Lunch with Linny

It should be known that I just might get in trouble by calling my Mom Linny, even though it is her nickname.  We grew up only being allowed to call my parents Mom and Dad, (and other parent related terms of endearment) but anything that came close to saying their adult names was off limits!

Lunch with my Mom is something special.  She is a teacher so her time is often limited during the school year.  And I’m a server, which means that when she has off on the weekend, I am at work.

But somehow we found time in our schedules to get together for lunch at a place we were both dying to try, Tarantella, located in Medford, NJ.

Tarantella is an Italian restaurant that has received rave reviews from many friends and family members.

The restaurant’s recipes reflect those from Naples, Italy and everything from the décor to the service is friendly.

And it is another great BYOB, so naturally we thought it was even better

Each table is given complimentary bruschetta which was a perfect way to start our meal.  The bread was still warm and crispy and the bruschetta was perfectly seasoned.

On top of the bruschetta there is a fresh bread basket given to each table.

I loved that there was a choice of salad dressing although we weren’t quite sure what type of dressing was in each container.  With a few tastes we figured it out.

As we were eating the desserts kept taunting us.  We were dying to know what types of delicious treats were in there!

My Mom and I wound up ordering two of our favorite  dishes.  I had a special…sea bass!  It was served over penne with spinach and sundried tomatoes and a cream sauce.  I will admit that I prefer sea bass served with Asian flavors but it was still the same melt-in-your mouth fish!

Linny had chicken picatta, a lemony chicken dish served with angel hair pasta.

And then…it was time to reveal the dessert.

We were both surprised to find that the dessert menu was actually a little book put together of detailed descriptions and photos of each item.  When we asked where the desserts were made we found out that they are imported from Milan, Italy!!

Although it was a hard decision I finally chose a lemon sorbet.

When I studied abroad in Italy this was my favorite dessert.  They had all different flavors that were served in their respective fruit shells.  I think this is a brilliant idea because what better way to serve a dessert that tastes like a specific fruit than in the fruit itself.  The sorbet was creamy, cool, refreshing and a perfect way to end  my meal.

And my Mom is a brilliant woman so naturally she had a piece of chocolate cake/mousse, which was rich, decadent and the perfect chocolate fix!

We had a great time, as anyone does when there is great food served.  But most importantly, we embraced the Italian culture by having lunch together and taking time to talk and really enjoy ourselves.  With that said, I think we really need to remember how great of a daughter I am and that I realize calling my mother by her first name is not appropriate.  Let’s hope I don’t have any long lost mob family members that will be sent out to teach me about being respectful to my mother.

Tags: Italian food, Italian restuarant, Medford NJ, Tarantella