I’m Sorry to Hear About Your Great Aunt Helen

Nothing says Manhattan like being in a restaurant where the tables are packed so closely together that you feel like you’re intimately dining with strangers. My natural curiosities always lead me to listen to other people’s conversations, rather than have my own. I don’t want other people knowing my business. I’d much rather know theirs.

I’d like to think that if I was in New York, I would’ve gotten to eavesdrop on some fascinating conversation – or heard some random one-liner that I could post on overheardinnewyork.com. But I wasn’t. I was in Montclair, NJ and I’ll I heard was boring babysitter talk from the neighboring couple, praise for the margarita style pizza from a party of four, and a middle-aged man muttering something about his noticeably depressed companion’s Great Aunt Helen.

Maybe their conversations would have been more interesting if I had a good buzz going – but I didn’t realize it was a BYO until I sat down to order. So – my friend and I were left to make sober conversation over our Diet Cokes and iced teas. It should have tipped me off when I walked past the front of the restaurant and noticed people drinking cans of Budweiser. I could have walked the extra few feet to one of the many Montclair liquor stores – but there’s no reason to cry about that now.

Perhaps if I had lugged in a box of pinot or a six-pack of Amstel light, I would’ve been too drunk to notice that the other half of the restaurant was full of empty tables – and I was crammed into close quarters, with strangers, during flu season, for no reason. I also would have been able to pour my own beverage – and not have had to wait for one of the many servers and runners to come and bring me more soda. (I saw waiters opening bottles of wine for people – and wonder if an eager server would be willing to tap a box o’ wine. Me-thinks it might be worth going back just to make that happen.)

All nitpicking aside, the dinner was good. We chose Cavatelli and Broccoli and Chicken Leone from the typical Italian fare listed on the menu. The Chicken Leone was chicken breast surrounded by a layer of prosciutto, stuffed with cheese and smothered in a mushroom sauce. We were both pleased with the food and even happier with the prices – our check was less than $40.

Leone’s Kitchen
19 South Park Street
Montclair
(973) 509-9077

— by Ali Hanford
Ali is managing editor and a co-founder of GoOutJersey and lives in Essex County. She has lived in NJ her whole life.

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