Marcello's on Taravel

Later there will be a liaison, but now lipstick is being applied in the ladies room, the mirror consulted, the coif freshened by the brush of a hand or a comb. The man will stand as the woman approaches the table and remain standing until she is seated. She orders a Cosmopolitan, he orders a beer.

At another table the history of restaurants is being discussed, from the smoking age to the present. Should dogs be allowed to dine with their owners, as in the finest, most fashionable restaurants of foreign capitols?Only if the owner has a permit and the dog is designated as a guide or a companion.

The old couple from the era of white linen tablecloths prefer the smallest table. Every Saturday night she orders ravioli, he the linguini alla vongele in red sauce. No one suspects the Glock handgun nestled in her purse, or that he has a medical marijuana card and smoked a bowl of "Walter's Mix" on the way to dinner.

There is a real Marcello. He wears a red sweater tonight in honor of the local football team. When you ask him for a table, he surveys the restaurant like the commander of a small ocean-going vessel and says, "10, 15 minutes."