"It's Your Life, Make it Work!"

When it comes to that four-letter word (WORK), we could all use a nudge in the right direction. Especially when we want to find a meaningful job (or better yet, a vocation), in this murky economy.

Life coach Clare Harlow, MSW, is here to pull you through the tough times while keeping you focused on finding your dream career.

With over ten years of experience in business, health care and non-profit organizations, as well as in fundraising and volunteer training, Clare's life goal is to help you fulfill yours. After just minutes of speaking to her, you'll feel a whole lot better about whatever employment (or unemployment) situation you're facing.

Clare offers personal and group coaching as well as classes and workshops on Career and Life Planning, Communication Skills, Stress or Time Management, and People Reading using the DiSC Personality Profile. 

Her six-week, small-group teleclass currently costs about $197, with an optional six-week follow-up for $120. Visit her Web site for more information or email her at clarehl@juno.com.

Zap Stress Now

Previously, on The Delicious Life, I wrote: 

Sometimes, when we hear someone say "stress," our skin begins to tingle. Imagine the Wicked Witch of the West repeating this onomatopoetic word with her half-snarl, half-smile and arched eyebrows. She wriggles her gnarly green fingers at you. "Stressssss, stresssss, stresssss," she says, her upper lip curled and touching the tip of her unmistakeable aquiline nose.

Bearing the same surname as the ever-popular Medicine Woman, licensed naturopathic physician Dr. Diana Christoff Quinn is here to help you (and me) melt that stress witch for good. No water required.

The current president of the Michigan Association of Naturopathic Physicians and member of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Dr. Quinn has her own practice in Ann Arbor, MI, called Naturopathic Women's HealthCare. 

Dr Quinn says:

We all have stress in our lives, and often there is little we can do to decrease the stress load we face on a daily basis. Yet it is imperative to create space and time to decompress from the stress that builds up in the body and mind, as holding on to these tensions can quite literally make us sick. Below is a simple relaxation exercise to help let go of the stress of the day. Also helpful are meditation, guided imagery or visualization exercises, and journaling to emotionally 'decongest.' 

Here are her tips for banishing daily anxiety. Try them before work, on your lunch break, when you get home in the evening or any time you need to refresh your mind and body.

Progressive Relaxation

Take about 15-20 minutes to do this basic but essential relaxation exercise every day, or when you feel tension in your body and mind.

Deep abdominal breathing: lying on your back, rest your hands on your belly. Take deep, regular breaths so that your hands move up and down with your belly with each breath. Take a moment to regulate your breathing so the out-breath is a beat or two longer than the in-breath.

Starting with your feet, clench your muscles tightly and hold for 30 seconds. Then relax the muscles, exhaling deeply while letting go of the tension in your body. Progressively clench and relax the following muscle groups:

Feet

Calves

Thighs and buttocks

Abdomen

Arms and shoulders

Neck and face

Finish the exercise with a deep abdominal breath.

For more information about Dr. Diana Christoff Quinn as well as her practices, visit her Web site:

www.naturopathicwomenshealthcare.com.

Be well!

Gulp & Go

"If you hold on tight to what you think is your thing you may find you're missing all the rest." ~Dave Matthews Band, "Best of What's Around"

When I was younger, my mother, a hospital technologist famous for in-depth dinner conversations about gastrointestinal procedures, would often serve up the saga of my birth along with pork chops and potatoes: "In the womb she almost strangled herself with her umbilical cord...she wouldn't let go," she'd say.

As much as I wanted to bury my face in the salad and hide my head in the peas, I can't help but think how my life brims with symbolism; how I wanted out before giving the daylight a try. How I held on so tightly to the thing that connected me to Ma, afraid to let myself breathe on my own. 

Yup. You guessed it. I've done a lot of holding on...and a lot of choking. But you can't really taste life when it's stuck in your throat or clamshelled between your sweaty palms.

