and took the Toro Gordo on the road with us to Federal Hill. There, we took my boy on a tour of the place and ultimately landed at the LaPigna statue at Garibaldi Square. (Yes, we're creatures of habit.)
 
After deciding who would sit on the wet spot of the bench (not me; I'm a girl and as such, am afforded certain benefits thanks to my delicate female sensibilities.**), we settled in and the gentlemen started their butane engines, toasting and lighting.
 
This cigar was launched at the IPCPA in Las Vegas recently, so digging up a ton of research materials proved difficult. Finding a picture of that shiny white box? Impossible, so don't ask. But the things I do for you folks!!! Here are some details!
 
Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut Leaf
Binder: Cuban Seed Piloto Ligero
Filler: Cuban Seed and Criollo 98

We chose this as an addition to the new humidor because of the lightness--our goal wasn't to blast my boy's taste buds into the stratosphere so early in the game.
 

Where I did not want my son's taste buds to go. [source]

The mild choice proved perfect for our new cigar smoker. He said, as he progressed from the first to second third, "It tingled my tongue but then mellowed out."
 
The folks at Cigar Coop had the same experience, but with much more detail. "The start to the Cuéllar Connecticut Krēmē surprised me with black pepper notes right out of the gate. There also was a light 'twang' on the tongue from the pepper notes. I also detected the pepper notes on the retro-hale - something that would be present throughout the cigar experience. Once the pepper subsided, notes of cream and wood emerged. There also was a subtle fruit sweetness in the background."
 
As I experience the second-hand smoke in stereo, I, too, sensed the pepper but also the long-lasting creaminess, which you all know I am a serious fan of inhaling.
 
Our in-house cigar expert, Valentino himself, concurred that this smoke ranked high on his list. "A good breakfast smoke," he said. "A good, smooth entry into the day. Although it's still smooth and wonderful at any time of day."
 
Jack from StogieNet.com said about this cigar, "Smooth is the name of the game....The overall flavor is a creamy smooth woodiness.  Lemon curd, fresh hay, and some grassy notes are in there too.  I have found that grassy notes can be a bit harsh in Connecticut cigars but this cigar is so smooth that the flavor fits perfectly.  A very mild cedar spice, light coffee, and a nice herbal note appear in the middle of the cigar.  Here the creaminess really starts to shine.  There is almost no bite to the smoke at all.  As you can imagine, it is an exceptionally mild cigar...but it does lean higher on the mild scale as you smoke it.  The filler contains 16  year old criollo tobacco, hence the smooth body.  Some caramel,vanilla, nuts, and extremely smooth woody characters pop up towards the end of the cigar.  I am blown away.  It doesn't get hot or harsh at the end either.  Superb smoke all around."
 

I know. Lousy picture. You get the gist.

  
Where does the confusion come in? Don't just ask the mighty, mighty internets for info on Kreme cigars because you will wind up in Krispy Kreme hell.*** And don't look on the Villiger website, because you'll find lots of great info, but not on this baby. This cigar, in fact, has so many varied monikers, and Villiger so many logos, I almost gave up. Almost.
 

 
 
So I went even deeper into the internet and sought out Carolyn with Villiger Cigars. (Thanks, facebook!) She directed me to the Cueller website, which I wouldn't have found in a zillion years! You should totally check it out!
 
I also found this pretty interesting information. "The Cuellar is named for Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar. Velázquez was a Spanish conquistador who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World in 1493. He settled in Hispaniola (the island that the Dominican Republic was a part of). Eventually he played an integral role in the conquest of Cuba and by 1515 he was appointed Governor of Cuba. The Connecticut Krēmē is derived from the wrapper (Ecuadorian Connecticut) and the cigar's creamy profile." [source]
 

"Hey! Where are my royalties?"

 
Of course, I also can't find these cigars online anywhere,**** so I can't secretly ship them to my son! Or Valentino!***** But I can head back to Mr. J's and scoop up a handful or two. I'm sure no one will mind. And it won't matter what I call them. I'll just look for the shiny, white boxes.******  
 
  *With shenanigans and sneakiness involved, but that's a post for another day.
 
