We met up with Dan & Elaine May last night for dinner at Cucina Tuscana, one of Salt Lake’s top Italian restaurants. This isn’t just our opinion; even they felt that nothing came close to it in Scottsdale. They both had been to this restaurant before on a previous trip up here.

The May’s were in town just for one night on their way up to Jackson and wanted to get together and treat us to dinner. Dan told me I was in charge of the wine and I was then handed the wine list. Usually we are always trying new wines when we get together. But the last time somebody handed me a wine list and told me to order, I went for the $150 bottle of wine. It can be quite dangerous if I know somebody else is treating! The wine book had prices ranging all the way up to several hundred for a bottle. “Not that page”, he said over my shoulder.

We were looking for, as he put it “more bang for your buck”. I called for the wine concierge and told him we were interested in something less fruity, more or less along the lines of a parched desert dry. He pointed out a Chardonnay from Tuscany, over my price limit, but I shared the information with Dan. “Sure no problem, let get that one!” I smiled; it was going to be a fun evening.

The first appetizer was a Roasted Duck with plums, followed by hand made ravioli in some kind of a heavenly sauce. They followed up with the next bottle of Cabernet from the region. An hour later we were starting on a combination of main courses with salmon and artichokes. A new bottle of red wine was brought out.

In the end I went for the cheese cake and espresso for dessert.

Two and a half hours later we all walked out in a bubbly mood. Dan and Elaine had to get back for their drive tomorrow and we had to get back to the crit session at Nick’s

I worked on the "evening" painting today.

Richard Boyer