Autumnal Dinner in the LES

 This first event of fall was a great beginning to the season, and to what I hope will be another year of great Cove Collective connection!

     Our group of 6 met at Trapizzino, a very cozy, authentic spot for Roman street food. We were seated at a wooden table nestled in the back of the restaurant, which served as the perfect nook for us to hang out in! It took us a little while to order because we were too busy talking, but eventually, we decided on appetizers: supplí (Roman rice balls), whipped ricotta, and crispy artichokes. As we shared the delicious supplí and scooped up the whipped ricotta with fresh focaccia, we talked about how our summers had gone, our varying school traditions, and farmer’s markets (we agreed that the Union Square Greenmarket was our favorite!). Then we ordered trapizzinis, which are a type of triangular sandwich stuffed with delicious, comforting fillings like rosemary chicken, oxtail, and eggplant. One person had the idea to put some leftover ricotta spread on her meatball trapizzini, and before long, the rest of us were copying her creative combo!

      After dinner, we walked a few blocks up to Il Laboratorio del Gelato for dessert! It took us a while to decide what to get, since they have such a wide array of options, but we were all happy with what we decided on! Although nobody got the infamous avocado flavor, we definitely tried (and enjoyed!) some interesting ones, including lychee sorbet, chocolate malt, and - possibly the most unique- tarragon pink pepper. As we savored our gelato, we spent a while discussing our recent (and not so recent) reading. Taylor Jenkins Reid was our agreed upon favorite. Should we start a Cove Collective book club?

     At the end of the night, people peeled off one by one as we walked around the East Village, dropping each other off at subway stations and near their homes. It was a lovely way to kick off the season, and I look forward to welcoming back these members and some new ones as well over the course of this school year!