I heard Dolly-girl humming to herself while she was clipping flower stems at the sink in the kitchen. She'd been riding Maude, her new
Townie, and I'm not talking about a person living in Ithaca, if you get my drift. She'd been out on what she calls a "rescue mission", scooping up flowers that are laying over on the sidewalk or in the yards of a certain abandoned house she eyeballs from time-to-time. I walked in, snapped the cap on a
Lucky 13 (© Lagunitis Brewing Company, image too) and pitched my idea. 
"
Perché non provare quel nuovo ristorante italiano su Alberta? Enzo's Caffe Italiano, a new joint I spied on a waddle up there. You know, the place me and Juneau went when he was visiting a few weeks ago. Remember, I was telling you, it's like being in
il paese vecchio what with the homemade salt-and-flour map of Italy on the wall and a TV with Italian shows on..." "
Non dire un'altra parola, Jack. I'll put these rescues in a vase, beautify, and we'll be on our way." A few minutes later, on account of this place is in the neighborhood, we walked into Italy-on-Alberta. Dolly-girl gave the special board a scan. "No need to even bring me a whaddaya-want, I'm having Enzo's special,
paparadelle di massaria. You know there can't be nothin' to complain about when you slather a clucker in
crème, toss in some spears-o-asparagine, and pour it over some pasta!"
It sure did sound good, but I knew an order like that from a mouth like mine would get me a phone call from Professor Javier Boleyn before Enzo could sing A Che gelida manina. It was a new place, but there wasn't an
ombra di dubbio that the good Professor already had his
Boleyn's Eye View installed in a joint like this one. He'd know that I'd be here faster than a
Lambretta zips through the
Piazza Venezia(© Wheels of Italy, I think since I took it from their website)
Andrea, which any old person might think is said AN-dree-ah, but what she said was an-DRAY-ah, met us with a
buonasera that meant business. Enzo and Carmella were outside, waiting for the evening rush, and from all appearances, having a quiet chat--hands were moving, of course,
but not like it was serious talk going on. She steered us towards some
biancho e rosso, brought a plate of some fine tasting dipping oil, and a
cestino di pane.
"
Si prega di portare noi una insalata verde per avviare." "My jaw dropped. Apparently while I've been out waddling off the LARD!, Fiora has been mastering the Italian. "
Bene, è sulla sua strada" Yipes, it really was like I was in the old country! The salad showed up doused with just the right amount of a homemade and some of the best shaved wax I've ever had. "
Grana, Jack. It's called
grana, not wax." "OK, Dolly-girl,
penso io." "Quit speaking Google, Jack. I see that iPhone
(® along with the rest of the currently known universe, by Steve Jobs) in your lap!
anDRAYah was back after she saw that we'd mowed through the salad like a John Deere through a field of timothy hay. I tried to act like there was some connection between the ethnicity of my name--D'Mestiere, not Jack--and ordered the
orechiette e cime di rapa con acciuga. "Enzo's gonna love making that one for you--it's his favorite anchovy dish. But I have to tell you, the
rapa isn't right so it's coming out with broccoli--OK with you?" "
OK con questo ragazzo!" anDRAYah looked a little quizical. "He's speaking from Google Translate. Jack, you're not that much of a youngster anymore." OK, some I'm not a ki, but I smiled like one when the feedbag arrived. The combination was as tasty as it comes to my way of thinking.
Dolly-girl's
paparadelle di massaria arrived and it was as special as promised. The
crème was rich and spiced just right. The chicken was tender and the pasta was perfect. Dolly-girl was all smiles for this anniversary! "This hits all the spots I was hoping for, and then some. And, I'm going to have it again for lunch tomorrow. anDRAYah,
una scatola per favore!"
Coffee for me and tiramisu for Dolly-girl were going to top off the night, we thought. But Carmella had a different idea and anDRAYah showed up with
due bicchieri di limoncello. 
"Complimenti di Carmella ed Enzo. felice anniversario! And oh, by the way," she pointed up at a small box in the corner, "I turned of the
tiramisu-cam and sent in a trouble report, so you don't have to worry about the phone call..."
If a taste of Italy is what you're looking for, you'll find it staring you in the face on Alberta Street!
"Saints alike, Jack, I plugged your numbers into an app on my new iPhone (® along with the rest of the currently known universe, and points beyond, by Steve Jobs) and I see you've walked from here to Rugby, North Dakota, the geographic center of North America!"
"Right, Dolly-girl. As Roberto says, the good thing about being in Rugby is that what ever way you go, you're headed to the beach. But, I think I've only walked to Shelby, Montana."
