Great notes on St. Lucy, there is a statue of her in a small church on Pine Street in Montclair... It was my mother's name and she never liked the story/statue of her because it was so morbid... as the legend goes (and I am sure I will be corrected if wrong), but this man kept telling her what beautiful eyes she had but she kept telling him she was committed to God. He was relentless and kept complimenting her on her eyes day after day, so she pulled them out and put them on a plate for him and said "here you go since you think they are so beautiful" -- wow, no wonder why my mother hated the association... someone pls tell me there is a different story behind it? Thats extreme even for Sicilians LOL.

As for Geoff, well, if he wants to sleep till noon and not eat breakfast, thats not my fault, and yes, he saved my ass, not the first time, and definitely not the last lol, but what are friends for??

Lastly, Panico's, well, while the osso buco was good, no doubt, the appetizers were not just overcharged for, but of inferior quality of what should be passed off for that price in an "authentic" Italian restaurant. I was there for the company, not the food, but just because a few govenors and senators ate there, no reason to charge $18 per person for hot and cold appetizers that you can get in a local supermarket of far better quality...

Just my 3cents (-: