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By Dave Pratt Some twenty-something Alfisti turned out for the 2011 AONE Spring Kickoff Meeting On Saturday, March 26th. (Twenty-something is the number of people, that is — most of us are long past being twenty-something...) This year, we chose a new location for hosting our gathering, and an excellent choice it was! Spiga Ristorante Italiano is a restaurant located in Needham, MA, just off Route 128 (I-95). It's owned and operated by friends and relatives of AONE member Roberto Rosa. They are normally closed on weekends for lunch but opened their doors for AONE — we had the place to ourselves! We arranged the tables in a circle to our liking, which facilitated our later discussions much better than in previous venues. Beforehand, of course, we hung around outside among the cars, despite temperatures in the 30s. (No convertible tops were down this day.) There was the usual tire kicking, story swapping, and general camaraderie for which our club is known. Greg Stidsen made a splash by arriving in his new acquisition — a Fiat Cinquecento! But when word got around that the food was coming out (and spurred by the frigid temps), we made our way inside. There, we were started off with an assortment of appetizers — meats, cheeses, and breads of very high standards. Most of us accompanied these with libations of our choice, which included an excellent selection of Italian wines by the glass. This was followed by a salad course before the main buffet was brought out — two very different and delicious types of pasta (one with Amatriciana sauce made with tomatoes and pancetta, and the other with a mushroom and pesto sauce), grilled sausages and peppers ... and more salad and bread! And, oh, the dessert! It was a home made Italian bread pudding with a secret glaze served with a scoop of gelato, and it was to die for... Eventually, though, President Tom Lesko called the meeting to order. (Which meant tapping on a wine glass — no Robert's Rules for our club.) Tom handed out a printed schedule of club (and non-club) events that have been penciled (and inked) in for 2011. (You can see essentially the same information by clicking on the Events button on the left.) We went down the schedule and discussed each event, and in many cases club members who were involved in planning the events rose to give us some comments on them. Our efforts in reviving AONE's autocrossing activities at the Thompson Speedway parking lot this year drew particular attention and discussion.
After we finished the agenda, we hung around for a while chatting,
both inside and out, before bidding each other arrivederci. It was
another successful start to an AONE season, made particularly
memorable by Spiga's terrific food, ambiance, and friendliness. Have
no doubt that our club will be returning there for events in the
future!
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(Click on the thumbnails below for a larger view, and then
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