AFTER a full day of errands and meetings, I had no idea what I wanted to eat, but chose one of my favourite places, South Avenue Grill so I would not have to restrict myself to a particular cuisine, and made it a dinner for two.

As usual, we were greeted quickly and since the restaurant had a few tables available, we were asked for our table of preference and seated. Our waitress Carlene then pleasantly approached the table and provided us with our menus. She did a quick review of the unavailability of a few items on the menu; for instance, lobster that is out of season. That was truly appreciated so I wouldn’t be left spending time making a hard decision, only to be disappointed afterwards. The menu, though, is so diverse that it would be easy to get over that disappointment. The only negative at that point was that the lighting is usually not sufficient, even with a candle provided; it is always a struggle to read the menu that is in black.

With so many dishes to choose from, I narrowed it down to kebabs and pastas. My partner and I both set our sights on the Shrimp Scampi but since we like to order different items on menus, I couldn’t help myself and went with my usual order of the Chicken and Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo, which I have had for years, consistently divine and affordable.

The servings at South Avenue Grill are usually quite large so there was no need for us to order any appetisers or desserts if we weren’t famished. It was also the night before Carnival Sunday, so no drinks were necessary, either. There was a serious need to detox and hydrate.

Within 15 minutes of our order being taken, Carlene gave us an update that our dinner would soon be ready and it arrived about 10 minutes later, which was more than reasonable.

The presentation was marvellous and both dishes were absolutely delicious. For my Alfredo, the white Parmesan cheese sauce was indeed rich and creamy, complemented with Italian spices. The Shrimp Scampi was also rich in flavour with the right amount of garlic butter and light chardonnay.

Just when we thought a satisfying dinner was coming to an end, in came two lines of people walking with candles covered with red and pink tissue paper towards a couple seated at a table. A proposal! Now this is when it is appropriate for the lights to be turned down low. The gentleman bravely went down on his knee with all diners and restaurant staff looking on eagerly. She joyfully and tearfully said yes, followed by our applause.

We had to hurry out afterwards, but we were blocked in at the parking lot. There was no need to be since there is adequate parking available. It delayed us by 15 minutes, so the security needs some reprimanding where that is concerned. However, that was a minor glitch, as the ambience was lovely, the service remarkable, our stomachs were still jumping with gratitude, and love was in the air.