How many brides get to have three weddings? It was my intention to get some decent use out of my wedding dresses. This final wedding celebration was a dinner with all of Fabri’s extended family most of who weren’t able to make it to the second wedding party back in September. This one was better though because my family including a Crow family representative were there.
There was no ceremony or grand entrance unfortunately. We had a lovely dinner of about 50 people. I had planned on wearing my long wedding dress, but it was snowy and cold and I didn’t want to get it dirty. Instead I wore a purple dress (purple is VERY IN in Italy this winter) and went as a groovy bride.
We began (of course) with an aperitivo at Gerry’s bar and met Danny & Mickey. Then we all moved on to Da Vincenzo’s for the dinner. Vincenzo and his family have been patients of Antionio’s for years & years and they are always very nice and accommodating. He had his head waiter with us while he was working in the kitchen. The reception began with an aperitivo drink with aperol (ick) and many hors d’ouevres both butler passed and stationary. This is an important distinction when there are 50 people standing around a relatively small space.
The tables were set up in a large U with one end longer than the other. There was no way you could talk to everyone, but at least we were all at the same table, which is the way Italians prefer to do it. The table was very lovely with a Christmas theme and I got a beautiful bouquet from Fabri’s cousins Luisa and Pasqualino.
Ok, the dinner. Most importantly, the wine was good. I believe the red was a Barbarera d’Alba. I only had a taste of the white, but it was good as well. I think most white wine is good as long as it’s not too sweet. The first antipasto was a variety of meats and cheeses typical of the south of Italy. The sun-dried tomatoes were particularly good and I ate them off of several people’s plates. Next was a spinach and cheese crepe, which was creamy and delicious. For pasta there was seafood pasta, which is always a favorite of Fabri’s. Then we had pasta fagioli (pasta with beans). It is a poor dish, but done well it’s really delicious (as is often the case with poor dishes). Antonio can’t have dinner at Vincenzo’s without that. Vincenzo brought it out in a big pot to serve us at the table and Antonio spooned out the first bowl.
The meat course was the one that was most important to me and I have to say I was disappointed. Maria Pia, Fabri & I met with Vincenzo to form this menu and he suggested this beef with a sauce served with polenta. I didn’t think the meat was very good at all. The polenta was good, but polenta is heavy. I would have preferred grilled vegetables or something. Oh well, live and learn.
The dessert was my favorite Italian dessert though, profiteroles!!! They are little pastry balls with whipped cream inside and they’re rolled in a sort of chocolate frosting with lots of extra chocolate on top. Fabri says they are not a classy dessert and are usually found in pizzerias, but they are my new favorite and I eat as many of them as I can classy or not.
Fabri and I made the rounds to all the tables between all the courses so that we were sure to talk with everyone. Afterwards we went to Gerry’s and then to Tricksy for some cocktails. I was exhausted by the end of the night, but we had a great time.
These are some of the pictures and they aren’t very good. On Wednesday I’m getting the photos from Brunella’s camera and I think there are one or two more cameras out there I have to get. This was the first time in years that all of Fabri’s family was together and we took a lot of photos of the different family combinations. Just like the Latchaws do at our reunions.
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