I was meeting an old college friend and her new boyfriend for dinner. She suggested Three of Cups. So we decided to meet up there for a double date on a Friday night.

An Italian restaurant in the East Village, this place is an interesting combination of “old world charm and East Village funk.” Gothic decor against exposed brick walls. The building itself feels historic. It’s a bit of a walk from the subway, but definitely worth it once you get inside.

We had to wait a bit for my friend and her man to arrive, but there were seats to chill under a lovely gothic chandelier. When my friends arrived, we were still able to get a seat right away, although the place was lively. To me, that’s the ideal amount of crowd. Lively, but with seats available and room to breathe.

We all easily fell into conversation in this funky atmosphere. After discussing San Francisco and the movie Sideways, I was inpsired to order a bottle of Pinot Noir for the table.

The food menu contained a selection of traditional Italian pastas (many vegetarian). I ordered bruschetta to share and Pappardelle ai Funghi e Tartufo. Both were delicious.

After finishing our pasta and several glasses of wine, we took a look at the dessert menu, full of tasty options. They also offered a selection of dessert liquors, including Grappa, which I sampled once having heard Hemingway liked to drink it. Unfortunately, I should have realized that Hemingway was a total lush and probably only drank Grappa, since it was the only thing strong enough to get him drunk. So that stuff might taste sweet, but it goes right to your head.

Anyway, my friends drank Disaronno (which inspired jokes of that commercial) and ate gelato. Too full of pasta, so I just got a delicious coffee with Baileys (a favorite after-dinner drink of mine).

The meal ended up being a bit pricey, but well worth it for a tasty meal in a tasteful atmosphere. I gave my friend a thumbs up for her choice of restaurant and her choice of man.

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