Ravioli, Salad and Ravioli c/o Giorgio

The morning after my dinner with J&J and S. and N., I woke up early, packed my car and got on the road to head back down south. I took a different route than I have in the past, heading basically straight west through Pennsylvania and Ohio instead of a little west to 81 and then south. I stopped in Columbus for the night, which is where my cousin and her parents live. When we were kids I would often irritate K. when she would ask me what I wanted to do (play Rummy 500 or crimp our hair etc) and I would simply shrug and say it was up to her. I remember at least one time she was so infuriated with this deference/lack of opinion that she stormed out of the room and remained displeased with me for hours. What can I say, sometimes I know exactly what I want. Sometimes I do not.

I was quite proud of myself when she asked what I was thinking about for dinner that Saturday because, at some point during my eight hour drive, an overwhelming desire for lasagna and a little salad flooded my food brain cells. When prompted, I was quick to express this desire. So, K and I met up with her parents at Giorgio for dinner. This was a new place for all of us.
K. and I arrived earlier than her parents, and once we realized they wouldn't arrive for another 20 minutes we ordered the fried five cheese ravioli appetizer. While you hardly ever can go wrong with things that are fried and involve cheese, K. and I were a little let down by the lack of any real flavor in the dish (and an inability to discern any more than two cheeses). The ravioli were crisp and hot but the insides were comprised of a majority of bland ricotta. A little minced garlic or basil, or parsley or Gorgonzola might have improved our thoughts on the appetizer. I liked their pasta sauce but it didn't strike me as overly original or complex. I ordered a house salad, which I liked. It came with oven roasted tomatoes, which did a nice job of adding a surprising flavor and texture to the greens.
While I did want lasagna, the special of the night was lobster ravioli and I found this very tempting. I often ask my server what they would do if they were me when I can't decide between two dishes. This is often risky because, and this will sound snobby, I often have better taste and higher standards. Case in point: almost every time I have ever asked a server whether I should have Dish A or the crab cakes, they always go 'oh man, the crab cakes are really great, you should have them,' then I ask about the quality of the crab meat and the ratio of crab to filler, and they assure me it's the good stuff with a good ratio, so I go with it...and I am always disappointed. And yet, I continue to ask for their opinion. In this case, I asked the waitress whether I should have the lasagna or special ravioli. She enthusiastically recommended the ravioli, and so that is what I ordered. K. ordered the lasagna.
So. I bet you are just dying to know whether I was disappointed or satisfied with the ravioli. Chomping at the bit, no doubt. I will relieve this stressful situation by telling you how I felt about the ravioli right now: it was really quite good. The filling was great and creamy and had recognizable chunks of lobster, which was a pleasant, and welcome, surprise. The sauce was a buttery creamy concoction with a hint of sherry that didn't overwhelm the dish (too much sauce is sometimes just as bad as too little). I was very pleased.

K.'s lasagna was massive, and rather tasty, but I don't regret my choice. My aunt had the gnocchi with spicy sausage, which looked really terrible (I think her comparison was to Alpo) but tasted pretty good. Definitely had a kick to it. My uncle, as he often does, went simple with an order of spaghetti with marinara sauce. I think we were all generally pleased with our food, but, as K. said, this place isn't overly near her house and it probably won't become her go-to Italian eatery. Still, the ravioli was worth trying (I think they only do it on weekends).