The Atmosphere: It's comfortable, moderately upscale, and conducive to cordial conversations between visiting professors. But what Penne lacks in the familial atmosphere of, say, The Olive Garden, it more than makes up for with its excellent cuisine.
The Food: I started with a butternut squash soup. It was thick, tasty, and perfect for sopping. It reminded me of childhood summers spent on my grandfather's farm in New England. Immensely appetizing, the butternut squash soup was as warming as its bright orange color.
Next came ricotta ravioli in the shape of a giant heart, served in a tomato basil sauce. I enjoyed this dish, although it was somewhat standard-tasting.
The roasted veal loin with lemon and carrot gnocchi in a madeira sauce was tender and flavorful, and served over a bed of spinach. The lemon and carrot gnocchi was a perfect supplement for the veal, and the madeira sauce added delicate sweetness to both.
For dessert I enjoyed the torta di soto sopra, which is an warm apple and polenta upside-down cake served with, by special request, vanilla ice cream. By far my favorite course of the evening, the dish tastes like apple pie served on top of sponge cake, and is sweet and relaxing. This dish is a great incarnation of an old favorite.
The Service: The staff at Penne is very attentive, although I do think they paid a little extra attention to us. In fact, they paid so much attention to us that they took away Hillary's salad when she was only half-done. That was pretty funny, and I blame her - she was eating slowly. But just because they paid a lot of attention to us doesn't mean our food came any faster. Our meal took 3 and a half hours, so I would say the service could have been a little faster. Or a lot faster.
Final Thoughts: The most unique thing about Penne is that they don't actually have any penne on the menu. I mean, come on, is this some kind of sick joke? And they have huge wine glasses. Really huge wine glasses.
How Was The Date: I was nervous at first, I had never been out on a blind date, but Hillary is really nice, and I enjoyed our date. She has short hair and so do I, so I immediately felt there was a connection between us.
Highlights: I'm not really a hair guy, so if she had them, I didn't notice. She wants to teach English in France, which I think is really cool. Nothing crazy happened, she's a really nice person, and I had a good time dining with her.
Will You Be Seeing Each Other On Valentine's Day? Stop making fun of my blind girlfriend.
