The End of an Era

I got the news last night and while it was unexpected, I guess we could all see it coming. A restaurant that has meant a lot to me over the last 15 years closed.

My husband took me to Albanese's on Keefe for one of our first dates. We sat at a little table for two by the radiator and he told me how his grandparents would bring him there and what great memories he had. As our relationship grew, we continued to go there with friends and family enjoying the chilled red wine out of juice glasses, the three way, and fried rice balls (my personal favorite.)

It was such a part of our courtship that before our friend Sally went to Saudi Arabia, she recreated the Albanese's experience by giving us the red checked tablecloth, juice glasses, and candle as an engagement gift. Joe and Karen gave us a case of the Albanese's red wine as a wedding gift.

Somehow we must have known this good thing was coming to an end. Just this past November my husband and I went there for dinner to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. In December my brother-in-law brought his girlfriend home for Christmas and the whole family gathered for dinner at this restaurant that has meant so much to all of us. I'm glad Antonia got a chance to experience it and she's the one who took all these amazing photos to capture the evening. What we didn't know at the time was that she was also capturing the end of an era.