Cheers!

We knew we wanted to go out to eat for our anniversary, but we couldn’t decide where. (Have a familiar ring to it?) One thing we knew was it had to be a local place, not a restaurant that was part of a huge nationwide chain. Not that we never darken the door of a chain restaurant, but local felt a little more special and unique for this celebration. If we drive about a half an hour from home we can choose from a variety of cuisines. If we go all the way to Boston we can start adding not just countries, but continents. Asmara, our favorite Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant in Cambridge, did beckon, but it felt like too much of a schlep. That brought us closer to home to the second largest city in New England: Worcester, Massachusetts.
Chinese? No.
Thai? No.
Armenian? No.
Italian? No.
Lebanese? No.
Indian? No.
Mexican? No.
Too many choices left us with an embarrassment of riches! Then Chuck said what he really wanted was a steak. So of course we reviewed all the local places that specialize in steak. Then back over all the ethnic places that serve beef! At that point we started to think we should begin planning for our seventeenth wedding anniversary dinner!!! Luckily we remembered that a great little Italian place called Biagio’s has a diverse menu and they also grill a very good steak.

It was the right choice. We arrived late enough to be seated promptly. Chuck ordered the Filet Mignon. I ordered the “Haddock Provincal”. Both were perfect. And both entrees were matched by the devilishly good dipping oil/sauce they serve with Italian bread. It consists of olive oil, garlic, basil, cheese - and did I mention garlic? Oh my! It is irresistible, but there is still a slight cloud of garlic following both of us today! (As a bonus, they had the Red Sox game on in the bar, where rookie major league pitcher Clay Buchholz was in the middle of making history with a No Hitter!)

Not unlike planning our wedding, it took us awhile to figure it out, but we made the right choice!