As startling as the C's historic rally was my great meal at Fortunato’s last night. We went into the Lowell bistro that I've dissed w/ some frequency on this blog, to catch the game w/o the yahoos at the Dub. We wanted Pierce and quiet, AC, a nice spot to view Game 4 of the NBA finals and food we could stomach. What we discovered was as stunning as Posey's laste-game threes. First off, all the specials rattled off by the bartender sounded great. I settled on gazpacho soup and the portobello salad. Gourmet Guy went w/ the Mediterranean salad and steak tips. We were both perfectly pleased w/ the execution, service and yes taste. The salad was fresh w/ nice dressing and feta. The gazpacho, a chunkless puree, was perfect for a hot almost-summer night. The steak tips were tender served w/ thick badboy fries. The crowd was good too. More Regale Beagle than day room at Pleasant Acres. Bar is small which is an asset when you want a meal w/o the din of excited (i.e. shrill) 21 yr. olds. After half time we went over to Paradiso and joined some friends for pints of Landshark, served in a large Pilsner w/ a lime. Perfect summer beer. The ajar fire station doors invite a pleasant breeze. It's so nice to be inside, yet outside. Where else can you do this in DTL? All eyes where on the large screen facing the street. When Allen drove to the basket and House hit a 3fer with a min. to go everyone in the cafe roared and high-fived eachother. Even owner Adriana mixed it up w/ the crowd cursing Pierce for missing that free throw in Italian. Maybe it was the elation of the win, but I loved these Palmer Street places last night. The juxtaposion is perfect in the summer when you just want to throw on a sundress, flipflops and waddle out into the street. Seems the Green Team isn't the only franchise staging a comeback!