A WEEK IN SHANGRI LA
Part Three
(Osteria Monte Grappa)
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening, in the lane snow is
glistening…
Well, not quite. I live in sunny southern California after all. Oh, we had some rain over the holiday, but
our annual Christmas Eve fete was a chilly but dry one. The fire was ablaze and the trees and mantels
were decorated and lighted as our 35 guests arrived for dinner to Christmas
music playing softly in the background. We
ate, drank and were merry – then it was over and the music was turned off.
Now it’s that sort of limbo week between Christmas and New
Year’s Eve where one often reflects about the passing year. I’m not much of a reflector, but my book came out in 2012 to some pretty nice reader
reviews from people I don’t even know and Richard’s softball team won its
league championship, so I reflected on that with a smile.
One truly pleasant 2012 diversion was our week of house
sitting in Ojai, Calif., so I thought I’d take this “lost
week” to finish my Ojai trilogy and tell you about our last day in “Lost
Horizons’” Shangri La.
As we waited for our friends Stu and Kyle to come and
reclaim their home later that evening, we spent the day walking around the
neighborhood, further exploring the town’s “Main Street” saying silent farewells to
the mission architecture
the local bijou...
the shops and walkways. Then we treated ourselves to lunch at Osteria Monte Grappa, a restaurant we had been dying to try.
the local bijou...
the shops and walkways. Then we treated ourselves to lunch at Osteria Monte Grappa, a restaurant we had been dying to try.
The restaurant is simply but invitingly decorated with white
table cloths, creamy walls, comfortable chairs and vibrant art...
but it’s the outdoor patio that really attracted me with its tables nestled under beautiful trees forming a canopy over the patio.
but it’s the outdoor patio that really attracted me with its tables nestled under beautiful trees forming a canopy over the patio.
As we looked over the menu which is filled with a variety of
Northern Italian dishes that all sounded wonderful, we dipped some fresh baked
bread into really good olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Richard finally chose an egg linguini with diver scallops,
spinach, pancetta and onion dressed with that good olive oil. I love scallops, so of course I had to have a
bite. Truly delicious.
I chose a pasta with grilled chicken and spinach in a light
cream sauce. Rich, fattening, but oh, so good.
A soft breeze blew as we sat under the trees enjoying our
lunch and dreaming of the time we can return to Shangri La and, perhaps, come
back to Osteria Monte Grappa for dinner when the patio turns romantic with
little white lights shining through the leaves above, like a million stars in
the sky.
If you get to Ojai before we do, save us a table.
Happy New Year everyone!
Osteria Monte Grappa
205 Signal St.
Ojai, Calif. 93023
805-640-6767
