We began the evening with a refreshingly bitter Negroni which is said to have been invented in Florence by an Italian
Count. It’s a one-to-one recipe of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth (though Kyle substituted dry vermouth) and an orange peel garnish For Kyle, who had recently sprained his foot (hence the black boot cast on his left foot and leg), this was just what the doctor ordered:-) As you can see in the photo he was feeling no pain. Neither was I for that matter. Sometime later, Kyle and Michelle's good friend and next-door neighbor, Kayvon, and his father Farouk joined us for a drink (photo).
Our granddaughter Lyla, was quite the social hostess, happily taking slices of gourmet cheeses from the appetizer plate and handing them out to family members. Somehow, Papa (yours truly) wound up with the biggest pile on my plate. We also had the prosciutto and coppa (capicola), sliced Italian bread, crackers, and, gourmet Marcona Almonds.
The big surprise was gourmet pizza and sides of meatball dishes with arugula and tomato sauce which Michelle and Kyle ordered from Vesta, a Michelin guide award-winning Italian eatery in Redwood City. The pizza specials included Margherita, Sausage & Honey, Mushroom with goat cheese, Peach, and Bacon. Michelle made an abundant delicious mixed vegetable salad. Vesta was among the eight Peninsula restaurants that received a $100,000 donation from Facebook Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, who wanted to help keep their favorite local restaurants afloat during the coronavirus crisis.
At the end of our family get together, Michelle brought out a birthday cake, and our little Lyla got to practice singing Happy Birthday to Lollie (Kim).
Postscript: Many thanks to my dear friend and former colleague, Dr. Douglas Robinson, a foot and ankle specialist who treated Kyle at my request on Friday and made it possible for him and Michelle to host the evening's festivities in honor of Kyle’s beloved mother.
Photos: of the pizza from Vesta's website