**Stop laughing, you scoundrel.
 
***Hell because we live in Dunkin' Donuts central, with the head office less than an hour away. No Krispy Kremes anywhere around here. ::weeps::
 
****Although I will admit that I haven't searched very hard and am always looking for an excuse to go to visit our friends at Mr. J's.
 
*****I like to order cigars and ship them to him as a surprise. Tee hee! Although that won't work here, I guess. Dang.
 
******Private joke for Sean and Valentino: Boxen.

What? No cellophane? Plus, sandwiches the size of your head!

You know that feeling where you go to school with a kid, and you kind of like him okay, and then you lose touch and then he's famous?

It's kind of like when twice a year you visit Valentino's family in Pittsburgh, PA and make the trip to the Strip District to eat Primanti's magnificently monstrous sandwiches...

You actually have to unhinge your jaw in order to eat these sandwiches.

...and buy cheese at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company...

This is just the line to buy cheese.
I'm generally curled up in a corner weeping from sensory overload.
Valentino's people...they are a noisy bunch...

...and walk the mean streets of the Strip District.

If the internet ever runs out of Steelers merchandise,
you can get some here... [source]

I've been to the Strip District a boatload of times and somehow never walked by this place:

It's enticing enough; I'm sure I would have begged to go in. [source]

I mean, come ON! We were just there last month! And this month, we discover that place (above) is responsible for creating this:

I know! Cool! [source]

We picked up a couple of these gems at Broadway Cigars when we were on our Mysterioso search and rescue mission. Honestly, I liked the look of them and enticed Valentino.*

The Leaf by Oscar comes in four varieties: Connecticut, Corojo, Maduro, and Sumatra.  We picked up the first two for no reason other than those were the two we literally picked up first.

So here's what you have to do:

Step 1: Take the leaf off the Leaf.

 

Step 2: Light and gaze longingly at it when it's not in your mouth.

Step 3: Maintain a consistent level of awe as it burns smoothly and evenly (for the most part).

 “and the leaves were telling secrets to the wind.”
― Peter Mulvey

These leaves, the ones used to wrap the Leaf, are used to keep the cigar's secrets in. Thankfully, Jim Robinson, the Leaf's creator, shares the story on the Leaf and Bean website:

"Last year Jim goes on one of his usual jaunts to Central America cigar country and spends some time with Oscar [Valladares], who now makes some killer cigars in his own factory now in Danli.

"Legend has it that after a long day of doing whatever Jim does at a cigar factory, Jim decided to take a cigar for the road.

"He looked for something to put his cigar in to keep it fresh and protect it, like a plastic bag perhaps, but no such luck.

"So Jim looks around and then decides to do something that would later become known as a stroke of simple genius.

"Jim grabs a spare tobacco leaf and wraps his naked cigar with it." <--This is where the magic happens.

"Nobody really thought anything of it at the time, but when Jim took out his cigar to smoke it the next day he noticed something when he removed the cigar from its protective leaf - it had a particularly interesting oily patina on the cigar :)

"This is a good thing for a cigar... The cigar was not only protected but mother nature had provided some additional oils to the cigar."

Duuuuude.

You have got to see this coolness.

I should probably tell you about the smoke itself. Keep in mind enjoying this smoke was punctuated with this other version of heaven, but I will say that the Connecticut blended pepper and creaminess that would ordinarily make me throat-punch you for putting pepper in the cream, because that's ridiculous.** And yet when combined with a little bit of citrusiness (yes, that is a word in Penny World), the cigar was a great and consistent beginning and ending to our jaunt on Federal Hill the other night.

He smoked the corojo with Caballero #2 at Habanos the other night, but I wasn't sitting close enough to pick up any second-hand smoke. Honestly, I was more focused on my vanilla vodka and Diet Coke and chatting with Nathalie, the supercool bartender and all-around coolest gal so I missed the Leaf corojo burning.

"I shall distract you from your second-hand smoke. Bwah hahahaha!"

Thankfully, we don't have to go all the way to Pittsburgh to get more Leaf by Oscar cigars. They're good, but that drive is loooong. Although Primanti's sandwiches...hmmm...

Yummmmmmmmmm

*Actually, that's how I got Valentino too. Liked his look and enticed him.

