Eating Local

Last night was Dinner with Grandma night. I took the babes to Cafe Cimmento in downtown Youngstown. I was upset by something that happened in my day, and my latest go-to food for soothing is caprese. Truthfully, I'll go to caprese anytime I see it on the menu, but when I'm upset, I seek it out! (My soothing food used to be pizza or cheese grits. Caprese is much more healthful, don't you think?)

Ridley can be picky in her food choices, but if you can find food she likes, she'll eat a double portion. Boston, on the other hand, lacerates, slashes, dissects, and mangles his food. Hands are always involved.

He likes spaghetti, and I thought he would just order some spaghetti and sauce and be perfectly happy. But when he looked at the kids' menu, he ordered the grilled cheese sandwich with fries. Ridley, first drawn to her fave mac-and-cheese, followed suit. We engaged in interesting conversation until their meals came, when Boston set out to destroy his dinner. He initially liked the look of the thick-cut fries, but after one bite, shunned them. There was too much potato. "I only like McDonald's fries." We talked about it a little, and I figured out he likes the fried crust, but not the potatoes. He looked at his fries and started methodically picking up each one and biting off one end and then the other, and replacing the fry in a stack on his plate. Argh! And the grilled cheese sandwich? He pulled the two slices apart and picked at the bread. When I asked him why he couldn't just eat it like a sandwich, he said they made it with American cheese and he doesn't like American cheese. I asked what he did like, he responded, "Swiss. Provolone." If you want to know, I think I was 20 before I knew what Provolone was! I promised him that next time we'll ask if they can make his sandwich with Swiss or Provolone.

The lovely Mary took Ridley's and my plate away and asked Boston if he was finished. He said, "Yes", but Ridley piped up, giving a shy little grin, and said, "I'll finish his." Sure enough, she reassembled his sandwich and soon it was gone.

They asked for a dish of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, and the kitchen sent out adult portions with three scoops of ice cream. I groaned. Mary asked, "Are you going home with Grandma or back to your house?" When I said I had to take them back home to their parents, Mary said, parentally, "Sugar." Oh well. I enjoyed our dinner there, and I think I learned my lessons in how to manage the next visit.

As we were walking back to my car, I asked how they liked Cafe Cimmento. Ridley said, "I like it every time I go there." "But", she continued, "Rosetta Stone is my favorite." Why Rosetta Stone? Because the last time she was there, they had a band she could dance to. And she got to help put up the Christmas decorations. It's not all about the food!

I love supporting local restaurants. I love the fact that my grandchildren know and love the local restaurants. This is one of the keys to the renaissance of Youngstown, in my opinion.

What's your favorite local restaurant?