Al di La...la di da?

Al Di La
248 5th Avenue, Park Slope.

I cut through the swaths of velvet curtainage to find a couple arguing with the hostess. The hungry couple was furious because they'd lost their opportunity to snag a table. They walked out of the adjacent wine bar, and even though the restaurant takes cell phone #s to track you down, the couple had missed their ride. And they were pissed.

And with good reason. I had a perfect dinner at Al Di La, so undeniably tasty and simply delicious that I cant wait to take my parents there.

Grass Fed Australian Beef Carpaccio with Shaved Parmesan and Capers
Bouchot of Mussels
Rabbit and Polenta
Spaghetti al Vongole

That's what we ate, but what I really want to talk about is the bacalao on polenta toasts that we didn't order. The couple seated next to us were enjoying theirs. Since we were seated so close to them, we might as well have asked if we could have a bite. I simply like thinking about the saltiness and beat upness of the cod against the mealy and sweet polenta toasts with the perfect grill marks really is an ingenious combination.

The carpaccio really tasted beefy and clean. You are what you eat.

The mussels seemed to have been sitting under some kind of heat source for a while, but the good ones were quite good - I like them garlicky, slimy, just steamed enough without the burnt orange and toughness that comes with overcooking.

And the spaghetti? Well, after being a carbophobe for many years, I was really happy to twirl all that spaghetti. And the bite of the crush red pepper is great against the seawater intensity of the littleneck clams. I love a bowlful of shells. They make me happy.

It was worth the wait.

I also thought a great deal about how my parents would look at this menu and not know what to order. They might have just gone for a beef or chicken since its familiar, but wouldnt my mom have loved to have tried the succulent rabbit, which tasted strangely of chicken? Wouldnt my dad have loved the gaminess of the carpaccio, with the parmesan bite and the caper kick? Wouldnt my family have loved to scoop out a mussel or two, and sop up the shallot and white wine broth with the crusty grilled bread? Wouldnt all of us dining together be a very good excuse to order that bacalao after all?

Eating in groups can be more fun, if only for the fact that you can order more variety and be able to try everything.