**I've just been informed that pepper and cream are what makes an Alfredo sauce delicious. Whatever, dude.

Opa!: Opa!

Outstanding customer service: We all want it. We rarely get it.

True story.

Except!

Except yesterday* we were punched in the face with awesomeness.

(I'll throw a cigar reference in here somewhere to make the post relevant, but sometimes an amazeballs deed needs to be shouted from the rooftops. Or the back patio with the scent of fresh linen citronella candles wafting in the air. From wherever, it needs to be shouted...)

We were on Federal Hill, natch, and stopped at Opa, which we may have mentioned we love once (or a hundred times). We sat at one of the sidewalk tables so Valentino could smoke his cigar** while we drank sangria and waited for our food.

Not last night, but representative of a night. 
See that table on the left? That's where we were!

Valentino ordered the thing he loves, raw kibbeh, which is usually accompanied by fresh pita bread, raw onions, and mint.***  Except the dish, she was mintless.  He asked the young man,**** who brought the food, for mint (which is probably growing out of control in all your back yards).  He reported back that they were out.

[This is worthy of a separate paragraph rather than a sparkle--they were out because their delivery that morning included a box of old, yucky, brown mint rather than new, delicious, green mint. It was not the kitchen's fault.]

Valentino sulked for a moment and began the process of eating, because freshly ground meat served raw really shouldn't sit around, mint or no.

Francois, son of owners Aline and Joe Karam, poked around to see how we were doing. Valentino mentioned his disappointment at the missing ingredient and he started to go back to the kitchen to check.  We stopped him, saying there wasn't any. He went to check anyway, and then came out of the restaurant and headed...away.

He came back and told us he'd just asked two neighboring restaurants***** if they had mint. They didn't.  Then, before we could stop him, he headed in the other direction, returning a moment later with a bagful.

Success!

Francois didn't have to seek out the mint, but he did. Little courtesies like that make all difference between a good restaurant and a great restaurant. Time and again, Opa is a super great awesome restaurant.

The couple who sat next to us just before we left ordered the raw kibbeh as well. Their dish had mint. To them, we say, "You're welcome."

I'm going to tell you more about this cigar, which he smoked at Opa, later.
But let's call this cigar reference #2. Feel better? I do. 

 

*It actually wasn't yesterday, but the actual day doesn't matter to the story. I would have gotten this out on time but I was stymied (both good and bad) every time I got close to posting. First, the power flickered a few times, which meant the modem reset and I'd have to fiddle with that silliness. Then Cabellero #2 said he was on his way to the area and did we want to meet up. This involved some serious costume change from curly-haired house-bound crazy-writer****** to semi-normal person who would not elicit gasps of disgust or horror (hopefully). Double then, we get home, I settle in, and...the power goes out on the whole street. I ate Reese's cereal and went to bed. What else could I do?

**Cigar reference!

***Perfect date food? You can tell we've been together for quite a while...

****We're old, so we can say things like this without irony.

*****In case you didn't know, Atwells Avenue on Federal Hill is literally lined with restaurants, with the occasional tattoo parlor and bakery.

******Poor Valentino. The bloom is off the rose.

(BR)AVO!!

I'm one of those annoying people who puts XOXO at the bottom of emails and text messages--but not business correspondence.  You make that mistake only once. Or twice.

Just thought you should know.

Yesterday evening, as we bided (bode? boded?  wasted?) our time walking around Federal Hill, waiting for a couple of friends (Hi Brian! Hi Michael!) to meet us for dinner, Valentino pulled out an AVO XO Presto. Swoon.

I'll admit I'm a sucker for a classy logo and/or band and, as a result, I've been a long-time fan of the AVO brand.

The moment he started toasting the XO's foot, I wanted to take it from him and whisk it off to Vegas and marry it. It reminded me of a fine, creamy dessert, one you could only get at Del Posto in NYC, one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

More, please.

At 3 3/4 x 43, it was the perfect before-dinner smoke, taking exactly as much time as a person (me) needs to drink two sangrias as we sat in front of the restaurant, watching people, a favorite pastime (drinking and watching people simultaneously).

