Literally steps away from the apartment was a Sicilian restaurant called "13 Giungno" that I had found using Google Maps in the Brera Neighborhood. It looked elegant on the internet, but it was even more so in person.
A plump, blondish barista acknowledged us with a chilly, "Do you have a reservation?" I looked around, because we were the only ones in the restaurant, and as the evening progressed, it only filled to, at best, one third capacity. Her demeanor brightened slightly when we ordered two gin on the rocks. That may have piqued her curiosity about us, because I thought I detected a faint smile when she brought the cocktails over. She was Russian. She was also our waitress for the evening. I kept desperately trying to remember the punchline to that joke that begins, "How do you warm up a plump Russian?"
When it dawned on her that we were not KGB, the Russian capacity for warmth began to show through. We did stop short of linking arms and singing Russian songs. I asked about the name of the restaurant. It seems that the Sicilian owner met his wife on the 13th of June, a favorite child was born on that date, and he had some type of epiphany on that very date, hence "13 Giugno".
Highlight of the dinner was the main course pictured here.
Grilled rolls of stuffed swordfish with saffron mashed potatoes and salad. Eugenia admired the china.
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