Holding on: I didn't give up the baby bottle until my fourth birthday. After Ma begged me, I slowly, reluctantly lowered it into the trash. I let the rubber nipple slip through my stubborn little fingers. Bye bye, ba ba. I did it, but the process was like dipping my toe in a pool of lava.

Choking: When I was ten, I won the fourth grade spelling bee and qualified for the local competition. My fear of screwing up felt like thousands of tiny red ants crawling through my veins. I told my friend to take my place. 

Can you spell q-u-i-t-t-e-r? I can. 

I'm young, but I've already skipped a LOT of fun events and missed a lot of opportunities because I was afraid of looking like an idiot or failing while trying. Sometimes, I still have to force myself to unwrap those same stubborn fingers from the situation and let it slide away.   

If you're like me, you'll pace around your apartment with the object in your hand (the thought in your mind) before you can finally come to terms with chucking it in the trash and walking out the door to enjoy the rest of your day. But, like I learned in one of my journalism classes, you've got to "gulp & go;" you force yourself to do the thing you fear. The first time, you feel the lump in your throat. The second time you do it, it starts to break up and fizz away like an Alka Seltzer tablet. And you do feel better fast.

Maybe your "thing" is a fear, obsession or false self-identity you've clung to for years. Whatever it is, now's the time to write it down or draw a picture of it (think kindergarten here!) and let it dissolve like sidewalk chalk in the rain.

Wisdom, Please!

(Photo Courtesy of Rachel Snyder's Blog, rachelsnyder.wordpress.com)

For every letter of the alphabet, there's a word to sate your hunger for hope. 

My junior year as an undergrad, I found Rachel Snyder's Words of Wisdom for Women at Barnes & Noble. Unlike the oodles of banal self-help books that elicit the eye-rolling reflex, this one genuinely stops you amid life's chaos. It forces you to smile. It helps you to breathe. 

A woman who reports selling shoelaces in her local shopping mall, Snyder ties humanity to divinity by lacing this lexicon-of-the-soul with thought-provoking phrases. Each page brims with honest, simple-yet-challenging metaphors and meditations to guide you through the day.

Words of Wisdom is an active approach to life's obstacle course, or labyrinth...or however you picture it. Snyder gives us no excuses. If we hit a wall, she tells us to turn around and find another way out. What have I learned? When in doubt, act out. I mean that, of course, in the most positive sense.

Here's a sample page:

Sift

Imagine all the possibilities of your life in one large, glorious pile. Now start sifting. Painstakingly examine each grain, each morsel. Do you want it? Need it? Does it serve you? Decide what stays, what goes, what gets folded in together. Sift slowly and mindfully. It may take months or years. Or your entire life. Once you've sifted things into neat piles, start the process all over again. Sift and resift, sift and resift. Wheat from chaff, sand from jewels, truth from illusion. Let the insignificant details fall through to the ground, leaving what's solid, what matters, behind.

Visit Snyder's Blog: http://rachelsnyder.wordpress.com

This is a great gift for a friend or for you. The book sells for about $7.95 at Barnes & Noble. You can find it for less on Amazon.com. 

Enjoy & Be Well!

Holly

Sharing the Ruby Slippers

(Image courtesy of the National Museum of American History)

Sometimes, when we hear someone say "stress," our skin begins to tingle. Imagine the Wicked Witch of the West repeating this onomatopoetic word with her half-snarl, half-smile and arched eyebrows. She wriggles her gnarly green fingers at you. "Stressssss, stresssss, stresssss," she says, her upper lip curled and touching the tip of her unmistakeable aquiline nose. 

I'm not talking about Elphaba, the likeable, redeemable heroine in Broadway's Wicked. I'm referring to Judy G's nemesis--the Wicked Witch probably responsible for snagging the brain, heart and courage from respectable men now known as the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion...the Witch whose shade of 1939 Technicolor seasickness makes me cringe...the Witch who could probably beat ET in her rage-induced bicycle ride through the clouds. Just when you think she melted, she's freakishly back to life like a regenerated earthworm. Forget Dorothy. She wants to make YOUR trip down the Yellow Brick Road a living hell. 