The wrapper of this mild cigar is Ecuadorian-grown Connecticut seed, with Dominican binder and filler. (There may also be a mildly-spicy crème brulee tucked into that wrapper. That's some good camouflage. Well played, gentlemen.)

I asked him to smoke another today as we sit outside loving the weather, but he only had the one! Whaaa? Who let this happen?!?!

Anyway, here's some cool info about the company's jefe*: "Avo Uvezian is a cosmopolitan who began his career as a musician and went on to become a composer, cigar aficionado and even a creator of fine cigars. Avo, who lent his name to AVO Cigars, has nurtured all these talents in his quest for perfection. In both music and the creation of cigars, passion is the driving force that spurs him to find perfect harmony."

Okay! Time to run. I have to get ready to go out for another cigar adventure.  In the meantime, I leave you with...

XOXO


*Spanish for chief or boss

The Two Caballeros: The second adventure (Part the second)

Remember this? Well, the adventure continues...

After our jaunt around the mean streets of Federal Hill, the four of us headed to Hanley's Ale House in Providence to visit our pal and all-around good guy Jake Healey, the cigar bar's humidor manager.

It's Jake. Jake from Ale House.

 

Valentino decided to give the Liga Privada T52 One. More. Chance. We were hoping it somehow loosened up as we drove a couple miles. Or maybe the port he was drinking would help.  No and no.

 

I begged him to let it go. Give up. Folding his T52 hand would not lessen his manhood.

 

::shakes head::

 

Then he went for the (new) old standby, the Nica Rustica, which made everyone happier. Have we chatted about this Nica before? According to the Drew Estate website, "Nica Rustica is a medium to full strength cigar that is blended to showcase native Nicaraguan tobaccos from Esteli and Jalapa. Aficionados will enjoy this rustic smoke that is robust and deeply satisfying. Genuine Connecticut Broadleaf encases Nica Rustica and imparts a subtle natural tobacco sweetness and spice."

 

Not taken at Hanley's Ale house, but rather on our back porch.
Look, Mom! The flowers you gave me on Mother's Day are not only alive, but thriving!
(Obviously, I had nothing to do with their success.)

 

I have to admit that one of the reasons I like this medium-full cigar, since I tend to lean in the mild-medium direction, is that it's extra smoky, deemed by its makers as "potent, robust, and fulfilling,"* which means I'm getting more bang for his buck.

 

Doc, aka Cabellero the Second, lit up a La Gloria Cubana Serie R Esteli, a dark, rich, spicy, full-flavored cigar.  I wasn't sitting close enough to him to get the full-force of the literal smoke, but I certainly wouldn't kick it out of bed for smoking. I guess that metaphor doesn't work when you're speaking of things that actually smoke.  Sigh.  Pardon my cliché.

 

According to the company,
"Each of Serie R Estelí’s three sizes was designed for maximum flavor,
making it a bold collection that fans of robust cigars will fall in love with."
Yes, I am looking to find my way around a few more of these...

 

According to Cigar World, "Serie R Esteli consists of large ring, full-flavored Nicaraguan puros blended with ligeros and visos from multiple farms throughout the country, including those from Jalapa. Serie R Esteli is handcrafted in Nicaragua and exhibits the complexity of optimally-aged Nicaraguan tobacco, through its thick, oily Jalapa Sol wrapper."  Apparently, if you want these, you're going to get out of the man cave (or lady cave) and go to an actual store. They aren't available on the mighty, mighty internets. (I know! That's, like, the only thing you can't get online!)

 

Oh, for crap's sake. In the process of researching this cigar, I obviously happened upon the company's website. I clicked the link to the La Gloria Society.  I love an elite group as much as, if not more than,  the average person. (Probably more. I have illusions of grandeur.) And who is already a member? One of six? Yeah this caballero right here on the left.  I should have known.

 

Here they are, in their natural element. Wearing similar outfits.
I swear they share a brain.



The moral of the story? Listening to Cartman sing "Come Sail Away" makes a person happy. Do it now. You'll be glad you did.  Except that wasn't my point. Valentino gets so frustrated at me because I can't remember what I was about to say most of the time if I'm interrupted but I can remember what I wore to dinner at Myrtle's Turtle restaurant when I was ten or so. (A tank top with turtles on it, obvs.)

