With many neighbors willing to help with childcare, my wife and I managed to escape for a quick meal on our own.  We went to Anteprima, within easy striking distance of Evanston.  At a dinner at Rialto in Boston, I’d guessed that we’d eat better and cheaper at Anteprima and our experience proved me right.  The chef has the market-driven sensibility that is all the rage.  I was in luck because someone must have brought squash blossoms to the market that week.  So, I had lovely fried zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta-herb mix.  My wife had the Tuscan crostini and enjoyed it as well.  We both settled for the spaghetti with tomato, chilis and crispy breadcrumbs – easily made at home unlike the stuffed squash blossoms!  We didn’t regret it as it was executed perfectly.

In New York City, people might expect this kind of meal from their local Italian joint.  After Boston, it seemed extraordinary to us.

For dessert, we ended up getting overpriced gelato at Pasticceria Natalina. The owner makes quite exceptional pastries but the pricing is crazy.  No-one else was there and I wonder if this unique place is going to last too much longer.  Someone should tell them about the trade-off between margin and volume and perhaps also how to calculate margin correctly in the first place – don’t incorporate fixed and sunk costs into your pricing decision!  It makes you think that elementary economics is actually useful for business owners.

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