Chapter 4: In Which They Go on a Date

Back at work the next day, Lisa set out to plan the perfect dinner date. She knew that Julie was fond of Italian food so that narrowed it down. She also knew that she wanted it to be a nice place, with cloth napkins and a wine list, so that ruled out all her favorite pizza joints. After reading menus on websites and reviews on Yelp, and giving careful consideration to the location, she settled on a place called La Rosa in the North End. She had an idea that they would go for a romantic walk by the harbor after dinner and La Rosa was only a five minute walk from a nice waterfront park. Lisa studied the online menu and her mouth began to water. There were several dishes that she would like to try and some that she hoped Julie would like.

The wine list posed a problem, however. Lisa wasn’t a big wine drinker and would be the first to admit that she didn’t know how to choose a wine without making a fool of herself. She tried reading up on the internet, but she was soon overwhelmed by all the talk of tannins and acidity and it all made her head hurt. She also considered just giving up and asking the sommelier to pick for them, but she couldn’t help thinking that Julie would be unimpressed. Then she had another idea and it was brilliant.

After leaving work that evening, Lisa pushed open the doors and entered the cool, dark interior of La Rosa. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, she looked around and decided that this was the perfect place for their date. She had made a reservation online for Thursday at 7:00 PM and now she was ready to have a serious conversation. She approached the hostess.

“Hi, um, I know this may be a little unusual, but I’m hoping to speak with your sommelier. I have a reservation here in a couple of days and ... well ... I want to make sure I can order the right wine.”

The hostess smiled and nodded and stepped back into the back of the restaurant. A few minutes later, a tall, precisely dressed man with salt-and-pepper hair appeared. He had an air of confidence that reassured Lisa and told her that this was a man who knew wine. His smile was polite, but she could tell that he was curious.

“You wish to talk about wine, Madam?”

Lisa was taken aback for a moment at being addressed as “Madam”, but she recovered.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m bringing someone special here on Thursday, and I want to ... well ... to impress her. I don’t really know much about wine, but I’d love your help.”

A slight smile softened his expression.

“Ah, I see. Well, you’ve come to the right place. First, do you have any idea what you’ll be ordering for dinner? That can help us narrow down some wine choices.”

Lisa smiled, already feeling a little more at ease.

“I was thinking about the lamb ragu for myself, and she’ll probably go for something lighter, maybe the shrimp scampi with linguine.”

“Excellent choices. For the lamb ragu, I’d recommend something bold, perhaps a Barolo or a Brunello di Montalcino. These wines have strong tannins that will stand up to the richness of the lamb. As for the shrimp scampi, we’ll want something more delicate, like a crisp Pinot Grigio or a Sauvignon Blanc. We have some moderately priced options for each of these.”

Lisa’s eyes lit up as he spoke. The way he described the wines made it sound effortless, like it all made perfect sense.

“That sounds amazing. That is what I need to know. And don’t worry about the price. OK, don’t worry too much about the price. I’m sure there is something on your wine list that would break my budget, but can I ask one more thing? I would love to have a good conversation with you on Thursday. You will be here on Thursday, right? What should I say to you so we not only get the right wine, but so I also sound a little bit like i know what I’m talking about?”

The sommelier chuckled softly, appreciating her honesty.

“Yes, I will be here on Thursday, and the safest approach will be to talk about what you like in the flavor of the wine you’re looking for. Just tell me what you like, fruity, earthy, bold, light, and I’ll take it from there. The one thing that you should not worry about is that I will say anything to embarrass you. You will get the right wine and I will be sure that you make a good impression on your guest.”

Lisa nodded, relieved and grateful.

Lisa: “Thanks. I just want the evening to feel ... perfect, for her.”

The sommelier smiled warmly. He seemed to understand perfectly what Lisa was hoping for.

“Between the two of us, I’m sure it will be. Just enjoy the evening with her, and leave the wine to me.”

Thursday evening came and Lisa was once again excited by the thought of picking Julie up at the front door of the sorority house but, once again, Julie met Lisa at the foot of the driveway. All of Lisa’s plans about walking Julie to the car and opening the door for her had to be abandoned. Instead, Julie hopped right into the car as soon as Lisa pulled up.

“You look great, Julie. I love that dress. Are you hungry?”

“Thank you, Lisa, and yes, I am famished. It’s Italian, right? I love Italian!”

Lisa took a moment before she started driving again and Julie sensed that there was a question that Lisa wasn’t asking. Julie felt a little ashamed and sheepishly confessed.

“I’m sorry, I’m just not ready. I love my sisters and I know that they will be fine with it, but I am just not ready to introduce you to them. Is that OK?”

“It is more than OK, Julie. It is a hard thing to do and I want you to take all the time you need to let them know,” Lisa replied.

Then she took one of Julie’s hands, raised it to her lips, and gave it a gentle kiss. Julie blushed, and Lisa started driving back to the city.

When they arrived at the restaurant, they were greeted by the hostess who had met Lisa on her earlier visit. The hostess gave Lisa a warm smile and led them to a very cozy table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Julie seemed to be excited by what she saw on the menu and wanted to try some of everything. Lisa suggested a sampler from the appetizer menu and then, when Julie had trouble deciding between two entrees, Lisa volunteered to order one of them so they could share. Lisa had a very nice conversation with the sommelier about the flavor palette of the different wines available and he expressed his sincere approval of her final choice, giving her a little wink as he left. When the dessert menu arrived, both Julie and Lisa claimed to be too full to even think about it, but then decided to split a cannoli.