An Italian Cena

 In the midst of these dreary winter days, with more grey skies and mud than sunshine and snow, I need to look a little harder to find the beauty. To stay on top of SAD. 

One such jolly evening of beauty was the Italian Cena by the high school students of our school. (We had purchased tickets for this dinner at the school benefit auction.) It was an oasis for the senses.   

Antipasto -known as hors d'oeuvres to the non-Italians 

The bruschetta was perfetto!

Primi or First Course was carbonara (with fresh homemade pasta!)

Secondi or Second Course was Braciole with a Side of Peas & Pancetta. 
The braciole was so tender we could cut it with the plasticware. [chef's kiss]

Then we had lemon Sorbetto to cleanse the palate, in the cutest little dishes. 

We were then 2 hours into the experience and only halfway through the menu. 😲

Interesting that the salad falls so far down among the courses... 

Next was Formaggi E Frutta. The cheeses were paired with the fruit- mozzarella with strawberry, parmesan with apple, provolone with grapes, swiss with raspberries. Very interesting. My personal favorite was the provolone with grapes.  

The Dolce (sweet) was Panna Cotta, which would've been absolutely lovely if we hadn't been so full we felt like we were about to pop!! 

We ended with Cafe. The decaf espresso was so strong it had the effect of an electric fence, thankfully served in a teeny mug.  

And a Digestivo, which in our case was Lemon La Croix, not a traditional Italian wine. 

It was an enjoyable experience- the food was delicious, the service was top notch, the company was fun, the décor was beautiful. But I'm thankful to not be Italian- too much food, too slow of dining. 🤷