Good Company and Good Pasta Were Just What the Doctor Ordered

by Lisa Kampeter

When I think of restaurants on the Hill, I think of family. Large gatherings. Hanging out. Taking your time enjoying your food. And constant talking . . . loudly. It’s quite the process. But it’s the Hill, and it’s Italian, after all.

So when the Dining Divas chose Gian-Tony’s on the Hill for our latest get together, I wasn’t surprised by the experience. It was a slow night. Not slow as in few customers, but slow as in the dining experience. The Dining Divas really do enjoy catching up and hanging out, but this slow pace was a little too much for several in the group.

We had our own private dining area (because of our size not because of our celebrity, unfortunately), but there were several other large groups in the other dining rooms as well. Being in our own room made it nice for us to be able to hear all the conversations going on at our table and to have lots of space.

Our waiter was very polite and professional, but it took quite some time for him to take our orders. Perhaps that’s protocol for a typical large gathering, but this group was hungry! It even took a while for the Early Divas to order a glass of wine before the rest of the group arrived.

Many times the Sicilian Divas outnumber the non-Italians, and this night was no exception. The Recovering Diva suggested this place as she was on sick leave after having had her tonsils removed, and she was confident she’d finally be able to eat almost like normal again, especially pasta. So between having a big group of Italians and one who’d been starving for days, I knew this group would be critical.

Those who started off with a salad thought it was bland and overpriced, but the Tortellini Soup was tasty. The Confused Diva thought she ordered the Eggplant Parmesan, but it wasn’t eggplant. Whatever it was, it was just okay…but not eggplant. Meanwhile the Picky Diva ordered the Chicken Parmesan, and it is served topped with eggplant . . . which she requested they hold. Hers was delicious. And it was hard for the Calorie-Counting Diva to box up some of the Risotto Special she ordered. She wanted to finish it off it was so good.

For many Divas, the best part of the night was the Chocolate Fudge Cake from Helfer’s for the Birthday Diva. Thinking she was funny, the Sweet-Loving Diva overindulged with the icing. She has such a hard time saying no to sweets, and even though she’s supposed to cut back on them, she just couldn’t this night. She learned her lesson.

Thankfully, our waiter agreed to separate our checks for us even though that’s not standard at Gian-Tony’s. And we understand that when they are busy, it’s difficult for the waiters to take the time to do this. But in our opinion, our waiter had plenty of time to do it, and we were grateful that he saved us from a mathematical nightmare.

The Recovering Diva was able to enjoy her meal and her dessert and most importantly, the company, as visits to her house were off limits after her surgery. She had no interest in anyone seeing her in pj’s and without lipstick! We were glad to get her out of the house finally and to enjoy spending time with the outside world again.

The private room at Gian-Tony’s allowed for conversing and laughing and possibly, getting rowdy. Which was good because it was obvious that the Recovering Diva was no longer restricted from talking. This Diva was back to her loud self again. She is Italian, after all.

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