A North Beach Reunion

On Sunday, August 26, 25 or so of us returned to where it all ended and where it all began. What? you might ask.

Well, here's what I mean by this seemingly contradictory statement. Last December my DVC study abroad preparatory class spent our last class meeting at Franchino Ristorante, a wonderful Italian restaurant in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. (Hint: if you hunt around in my January postings, you'll find photos from that fabulous night.) Franchino and his family treated us to an evening we'll never forget. It was the perfect way to end the class, and an even more perfect way to kick off our study abroad trip. After all, we would be heading to Florence in a little over a month. I'll never forget near the end of the evening when one student said, "Ms. Seefer, I'm ready to leave right now!" We could all relate.

And, suddenly, in the blink of an eye we were back home. And what better place for an end-of-summer reunion than to return to Franchino. And that's exactly what we did!

We had dinner reservations for 5 p.m. This time our arrangement was a little different, and even better. Franchino gave a fixed price for a three-course meal, but this time we were able to choose off the entire menu. Our only challenge was choosing among all of the wonderful dishes served at Franchino--chicken porcini, chicken amalfitano, chicken posillipo, chicken marsala, veal primavera, veal mustard, veal parmigiana, veal pizzaiola, veal saltinbocca, grilled New York steak, salmone e scampi piccata, sauteed large prawns, calamari, cioppino, and grilled salmon. Heaven!

After taking our orders, our first course was delivered: an amazing antipasti plate that contained mozzarella and tomatoes, grilled eggplant, bruschetta, and other delights. Next came a salad, followed by the entree.

And of course there was the wine! But not just any old wine. You see, Bruce brought bottles of a very special wine that is produced by one of our very own study abroad students, Jack Ballantine (visit Ballantine Vineyards at http://www.ballentinevineyards.com/). And even though Jack wasn't able to join us, he at least knew that he added the crowning touch to our meal!

And no meal at Franchino Ristorante would be complete without the singing! Once again Franchino entertained us with his delightful voice, and he, naturally, grabbed a few of the women for a quick spin around the restaurant. Something tells me that Franchino is quite enamored with our students!

After the meal we all hung out at our tables, enjoying good company and conversation. Some students had not seen each other since Florence, and others are now pretty much inseparable. Either way, it was wonderful to all be together again, enjoying an Italian feast. After all, we had gotten pretty used to that in Florence!

And, much too soon, we realized that it was time to go. We gathered one last time out front of the restaurant for a few group shots. Naturally, Franchino joined us!

It was a bittersweet night. Yes, it was fantastic seeing one another again. But we also knew that many of the students were heading off to four-year colleges and universities, where they will begin new lives.

In fact, Milli was leaving the very next week to continue her education at Columbia. There were hugs and cheers, with an undercurrent of excitement and anticipation for what the future holds. Milli, we are so proud of you! Buona Fortuna!