The above quote reminds me that while religion remains a taboo subject at Lab Night, wine is the constant that keeps our monthly gathering chugging along.
Everything else, from our guest list, to the menus and venues, are in a constant state of evolution.
Even our geographical borders expand... Last month's event at The Food Gang brought us to Surfside for the first time. We've experienced westward creep while enjoying several Lab Nights at Vienna Cafe in Davie.
This month, at the suggestion of frequent Lab Night victims Gail and Steph Del Marco, we're extending our boundaries northward to Oakland Park Blvd., to the nascent Piccolo Restaurant, which entered the Ft. Lauderdale culinary landscape just a couple of months ago.
But Chef Andre Filosa is no newcomer to South Florida gourmets, who may recall his other restaurants, Andre Diner and Il Piccolo in North Miami.
Chef Andre will be preparing the following special menu for Lab Night:
First Course
Split Pea Soup
or
Caesar Salad
or
Stuffed Mushrooms
Entree
Chicken Sorrentino
topped with eggplant, spinach and melted provolone cheese
or
Veal Picatta
dipped in egg batter, sauteed with lemon, capers, artichokes and white wine sauce
or
sauteed with onions, mushrooms, spinach and pink sauce
served over linguini
Dessert
White Chocolate Mousse
or
Dark Chocolate Mousse
or
Creme Brulee
Of course, we'll also be bringing our own "bagged" wines and, as usual, other than the customary white zinfandel prohibition, the LaBORatory Night Governing Committee is imposing no limitations on the type of wines that you can bring for the evening's festivities.
We hope that you'll join us at Piccolo Restaurant and partake in our good food, plenteous wine and festive camaraderie.
NB... Seating in Piccolo's small, intimate dining room is limited. Once we are full, no amount of pleading or cajoling will get you a seat. Please respond early to avoid disappointment.
Here are the logistics:
7:30pm
Monday, October 20, 2008
2775 East Oakland Park Blvd
Ft. Lauderdale
Tel: (954)567-2444 (Please do not call Piccolo Restaurant to RSVP)
Parking: Metered parking lot
$30 per person price-fixe, includes your meal, soft drink, coffee or tea. Tax and tip are additional! Piccolo Restaurant has graciously agreed to waive its usual corkage fee for Lab Night guests.
RSVP's are a must. PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND DIRECTLY TO PICCOLO RESTAURANT! Email affirmative responses only to GrapeWiz@aol.com by Friday, October 17, and let me know how many will be in your party. Please also include a phone number in your email.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LaBORatory Night (so called for its experimental spirit and pronounced La-BOHR-atory... think Boris Karloff in the old Frankenstein movies) is an ongoing tradition of more than seventeen years, born at the now defunct but never forgotten Biscayne Wine Merchants Bistro in North Miami. Our ragtag crewof wine drinkers continues to meet about oncea month, always on a Monday night,asan alternative to watching Monday Night Football.
Our now itinerant gathering is held at a continually evolving roster of dining establishments straddling Dade & Broward counties. Every person or couple brings a bottle of wine, masked by a paper bag or other wrapper, which they think would be interesting to share with the group during dinner. Unless you thrive on verbal abuse, no white zinfandel, please.
Depending on the group's size and earnestness, sometimes we have a serious discussion and analysis of the wines. More often than not, we just drink them.
Our original ground rules remain- three topics are verboten for discussion on Monday LaBORatory nights - sports, religion and politics. If you feel compelled to raise any of these topics, please come back on Tuesday. All other subjects are fair game.
Guests, spouses and designated drivers are welcome and encouraged. It's about as much fun as you can legally have on a Monday night.
Feel free to forward this email to your friends so that the circle of LaBORatory Night victims, errr, participants, continues to expand.
If this announcement has been forwarded to you by a friend, and you would like to be notified directly for future LaBORatory Night gatherings, or if you would like tobe removed from this list, please email grapewiz@aol.com
Your support of LaBORatory Night is always greatly appreciated.
Cheers!
Alan Kratish
LaBORatory Night
Jan Boxer-Sitko
LaBORatory Night
"Chairman Emeritus"
Fort Lauderdale Wine-LaBORatory Night at Piccolo Restaurant 
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