In case you're not good at deciphering symbols/metaphors, the Wicked Witch =  stress/mean people/unpleasant daily events that try to sneak in and mar our mood. The Yellow Brick Road is, well, the path down which we travel in life.  

Too deep for you? Fine. I'll shut up.

In simple terms, sometimes when we think we've learned to banish stress, it somehow bounces back into our lives. We think we're having a good day when suddenly something goes wrong. We think we know something and we read something ELSE that tells us "we're misinformed." 

People make comments about the way we live our lives and we flip out and take it personally. At work or at school, we're expected to do a million things at once, and often, to "get it done YESTERDAY." We turn on the television and read the news but get depressed after 15 minutes of robberies, shootings, and stories about poverty, abuse, and people who are just plain ticked off at the way our society runs. If only we could click our heels during tough times and find ourselves in the Bahamas (or perhaps just the mall). But it's not always that easy. 

So...how do we silence all the outside voices (and sometimes the crazy ones inside our heads) to find a nugget of peace? I'd love if you could share your "Ruby Slippers" with me--your tips on how you banish or attempt to banish stress in your life, how you keep that pep in your step or how you "ease on down the road" each day. Once I read some of your ideas, I'll post some of mine. I'm curious to read what you've got to say. Let's share our advice here and try to make the most out of our often chaotic (but nonetheless meaningful) walk down the road of life. 

;) Holly

Over-Exercisers Anonymous?

OK, we all want to look fabulous in the teeny weeny bikini (well, duh!). Especially us overachievers. But sometimes, we take unhealthy measures in order to get there. I'll admit it...I've done it. And I know a lot of friends who have, too. Yet I realized if I continued to overexert myself, I'd really destroy my body.

Believe it or not, long bouts of strenuous training (2 or more hours) have not been proven to serve better than 45 minutes to an hour of moderate-to-high-intensity exercise. In fact, overtraining can cause physical staleness, psychological distress (e.g. depression and anxiety), chronic fatigue and infections.

It's often a good idea to give our body 24 hours of rest after a super-high-intensity workout. Our muscles need that recovery period.

We've got to understand the line between high intensity exercise that's GOOD for us and the punishing workouts that constitute self-abuse. We can look good and feel good without spending hours and hours at the gym. Let's find the balance.

Click here to read an article from the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)'s online magazine about overtraining, or copy and paste http://www.protraineronline.com/Apr-May09/article1.cfm into your browser.

Stay tuned for some feel-good demo exercises to help sculpt the body!

Enjoy and be well,

Holly

Pop to It

Last night, while everyone else my age was probably binge drinking at the bar around the corner, I sat in front of the TV eating unlimited amounts of Trader Joe's Olive Oil Popcorn, sipping orange juice-seltzer spritzers, and watching "Lockup" on MSNBC, a show about the toughest-of-the-tough inmates at maximum security prisons. Too lazy to pick the scattered kernels off my floor and out of my hair, I conked out on the couch.

The next time you're in the mood for a snack, reach for a bag of this gourmet-style popcorn, or just make your own. Pop a bag of plain microwave popcorn (butter free), drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and try to stop yourself from finishing the whole thing. Want to make it sweet? Pour plain popcorn onto a baking sheet, drizzle with honey, agave syrup or maple syrup, sprinkle with cinnamon and a dash of salt, then toss with your hands. It's a simple but really satisfying snack.

Stop buying the processed stuff that's soaked in hydrogenated oils and butterfat. Make your own fresh popcorn.

;) H

Brace Yourselves...I'm Back!

I've finally managed to fix up some fabulous gluten-free, wheat-free, dairy-free fare using fresh fruit, veggies, protein and grains. Let's just say I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. 

Please try my comforting "superfood" soup to knock out toxins and take your tastebuds to a whole 'nother level. It's so simple...you can even make it in an electric "hot pot" in a college dorm room (that's what I used to do).

