"I would not live in Salisbury, NC were it not for La Cava. Let me tell you the story. When my wife and I visited Salisbury back in 2005, looking to move here, I was NOT on board. Pulling off of 85 onto E Innes St back then really reinforced my desire to stay where we were in comfortable, suburban Loudoun County in Northern Virginia. Back then, E Innes at 85 was an eyesore. It has improved immensely since then, but in 2005, yuck. By the time that we got to the downtown and West Square historic district, things were looking up a bit, but I maintained my desire to not move to Salisbury. We looked at some houses, including the one that brought us to town. The wife was excited not me. It was not until we had dinner at La Cava on Saturday night, that I got on the Salisbury bandwagon. We were greeted by Jessica at the table and after mentioning that she did not know us and introducing herself, she then asked, So what is the plan tonight? Are you hungry now? Do you want to have a drink and relax for a bit? How do you want tonight to go? I was gobsmacked. I was used to the DC market where, as soon as you sit down, they start the meter running to get you to buy as much as they can, in as short amount of time as possible, and then get you out the door to do it all again with the next table. Well we had the most wonderful relaxing dinner. The atmosphere was lovely, each course better than the previous one. The service was perfect and gracious. At the end of the meal, Jessica came by and said, How about an after dinner drink? Now, at this point, it is important to mention that I ran a fine dining Italian restaurant in Northern Virginia that about $2.5 million dollars in sales annually, so I know restaurants and I know wine. I decided to take a chance to ask if Jessica had Vin Santo. For those of you that are not familiar with Vin Santo, it is a Tuscan dessert wine that is wonderful and tastes like sunshine. As I was asking the question, and older gentleman was walking by the table, stopped suddenly and asked, in an Italian accent, I 'm sorry. Did you just ask for Vin Santo? I was a bit taken aback and said, ...um yes. He said, I have a bottle that I have been waiting for someone to ask if we have. I 'll be right back. He returned with bottle in hand, three glasses, and asked if he could join us. He introduced himself as the owner, Gianni Moscardini and shared the bottle of Vin Santo with us. I was now on board with moving to Salisbury because La Cava would be a block and a half from the house we ended up buying. I have been a regular customer there ever since and it is truly my home away from home. If you go, ask if Gianni is in. He would love to meet you and tell you his story. He is a great friend. Also, tell him Greg sent you."
Eggplant Parmigiana
