Another Visit From Mama Vamp
<img alt="fascatipizza.jpg" src="http://suttonfirstchurch.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/fascatipizza.jpg" width="500" height="375"
I'm a planner. So it should be no surprise that long before Mama Vamp's birthday, I already had a plan in place: a weekend together on her turf in Philadelphia. The highlight was to be a sumptuous Italian feast at one of the city's finest restaurants, Osteria, where I had booked a reservation a month in advance.
On Friday, my bag was packed and my Amtrak ticket was purchased. Then I got a call from Mama Vamp.
"Would it be okay if we changed plans?"
Mama Vamp had a hankering to leave the City of Brotherly Love and head to the County of Kings.
I promptly unpacked my bag, cancelled my train ticket and cancelled the Osteria reservation.
But where could I land a last-minute Saturday night dinner reservation in NYC that would be suitable for a "big deal" birthday? (Don't ask which one! Mama Vamp is a lady!)
No need for me to have worried. Mama Vamp already knew where she wanted to dine -- a hot spot that doesn't take reservations, so if we got there early enough we shouldn't have any trouble securing a table. She had long heard me wax on about the fabulous Mexico City-inspired fare at Hecho en Dumbo and wanted to have a proper Margarita and Queso Fundido night out.
Terrific! Done!
Or so I thought.
Come Saturday night, Mama Vamp -- once again -- made a change to the well-laid plans. Over a round of cocktails at the bar at Jack The Horse Tavern, she abruptly did an about face. She just wasn't in the mood for Mexican. Suddenly she longed for Italian. But not just any Italian. Her urge was more specific. She wanted Pizza. Not the gourmet, fancy toppings kind. She wanted the real Brooklyn stuff, thin-crusted and topped simply with sausage, mushrooms and cheese.
Thank goodness for Fascati Pizzeria.
An order was placed. A pie was picked up. My mother's birthday dinner was eaten in the comfort of my air-conditioned apartment, one slice at a time.
Mama Vamp has headed home now. I'm sure at some point in time I'll get to visit her again in Philadelphia. And, I'm equally sure that at some point she'll let me take her out to Osteria or a similarly upscale dining destination.
Until then, however, I must admit that I am kicking myself for not being prepared with birthday candles to place in the Fascati's pizza pie.
Guess I'm not a great planner after all.