Here's What You Need:

3-4 cups chopped asparagus

2 chopped white or sweet Vidalia onions

1-2 chopped green bell peppers

3 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes 

1 tbsp dried basil

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste

black pepper to taste (if desired)

Fill a large saucepan with all ingredients and enough water to cover everything.

Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for up to 2 hours. Serve over cooked quinoa for a delicious balance of complex carbs, protein, and veggies. 

Did You Know?

• Quinoa are the seeds of a grain-like plant known for its high protein content. Not only does it contain calcium and magnesium, but it's a great complex carbohydrate alternative to brown rice. It's high in lysine, an immune-supporting amino acid and vitamin B6, a likely mood booster.
• Onions are packed with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer properties. They're best for you in the raw form, but cooked onions are great, too.
• Asparagus is high in nutrients and vitamins such as vitamin K, which helps the body absorb calcium.
  
• Green bell peppers help cleanse the liver and may help lower high blood pressure. They contain lots of vitamin A and C as well as potassium. 
  
• Tomatoes are high in lycopene, a cancer-fighting antioxidant.

So, eat up and be well!

;) Holly

Nightmare on I-80

By Christina Kae

"When I recently planned a weekend getaway for Holly and myself, no one could possibly imagine what lied in store for us as we attempted the twelve hour drive to Michigan, a.k.a. the second friendliest place on the planet next to the North Pole. We anticipated a relaxing and liberating adventure as we made our way to Ann Arbor for some good old family fun..."

Read the rest of the adventure by visiting Christina Kae's blog, The Marvelous Misadventures of Everyday Life.

Meet Christina...

I hereby declare oenophile Christina Kae the authority on wine, beer and American history.

From John Adams to Sam Adams, she knows her stuff.

I bet you can't wait to see what she's got to say. Trust me. She's got a LOT to say.

;) Holly

This Just In...

Alright, ladies & gents. I have some shocking news. Yesterday I was diagnosed with a severe allergy (food intolerance) to gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, almonds, peanuts and tons of other foods. From this day forth, Holly Pinafore must go gluten, wheat and soy-free. This is very difficult for me to do. But please don't abandon me! This blog will focus primarily on wellness, positivity and of course, self-enjoyment for all people.

Sometimes, change is a good thing. In this case, I think it's a GREAT thing. The new lifestyle is going to be a challenge for me, but I'm going to do it! I will continue to video blog about my travels and daily musings, so please visit me!

;) Holly

Store Your Tofu the Right Way

If the block of tofu in your fridge has taken a turn for the worse, there's not much I can do. But I can help you prevent your fresh tofu from turning blue. 

In just 37 seconds, you'll be a pro at storing this lean, mean protein source. 

Be sure to put a lid on your tofu container, too. I forgot to tell you that in the video.

;) H

Sunday Night Advice

I'm in a red wine kind of mood. Just thought you should know. 

Cheers to you, love.

Coconut Fantasy at Ferrara

La Bella Ferrara

195 Grand St.

New York, NY 10013

(212) 226-6150

www.ferraracafe.com

Despite all the talk about the tiramisu at Ferrara Cafe, this world-famous, 117-year-old espresso bar offers an impressive list of toothsome Italian treats. But if you're in the mood for something light and cool, try the gelati or fruit sorbets. My favorite, the coconut sorbet, is so delicate and sweet with tiny flecks of coconut to add complexity to the smooth texture. Whether you live out west by the beach or in a chilly, drab city, this stuff really does soothe your brain waves and bring you to (in the words of 1980s Madonna) La Isla Bonita. I felt closer to the tropics with every dreamy spoonful. Sadly enough, when I licked the last few driblets from the bowl, I had to face facts: my imaginary tropical vacay was over. And I can't afford a real one.

Regardless, life is sweet.

Watch and enjoy!

