We visit the Azuri Cafe.

I picked Melina up at work last night and we went home and rested. (I'm trying to teach her about resting.) She lay down on the futon and I put a sheet over her head - the way people cover birdcages - to prevent her usual witless after-work multi-tasking.

When we were refreshed, we went out to the Azuri Cafe, a few blocks from her apartment -- it was a New York magazine "Cheap Eats" pick.

One review said: "In the hierarchy of most-feared food figures, Ezra Cohen falls somewhere between the Soup Nazi and Alessandro, the retired sandwich maestro of Melampo Imported Foods."

We entered the tiny place worried that this feared food figure would bark at us, but actually he was very friendly. We talked about Israel and eventually I suggested he keep an eye out for a good match for my Melina. (I figure a guy who runs an excellent falafel shop probably has some cute single guys among his customers.)

We told him we were finished, but he pointed accusingly at a little bit of cauliflower left on the plate and suggested pointedly that we finish it! We, however, pointedly pointed out there would be no room for baklava if he insisted on the cauliflower.

We left reluctantly, not just because we were having so much fun with Ezra but because it was pouring rain outside. He gave us a plastic bag to cover Melina's big black leather pocketbook full of important things, and we were drenched in about 20 seconds. We hopped the rest of the way home laughing like maniacs.

These are the first pictures I ever took with my cellphone. If this one looks odd, it's because Mr. Cohen had his arm around Melina and she didn't want that in the blog...


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