friday dinner

More snow....wtf?  Although it was predicted, I remained hopeful.  Especially after being incorrect as to when it would begin.  Thursday passed.  Friday started and there was a lingering of weather and start of rain.  I had dinner with Andy at a popular Highlands spot before the rain became more consistent. 
The dinner was good.  Italian fare.  Decent wine list. Cocktails and beer offered.  We sampled the octopus, meatballs and squid ink pasta.  I asked our server to space out the offerings so we could have a progressive meal and perhaps order more.  She made some flippant comment about not being new to the serving thing before walking away.  I ordered a bottle of wine midway through our appetizers--octopus and meatballs.  I would have preferred having the octopus, first, followed by the meatballs than the pasta.  Bread would have been a nice addition to the meatballs, too.  It was not an offering and we managed to make due with the meal. 
The nebbiolo was delicious and reasonably priced.  The vibe of the place was lively and became increasingly loud as our meal progressed.  There was a group of women that were remarkably intense.  I wanted to tell them to shut up that not everyone was interested in their conversations.  They were super loud and annoying.  Think real housewives of somewhere.  Yes, they had had work done and were flashing jewelry.  Eventually, I was able to tune them out and enjoy the remainder of the meal. 
The squid ink pasta arrived and Andy and I both remarked on the portion size.  It was huge and more than enough for two people.  A family of four could have enjoyed this meal.  And, keep in mind, I considered trying something else.  Maybe some greens to balance out the Italian fare.  However, after tackling the squid ink pasta, I was no longer hungry.  We asked for the bill and I was surprised that the girl had opted to order the larger portion of pasta as we had expressed our interest in trying multiple things.  I guess she wasn't as schooled in the ways of dining as she liked to think.  Moreover, she was all over us when I first arrived.  Didn't read our conversation or that we were not ready to order after we had been seated for three minutes.  After we ordered and tasted the wine, the server was gone.  I poured and refilled our glasses.  It was not that fantastic of an experience to be completely honest.  We tipped too much in reality.  I am tired to rewarding people for crappy service.  And I don't know when it started to decline.  I take pride in what I do and am frustrated by people that are not providing the same service and/or experience.  Not following through with wine service for example is sad.  How hard is it to pay attention to your tables and keep on top of what is going on with them?
We opted to head downtown and stop by one of my favorite spots.  I knew parking would be challenging but was unprepared for the reality of it.  And, I was uninformed on the current practice of meters.  I remember meters ending at 10:00 pm and then being free until the street sweeping occurred.  I began walking away from my spot, after 10, and couldn't understand why there were still meter maids out?  I asked my friends at the bar and heard the updated procedure.  Such a racket!  Parking is charged at all times.  Why?  Seems silly and inconvenient especially when it takes a bit to find a spot.  I was irritated and it soured the end of my night.  I should have chosen to find a spot outside of downtown with nonino.  That is what I was looking for in all honesty.  Perhaps tonight.  Snow continues to fall and it looks heavy and wet.  Work might be quick...