Debbie Broadway Steals the Show at Puglia

Tonight, at my beloved Puglia Ristorante, I had the pleasure of chatting with Debra "Debbie Broadway" Ente, a spunky, sassy Brooklynite with some serious pipes. Come visit the restaurant on Fridays and Saturdays to hear her croon. I especially love her fun, upbeat rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." 

Debra Broadway sings (with Jorge Buccio on keyboard)

Puglia Ristorante 

189 Hester Street (at Mott Street)

New York, NY 10013

A Pub to Bear in Mind

In my opinion, besides the Great Lakes and great people, Michigan should be known for three things: stellar universities, awesome U of Michigan blue and yellow pasta, and the Grizzly Peak Brewing Company of Ann Arbor. Let me tell you...there's a lot to roar about.

With cozy coppery lighting, pressed tin ceilings, exposed brick walls, rugged wooden tables, outdoorsy paintings reminiscent of the Adirondacks and toothsome meals large enough for two, it's no wonder Grizzly Peak was rated Michigan's best date place of 2006.

If you stop by for lunch with friends, be sure to order different items and share. That way, everyone can savor the flavors of this first-rate Northern pub. Prices are reasonable: $3-7 for appetizers, and the most expensive lunch item is about $11 for a shrimp or steak salad. 

Be sure to try the following:

Cheddar & ale soup with thyme: Creamy and comforting, you can feel the endorphins rushing with every smooth spoonful. The complimentary warm, sweet golden loaf of bread is perfect for dunking.

Baked mac & cheese: Al dente elbow pasta saturated in a blend of three sharp, white cheeses and scattered with truffled herbed bread crumbs. It makes the boxed stuff shudder.

Beer-battered fish & chips with jalapeño coleslaw: Fish & chips always remind me of Frank McCourt's novel Angela's Ashes, where the narrator recalls the time he stole a drunk guy's fish & chips off the floor of a pub. He was so hungry that he licked the crumbs and salt off the paper. I thought my friend would have a similar experience at Grizzly Peak; the beer-battered walleye with crispy fries could have an entire novel chapter dedicated to it. With a slight crunch and a sudden juicy explosion from the moist, mild fish, our taste buds were able to appreciate the complexity of the golden ale batter. Perfect with malt vinegar and a sprinkle of salt.

Grilled Vegetable Dagwood sandwich: Toasted Italian crusty bread, fresh mozzarella, arugula, zucchini, tomato. Normally, I despise mayo, but the cool pesto dipping aioli was a perfect balance for the crunchy bites of bread and vegetables, and the fresh basil.

It wouldn't be fair to judge this place on a few menu items, but then again, if these dishes were that good, I can only imagine the rest-- from the pizzas to salads to ribs, burgers and even the beer!  

Visit their Web site. If you stop at the restaurant, be sure to drop me a line. I want to know how you like the beer (shame on me for not sampling)!

;) H

Off to See the Lizard

On the way to Michigan, my friend Christina and I stopped in Ohio to meet our high school pal Tiffany.  After getting lost (to say the least) in a not-so-lovely section of Cleveland, we finally wound up on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights. It's a spunky street with lots of adorable boutiques, coffee shops and bars.

If you're ever in the area, I definitely suggest one place: the Winking Lizard Tavern.

With old-fashioned cherry wood wall panels, antique beer decor, an unfinished wood floor, lots of neon bar lights and ubiquitous flat screen TVs, this 6th of 13 Winking Lizard franchises is an old-world gastropub with a young, hip vibe from its locals who call it "The Wink."

The Wink serves over 90 different types of ale from all over the world: Belgium, Mexico, England, Germany, the Czech Republic and of course, the U.S. You can sign up for the World Tour of Beers 2009. When you've sampled every one on the list (obviously not in one sitting unless you're the Hulk), you'll receive a coveted Winking Lizard Jacket. A well-deserved honor, indeed.

Don't drink beer? They do have a moderate wine list including humble-but-drinkworthy labels like Yellow Tail and Pacific Peak. 

