For someone for whom Italian restaurants are a bucket list destination (I’d rather eat at Sonny’s than prowl the ruins of Machu Picchu), the opening of a new Italian eatery nearby is akin to a Van Gogh immersion exhibit coming to town.

   One could make a case that my love for Italian food borders on the addictive or the gluttonous. But you don’t call someone who loves Gothic cathedrals an addict. You call them travelers. In like manner I prefer to characterize someone with my devotion to Italian food an “alimentarian.” (I do allow that it may take a moment to get that one – or want to.)

   This new place comes with a very pleasant view of a man-made lake. This completes the trifecta, with the new place joining one that is close enough to walk to and, of course, Sonny’s in San Clemente that has the best food. When there’s an Italian restaurant that’s close enough to walk to, another that has superior ambiance and yet another that has the best Italian food on the planet, you’ve reached a state of being where you can dine at a different restaurant for different reasons every time you go out and still have to only eat Italian. You can be at ease when your spouse asks “What are you in the mood for?” You can respond, “some place close,” or “some place nice” or “some place good,” and know in all three cases there’s going to be some kind of pasta and marinara or marsala in your near future.

   With an affinity for Italian cuisine, it’s always a twofer dining experience as well. The moment the dish is placed in front of me, my mind describes a meridian separating the plate into two equal portions, assuring me the leftover box will contain a full portion for home consumption. (Nothing is more disappointing to tuck into a plate of rigatoni pomodoro at home and realize there’s not enough to fill you up like the first time you ate it.)

You can respond, “some place close,” or “some place nice” or “some place good,” and know in all three cases there’s going to be some kind of pasta and marinara or marsala in your near future.

   It does require an impressive amount of self-discipline that first time through the tuck, though. One of the main attractions of Italian cuisine is the ability to overeat it. So as you approach that meridian point, it takes real courage to hold firm and not go two or three bites past that midpoint, knowing that to do so means you’ll be looking at that heated up leftover and knowing it won’t be enough before you even start.

   By the way, I’m not a connoisseur. My range consists of essentially lasagna and veal parm. (Sadly, none of the trifecta places offers veal on the menu, which has, on occasion, forced me out of my comfort zone, as the rigatoni pomodoro noted above will attest. Happily, I can now add that to the rota of menu items – at least as far as eating at Sonny’s goes.)

   I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least  mention dessert.

   No, thank you. Just the check.

   I told y’all this wasn’t about gluttony.