Pisa Lisa, AZ: A Warm Kiss From A Passionista

So, I’m on a first date with a woman I’ve loved my entire life…even though we just met.  Does she know that every time she touches my arm, I feel like I did the first time I saw Little Yellow Jacket at the rodeo.  For those of you who don’t know LYJ is a three-time World Champion Bull, Y’all.  I’ll never forget that feeling as I held on for dear life, my body flappin’ like a flag in the wind and my heart goin’ about two hundred beats a minute.  Little Yellow Jacket bucked me off faster than you can say fast, but oh what a beautiful ride.  The sheer thrill that came before that hard, hard fall.  Where was I?  Oh right, on a date…I want to impress her, but I don’t want to look like I’m trying too hard.  Her name’s Lisa, by the way.  So what better place to take her than Pisa Lisa in good ol’ Sedona, Arizona?  We start with a Cesar salad.  This might sound simple, but I’ve had more mundane Cesar’s than I can recount.  This one…with its creamy lemon, caper dressing…unforgettable.  My date is making “mmm” sounds so we’re off to a solid start.  From there, we head towards pizza.  Coming from New York where pizza reigns, this is a real test.  Wanting comfort, I order Da Bambini because to my knowledge pepperoni has literally never hurt anybody.  All my anxiety giving way to a feeling of “all is well” as I take in the taste of provolone, mozzarella and a tomato sauce that would give John’s Pizza on Bleeker Street a run for their money.  She orders the Passionista.  This shouldn’t surprise me.  Like her it’s a combination of wild, sweet deliciousness with its paper- thin crust, caramelized onions, fig jam, walnuts, Gorgonzola-chevre cheese and balsamic reduction.  She offers me a slice her hand lightly resting on my forearm.  And all I can think is “Please let this woman kiss this here rodeo clown at some point tonight…”

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Love freely, eat slowly and ride a horse now and then,
The Down Home Taster