They've got some fab grub, too: personal pizzas, slabs of St. Louis ribs, gutsy burgers and crispy fries (with the option of seasoned steamed veggies for calorie counters), salads, robust wraps and more great bar fare. My black bean veggie burger was savory, hearty and healthy with very little oil served on a nutty wheat roll with lettuce and tomato. Of course, I had to dip it in the Winking Lizard signature BBQ sauce--smoky, sweet and tangy all at once! This is the kind of stuff you swirl your finger in when the fries are gone. Oh yeah. 

For the best deal, stop by at Happy Hour between 3p.m.-7p.m. Monday through Friday. You'll get $1.00 off every 22 oz. draft beer as well as $4.25 Margaritas. 

As always, you can help yourself to endless fresh popcorn from an old-fashioned circus machine.

That's a darn good reason to smile. 

DON'T FORGET: When you walk in, look for Lucy, the live-in lizard, under the UV lights of her glassed-in tropical playground. Rumor has it she's over 70 years-old. Check her out yourself: get there while she's still kickin'! 

Visit their site for more information.

Yum is the Word!

;) Holly

Winking Lizard Tavern

1852 Coventry Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118-1682
Phone: 216.397.8380
Fax: 216.397.8730

Another One Bites the "Crust"

Hey,

Just stumbled upon a fab food blog: http://anotheronebitesthecrust.wordpress.com

Check it out! Some of the best food photography I've seen.

Take a peek!

;) H

A Meal to Celebrate YOU

I'm watching the lovely Nigella Lawson on Food Network. She just said, "I love puttering around in the kitchen making bowls of food that make life that little bit sweeter." She read my mind.

My birthday is Sunday, but since most people work on Monday, I decided to cook a casual Friday night dinner for five close friends. I even opened a bottle of wine, although I struggled, as usual, to remove the freakin' cork. 

Not one of them showed. I'd been stood up! After a few minutes of stomping around my kitchen, thinking, "How can they have the AUDACITY to abandon me?" I actually giggled: my food sure looked good, and I'd get to enjoy this delicious feast with zero interruptions. 

I lit a candle and decided to celebrate myself...by myself...with a stellar dinner, a cake-scented candle and a mellow glass of zinfandel. Here's what I cooked:

Butternut Squash Pappardelle with Pignoli Nuts

Serves 4, or makes 4 fabulous meals for those who fly solo.

• 1 bag pappardelle pasta (I suggest Trader Joe's organic whole-wheat pappardelle)
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• 2 cups fresh or frozen butternut squash
  
• 1/2  tsp. cinnamon
  
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  
• 1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
  
• sea salt and pepper as desired 
  
• pecorino romano cheese
  

Here's how it goes:

a) Add your squash to a hot pan with a tablespoon of olive oil. If squash is frozen, add 1/2 cup of water. Cook on high heat until squash softens, then lower the heat. Keep stirring with your wooden spoon to make sure it doesn't stick to pan. Add cinnamon, nutmeg and agave nectar/maple syrup. Set aside and leave on low heat until pasta is done. 

b) Boil your pappardelle for about 6 minutes in salted water. You want the pasta al dente (please), not soggy.

c) Using tongs, transfer your cooked pasta to the pan with a bit of the pasta water so the pappardelle don't stick together. 

d) Stir pappardelle into squash mixture, drizzle more olive oil, grate pecorino romano cheese and sprinkle toasted pignoli nuts over the top. 

You get sweetness from the squash, a buttery flavor from the pignoli nuts, and a savory taste from the cheese. Perfect harmony.

Before blowing out my candle, I served myself a wine glass full of whipped cream and strawberries.

I ate the rest of the pasta for (yes) breakfast this morning. Perfect comfort food without all the fat! I didn't use a stitch of butter.

Here's why this dish is good enough to celebrate you:

Not only does it taste luxurious and wonderful, but butternut squash packs all kinds of benefits for your immune system and heart. It's also full of dietary fiber. 

