Wednesday, November 3. Another Dinner At Impastato's. There is no question about it: doing two Eat Club events in three months at the same restaurant is not a good idea. The first one sold out and ran up a long waiting list very quickly. But having another two months later made it seem less special. We wound up with thirty-eight people instead of our usual sixty or so.
Not that there would have been room for more. Joe Impastato had his restaurant jammed. We took up half the main dining room. The rest of it was filled with regulars. As was the bar, with a few very large parties. In the rear dining room, a drug company was giving a dinner and a slide show to some doctors. This would be a good place to come for such a thing: Impastato's prices are so low that they get under the ethical limits for such events.
The dinner was all we hoped for. We began shrimpily: shrimp alla scampi, shrimp au gratin, shrimp remoulade, and crab claws. Then the two pastas, white and red, both tossed at the table (separately), both so good you wanted more. But then the soft-shell crabs, speckled trout, veal Marsala, and pecan-smoked beef tenderloins came forth. Meanwhile, Antonio Molesini brought a few wines and his usually funny stories. He has an unambiguous Italian accent, but when people ask where he's from, he always says (with an Italian lilt) "Bogalusa!"
Six people brought their copies of Hungry Town for me to autograph. Is the book going viral? It's six months since it came out, but the book seems to be selling better every day. If this keeps up, the Times-Picayune might even get around to reviewing it.
Mary Ann joined us for the dinner. She is keeping her joy over yesterday's election returns to herself. As for me, I want my country back.
Impastato's. Metairie: 3400 16th Street. 504-455-1545.
