Greetings everyone, hope your week is going well. What a week in our busy world! The Senate did not pass DADT. The Republicans decided to start running on platforms which the Democrats created and former President Bill Clinton had some great words of advice for President Obama. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!

This week my guests were 4 lovely lesbians, Christina our Editor, her partner Alice and their friends Joergie and Neally.

We selected ZIO’S Italian Restaurant on El Cajon Blvd in North Park. When I arrived, owner Darren James greeted me with his warm embrace and handshake. We have chatted several times on Facebook and this was our actual first time meeting in person.

My ladies had not yet arrived so I asked Darren to give me a tour of the restaurant. He has really done an excellent job with space design and décor. The entry way is like walking into a foyer of a fine Mission Hills home with two adjacent dining rooms. After the tour we took a seat and Darren shared his story. Formally a banker by profession, he wanted to get out of the corporate world and do ‘his own thing’. Darren always loved cooking so he resigned his position and enrolled in a local culinary school. While studying at National, Darren worked for Hector’s of La Jolla and Bloomindales in Fashion Valley.

The next phase was to “put it all together”. He began with the type of restaurant he wanted to open and created his business plan. During the planning stages they were trying to decide on a name. Life itself would bring this into the limelight. Just weeks prior to opening he learned his sister was pregnant with her first child and he would soon be an uncle for the first time. I am going to be an uncle he thought, and then the word ZIO popped into his mind, which means uncle in Italian. ZIO’S would now be the name of his restaurant.

Finally my late and cocktailed lovely lesbians arrived. I was getting a little bitchy, hunger will do that to an ole queen and I was relived. We were seated in the larger dining room with just the right volume of music. This is a big deal. I have been to places where the music is so loud it hurts my eardrums or the acoustics are horrific and it makes everything even worse. Darren was smart in his planning.

The menu is simple and offers Appetizers, Pastas, Specialty Pizzas, Calzones, Signature Salads, Sandwiches and of course Gourmet Desserts. Beer and wine will soon be available.

Since there were 5 mouths at the table we decided to do a family style dinner.

We started off with Lobster Bisque and Seafood Bisque soups. My favorite was the Seafood, but both were simply delicious. Our entrees included, Fettuccini Alfredo with Chicken, Spicy Penne Italian Sausage, Shrimp Scampi, Beef Short Rib Tortelloni and Chicken Zio.

Let me tell you when all this food arrived we looked like a bunch of pigs at a trough! Right before my eyes these lovely lesbians had become some serious foodies and they dove right in. Alice was nearly climaxing over the shrimp and said she was going to guard it like a mean PRISON BITCH!

I howled and said well I guess that’s just how she rolls! No sooner did I get those words out of my mouth and lesbian Neally corrected me with “Honey, lesbians don’t roll. We ride” This was turning into a real fun dining experience. I have never had dinner with four lesbians, all young enough to be my daughters, but was having a great time, none the less. Our conversation was wild and at times we probably got a little loud. Fortunately the other guests did not seem to mind. Trust me, I have been in situations where we have been attacked by other patrons and it was not real pretty, but that’s another story.

Every dish was packed with flavor and cooked to perfection. Now it was time for dessert! The choices are Cheesecake, Tiramisu or a Brownie covered in caramel. We had one of each and yes all were delicious! I don’t do the liquor thing so passed on the Tiramisu. Darren whipped up some espresso to compliment our dessert.

Well fed and thrilled with the “ZIO’S EXPERIENCE” it was nearly time to leave. But before heading out, I always check the bathrooms. The final White Glove Test to see if they are on top of their game throughout the restaurant. To my surprise, the restrooms were beautiful and well decorated. A fresh candle with Autumn Colors graced the mantel. This homo really knows how to do it right! I was so proud and I bet Martha Stewart herself would have given anything to have a bathroom like this during her stay in the big house.

I give ZIO’S Italian Restaurant, a BIG FACEBOOK - LIKE! Nice job Darren.

ZIO’S is located at 2940 El Cajon Blvd – Free Parking in rear Phone 619.280.9467

Visit them on the web at: www.ziosinnorthpark.com

Until Next Week,

Papa Frank