 

I remember! Go to Hanley's Ale House! You'll love it! Say "Hi!" to Jake!  Tell him we sent you! (It won't get you anything, but it's a nice gesture!)

 

If you've made it this far, thank you.  You deserve a prize! Don't forget to sign up for the drawing for a Nica or two! Only two days left!!



 

*Which is also how he would describe a good rib-eye steak

A Special Federal Hill Second-hand Smoke

On Wednesday, I didn't feel like cooking.* My first thought of the day (not kidding)  was, "Yikes! I have a groupon that's going to expire soon! We need to go to Caffe Dolce Vita [on Federal Hill in Providence, RI] for lunch." Lunch turned into dinner because:

• I went back to sanding that darned furniture I'm refinishing.
• I got a splinter (that remains in my thumb because taking it out would cause more pain than leaving it in).
• I got distracted by shiny things.

But we finally got there, had delish calamari, eggplant parm, and chicken marsala, along with a nice chat with the owner of Dolce (and a good portion of the businesses on Federal Hill).**  Anyway, blah blah blah...

 

Let's get to the cigar!!

 

Hello, my Special friend. At Garibaldi Square on Federal Hill, looking out at La Pigna,
an arch featuring either a pineapple or pinecone, depending on who you ask. 

A while ago, we attended a cigar dinner on Federal Hill, sponsored by one of our favorite hangouts, Habanos Cigar Lounge in Pawtucket, RI, and featured My Father Cigars. (Hi to Jeremy Soares, our MFC go-to guy and New England rep!) (Also, I happen to right this second be wearing a t-shirt I won at the event! Today's story was meant to be!!)

 

There, in addition to others that were handed out, we received a My Father Cigar "S" Special, which actually can't be purchased singularly (sorry, kids) but is given out at events when a box is purchased. I've heard rumors that it actually can be purchased, but be aware that there are two different versions of this cigar. Read more about it here.

 

 

The 50 x 5 was released in 2011 and, according to halfwheel, "The My Father S Special seems wonderfully rolled, with a silky smooth medium brown wrapper that has almost the perfect give when squeezed. The wrapper smells wonderful, like a combination of dark chocolate, leather and sweet generic wood."

 

Here's some info about this Robusto cigar you may find interesting, or that might give you some credibility next time you're hanging out with your cigar-friends (the people, not the cigars themselves, which can also be considered friends).

 

"My Father cigars were introduced in 2008 by Jaime Garcia, son of the renowned Don Jose Pepin Garcia, at Jaime's My Father factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. These full-bodied cigars contain Nicaraguan longfillers and a hybrid Ecuadorian Habano Rosado/Criollo wrapper," according to the folks at Famous Smoke Shop. They also state, "The smoke's initial crack of pepper rounds out to reveal a complex brew of spice, wood, coffee, and a kiss of caramelized sweetness. If you thought his father made great cigars, wait til you try Jaime's. A must-smoke!"

 

Apparently, according to the House Specialist (Valentino), it had a really smooth draw. I noticed that sometimes it smelled sweet and sometimes not; the variation may have come from the aroma of delicious foods wafting directly into my nostrils as we passed a multitude of restaurants on our stroll. But he said that yes, the sweetness came and went, along with a toasted and spicy flavor.

 

As he worked through the final third, he mentioned its increasing strength. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I interpreted his words as, "Wow, I could use some sugar. Let's get gelato from Marissa at Venda Ravioli/Costantino's!!"

 

 

 

*Hahaha. I never feel like cooking.  In fact, I can't cook.  Well, I can but it really isn't very good ever. Except the shepherd's pie. I make a hell of a shepherds pie*** Valentino is the one who keeps us alive and (very) well-fed.

 

**Valentino actually did this part and I watched from our outdoor table, which made it seem like a mob-movie.  Apparently, secret, confidential documents were discussed, which made me feel very spy-like. Hmmm...I think I could use that in the mystery novel I'm writing when I'm not doing this. Or procrastinating.

 

***Valentino has pointed out, through his gagging noises from across the room, that he does not care for the shepherd's pie.