The whole-wheat pappardelle is loaded with protein (11g per serving as opposed to only 7 for a white pasta), fiber, and carbohydrates (those will really help me with my butt-kickin' weight training and cardio!)

The benefits of olive oil are already a given. Good for your heart, good for your skin, good for your mood!

Cinnamon helps to lower blood sugar, so it's ideal for diabetics.

Agave nectar, as opposed to sugar, is low glycemic: it keeps your blood sugar at a stable level. But the rich, sweet taste is unparalleled--oh so comforting. 

Pignoli (pine) nuts: When you look at the label, the fat and calorie content probably makes you think "STAY AWAY!" But what you might not know is that pignolis are high in B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, manganese and zinc. They may even help suppress appetite. When used in moderation, they're fine!

This is the ultimate "thank you" dinner to your body for keeping you alive and well!

Yum is the Word.

;) H

All About Salad at Centro

Centro Restaurant & Bar
1435 Post Rd.
Fairfield, CT 06410
(203) 255-1210

Last weekend, Mom and I sauntered into Centro not knowing what to expect. Wondering whether we could get a table at 7:30 on a Saturday night, we searched for someone to scribble our name on the waiting list. Mission accomplished. While we stood in the take-out foyer, the sight of the food in the glass showcase—the orecchiette pasta caked with coagulated pink sauce next to the chicken florentine with its yellowy twinge—made me cringe. Think pot-luck picnic lunch left in 90-degree heat for eight hours. I know...I made the same face you're making right now.

Here's the good news: The food you get when you sit down is actually worth celebrating with a fat glass of merlot. So is the inviting atmosphere: mustard-colored walls, pine branches draping over high arcs, yellow ochre lighting...Okay, so I wasn't transported to Tuscany, but for Downtown Fairfield, I couldn't complain.  

Served in a warm, honey-colored bowl, the roughly-chopped fennel with grapefruit, oranges, and candied walnuts in a light, citrus-basil vinaigrette was prime pick as a starter. It doesn't get any better than bitter grapefruit, sweet orange, and salty-sweet walnuts charged with the freshness of basil. A flavor explosion that had me spooning out the remaining droplets of vinaigrette. The fennel could have been more delicately sliced for a more ethereal feel on the tongue, but I could understand the whole rustic quality they attempted to convey. Or were they simply pressed for time? Either way, my taste buds couldn't tell.

For dinner, I ordered the Spinach-Goat Cheese Salad, which would have been even more delightful had the waitress heeded my kind request for dressing on the side. I wasn't going to sit there and grunt; I was too hungry. Nonetheless, I was pleased with the fine combination of baby spinach leaves glossed with a light balsamic vinaigrette, with the tangy-fruity combination of sun dried tomatoes (too thinly julienned and a bit too oily), roasted red peppers and marinated eggplant (again, a bit oily). But the prize of this plate was the lushly warm, creamy goat cheese encased in a Panko breadcrumb crust. The crackling sound of my fork breaking through the delicate ball rendered a pavlovian response: I drooled.

Mom, who changed her mind three times and almost made me rip the menu out of her hand in a hypoglycemic rage, finally ordered the thin crust pizza Margherita. This was probably the best $10 she'd spent in a long time. Despite the sallow, starchy tomatoes on top, the supple yet crispy crust, garlic-charged mozzarella and freshly chopped basil = total redemption. Perfect for two to share with a salad and a few glasses of wine. 

I left Centro well-sated and serene, ready to flip off my boots, flop on my couch and giggle at Lucille Ball stomping on grapes through the TV screen. 

I'd go back again. For sure. I just hope they clear out the day-old pasta in the front foyer. At least for the sake of those who judge a restaurant within seconds after they enter it.

Check out their Web site, www.centroristorante.com, for more details. They do catering and have a reasonable To-Go Special: Homemade pasta & sauce with Caesar salad, brick-oven bread and marinated olives...$15.95 for 2 and under $30 for 4.  That sounds like a delicious deal to me. If you happen to try it before I do, let me know the verdict!

;) Holly