On the tail end of a 2 week vacation to the U.K., my older sister and I found the end of our journey in Dublin. From London to Wales, to speeding along the small and crooked pathways of the Irish countryside on a bus, we found ourselves experiencing all 40 shades of green of the scenery as well as having gotten seasick on the ferry ride across the Irish River. We were about to resume our normal lives back in Los Angeles, California and after having been rained on excessively for about 14 days straight, we made one last important stop on our trip. We wanted to go to a restaurant called Tosca, which just so happened to be owned by Bono (lead singer of U2)’s brother.
As we walk in, the restaurant was small, and cozy. It was only semi-crowded with scattered tables available. We were greeted warmly by a hostess dressed in all black as she led us immediately to our table. It was dimly lit, but comfortable, with the sound of the kitchen echoing in the background. This is one of my favorite meals, and every time I think about it, I can still taste it! We sat down and quickly decided that the pesto tortellini and chicken sounded fantastic. I can still feel how surprised I was at how this pasta dish that I have had 100 times before captivated me and my taste buds in this lovely, hidden restaurant. The tortellini was fresh, and hot slowly fading from hot into warmness in my mouth. It was swimming in a nice bed of pesto sauce with grilled herb chicken breast alongside the pasta. The clanking of the kitchen close by continued to echo in the background. I look over to my sister’s smiling face as we relax, a bit damp from the rain, and enjoying each other’s company. There was a silent but palpable excitement between us hoping that in between popping the tasty little pillows of pesto tortellini into our mouths, our eyes might catch sight of one rather important person. Our eyes darted around the room anxiously wondering if there was a possibility that Bono might have decided to drop in that night.
We continue eating, and decide we need a refill for our drinks. My sister, the queen bee of the family, always wants to drink something exotic and extraordinary, so she summons our waitress. She never just orders ” a coke” or a “a water”, she wants “rootbeer” which is hardly ever on the menu, or half Sprite /half orange juice, please.” (is she serious? and the answer is yes.)
Tonight, she wanted seltzer water with cranberry. This drink did not exist on the menu, however they made it for her with a smile. Talk about service! After we devoured our dinner, it was time to move onto dessert. We ordered chocolate pots. We shared the plate of about 6-8 small little pots of chocolate filled with chocolate sauce inside. They were warm and gooey and in the dimness of the lighting in the restaurant we couldnt see that they were so rich, and dripping all over the plate! It didn’t matter, though, it was the perfect end to an adventurous trip and though Bono didn’t drop in that night, I will always remember how enjoyable that meal was.
20 Suffolk St. (just off the bottom of Grafton Street),
Dublin 2,
phone 679-6744.
Article provided by our new resident Foodie Mira Zaki(NY Corespondent & Photographer)
