A beautiful lunch and a crazy life

I really wish I had pictures to share with you. I had the most wonderful lunch with one of my dearest friends. Alisa and I have known each other since high school and we have seen each others through the ups and downs of life. With both of our hectic lives, we don't get to see each other as often as we both would like. However, we always make sure to see each other for our birthdays. My birthday was last month. We found a day in both of our schedules to meet an d go to lunch. Since it was my birthday, I got to pick the place. I chose La Provence restaurant in Roseville. We had the most wonderful lunch. We started out with a lovely tapanade as our starter. I had a cup of carrot and ginger soup the was nice and she had the Caesar salad. My main course was the gnocchi Maison with a truffled cream sauce and a balsamic glaze. The gnocchi was light and delicate and melted in your mouth. I have had horrendous gnocchi and I have had fantastic gnocchi and this rates with the best. Delicious! Honestly, I could have bathed in that sauce. It was so good and had a very complex flavor. I was skeptical about the balsamic on the gnocchi, but it was a perfect foil to the richness of the dish. If I wasn't in public, I would have licked the dish. I have no shame, I know. Alisa had the Coquilles St. Jacques, which were diver scallops on a corn cake with mesclun salad. Tres bien! Our service was terrific and the place was absolutely gorgeous. I will definitely be going back. After the week I have had, it was nice to spend time with a dear friend and just forget about everything for awhile. The task of taking care of my parents has become more difficult. This week in particular, they have been obstinate on their care. I really understand on trying to preserve the dignity of getting old, but when the safety outweighs the dignity you really have to take a stand. It is totally the pits! Big understatement.