Last night, to celebrate our anniversary, K. and I ate dinner at Remi. We stuffed ourselves silly. We started off with the platter of cured Italian meats (prosciutto is a fabulous, fabulous thing), which included marinated artichoke hearts and polenta stuffed in a cup made of fried Parmesan cheese. K. indulged in some butternut squash soup while I dove into the bread basket. Our stomachs were already full, but our entrees were soon on their way. We had both ordered from the list of specials. K. chose the lamb shank while I opted for the seafood risotto. Nearly two hours after arriving at the restaurant, we waddled out to hail a taxi and head home.
We'd only been to Remi once before. In January, looking for a place to celebrate both the opening weekend of K.'s Broadway show and our one month anniversary, K. had suggested Remi as a place to get some good Italian food in a relatively classy environment. We were sharing the cured meat platter, down to the only the last slices of meat and a chunk of fried Parmesan, when K. said something terribly funny about his love for all things fried, especially if it involved cheese. Neither of us remember his exact words, but we both remember my response.
"That's why I love you," I said as I laughed and smiled from ear to ear.
As soon as the words escaped my lips, K. and I both froze, forks in mid-air. The elderly couple next to us, who had been interjecting themselves into our conversation through the entire dinner, put down their silverware and leaned in a little closer.
"Did...did you just say you loved me?" K. asked.
"I believe I just did, yes," I replied. Of course I loved him. How could I not?
"You love me...because I love fried cheese?"
"Well, I think it goes a little deeper than that, but it helps."
"I love you, too."
The woman at the table next to us let out a little "Awww!" and she and her husband dove back into their dinners. K. and I enjoyed a little moment of silence as we split that last bit of Parmesan.
And that is the story of how K. and I came to have a special place in our hearts for Remi. You may all go barf now. I know you want to.
