Honey on Mom

My distant mother dines in bed today
and though I'd like to burn her whole-wheat toast
or find a way to screw up scrambled eggs
I cannot send her breakfast via post

Today she'll miss my badly-brewed coffee
and sausages pulled off the stove too late
She'll have to be content with good timing
and eating off of properly-washed plates

It's not that cooking's such a dreadful chore
but precedents are dangerous, for sure
Today I won't be there to prove once more
we'd better just leave breakfast up to her

(And secretly, I think that mothers love
to be reminded what they're masters of)

Honey on "Spumoni" (Italian Restaurant, Sherman Oaks)

(Ed.: Just wrote this review for Google and figured I might as well post it here, too. Enjoy!)

Spumoni Restaurant 14533 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Delicious food, satisfying without being too heavy, certainly high-quality enough to satisfy the sophisticated palate, yet tasty enough to please the most plebeian of uncultured swine.

The staff are EXTREMELY attentive, courteous and friendly -- they consistently go out of their way to make you feel welcome and at home.

This location happens to be an excellent intimate setting for dates (I've taken my share here), as well as accomodating for larger family-style groups. The menu (selection- and price range-wise) is well-suited for parties of any size. They've catered large-scale lunches for me also, all successes.

I can't say enough good about this place. I've taken tons of people here over the years, and not one of them regretted it -- at least not that I know of!