Old friends

I finally met up with one of my first "New York" friends. He is buddy of one of my best friends husband-we all met in college. After college he worked for a bit and then moved to NYC to start his Masters (MBA) at Columbia. And now he's never left, he said it had been ten years the other night. So, my first trip to NYC-back in the day, Dave took me around. He was so generous with his time and the tours! Dave is such a good guy, so it was great to meet back up! He lives in the West Village area (did I mention, my fav), so when he suggested a restaurant there-I gladly agreed. We went to Aria, an Italian type wine bar. Food here was served in small, sharable portions. It was totally reasonably priced and best yet, it was EXCELLENT. Our waiter suggested a few (8 or so) specials and we ordered 4 of them-including octopus. I am not normally a fan of this, as it seems strange to eat and it is usually rubbery-this placed changed my mind!!! Oh my, it was so well done, it melted in your mouth with it's warmth and still had a tart based flare-amazing. They have great drinks and tons of wine to supplement the food (although it doesn't need anything!) Here is a pic inside the place I stole from the internet. It is super cozy and filled with people. Here's a blog quote..."Aria’s best selling point is the venue itself — exposed beams and brick lend a rustic, provincial feel that’s well-suited to the Italian fare and casual, tapas-style dining." 

just your average night out in the west village... :)