Thursday Reviews: Firenze and Sedaris

Happy Thursday all! Having two days of training this week meant that the week has flown by, but I also have a ton of work piling up! Today should be a productive day. So today I have two reviews coming your way; a book review and a restaurant review.

Firenze
Hubby and I postponed our anniversary dinner until last night. We had to wait until the Yankee game was over to head to dinner, but once it wrapped up, we walked over to Firenze on 2nd Avenue between 82nd and 83rd.

It is a tiny place. I’ve walked by it a bunch of times in the past, but never really looked in. It’s small and if you’ve got a noisy group of drunken middle-aged parents behind you (which we did), it can get pretty loud.

The waiter seated us and promptly brought over some bread with what I think was marinara sauce on top, along with some olives, regular bread and cheese. (I apologize for no photos – Hubby doesn’t like it. And in this place, people would have gawked.) So then the waiter asked if we wanted to see a wine list. I said sure and was handed a 20-page book. I became overwhelmed and handed it to Hubby. And then finally we each had a single glass of wine.  (I had Chianti and Hubby had Cabernet.)

I started off with the insalata mista, which was good, but a little heavy on the dressing.  For my main dish, I had the Tagliolini Gamberi & Radicchio, which was fresh pasta with shrimp and radicchio in a light cream sauce. It was good, but I’m not sure if I liked the radicchio all that much. Hubby tried a bite and said the same thing. It would have been better with something else, maybe broccoli?

After dinner, they offered us a complimentary after-dinner drink, which was very nice. I declined, but Hubby had the amaretto and then we were talked into ordering the Tiramisu, which was delicious.

All in all, I enjoyed the meal and would come back. There were definitely other things on the menu that both Hubby and I wanted to try.

And now, how about a book review… 

When You Are Engulfed in Flames

By: David Sedaris

This was not my first go-round with David Sedaris. I read his “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” a few years ago and thought it was hysterical. Therefore, when my mom passed along this book, I took it more than willingly and moved it high up on my reading list. Although the front cover threw me a bit, I quickly reminded myself that it was simply Sedaris’s quirky style.

This book is a set of short stories that are taken from many different points of Sedaris’s life – both younger and older. I really can’t go much into plot, since each chapter is a brand new story with a new theme or focus. The common thread between them all is that they are laugh-out-loud funny. No seriously, the people next to me on the train (I was reading it during 3 train rides) must have thought I was a nut to be laughing so much at a book. Instead of thinking I was crazy, I told myself they were simply looking at my book jacket so they could jot down the title and buy the hysterical book for themselves.

Sedaris’s style and voice is so unique, quick and witty, that you can’t help but feel like you are good friends with him and he is confiding in you about these ridiculous stories. I also decided that I must meet him and am hoping he’ll release a new book and have a book signing in NYC soon. I want him to be my friend.

Simply put – read this book. And if you’re like me, you’ll probably end up wanting to buy or borrow all of his other books too. My only word of warning: this book is not for the modest or timid person. Sedaris lays it all out there, so expect the unexpected. And laugh it up!