Botticelli's is decorated quite differently from Carini's. Where Carini's is open and light, the atmosphere at Botticelli's is dark. The walls are either red brick or dark wood, and the lighting dim and intimate. Both restaurants have the ceiling painted matte black, but Botticelli's has the aluminum latticework for a tile ceiling suspended below.

The illusion is a ceiling of black tiles, except for the silver ductwork that they really need to paint.

The decor is definitely American-Italian, and again with silk flowers just about everywhere. The best seats are the small booths along the side walls, rather than the tables one step below on the main floor.

This was a perfect dinner, and we got seated at a booth. The shelf lined with wine bottles of different vintage and vineyards.

I opted for one of the specials... fillet marsala, a fillet of beef with a dark mushroom sauce. Wife went for a parmesan chicken dish. And two hot teas.

For some reason the waitress was a little nervous. Even managed to throw a sharp knife at the wife while she set our places.

Literally.

If it wasn't for the last-minute intervention of the handle of her tea pot, the wife would have had her surgery 13 hours early. And a couple feet lower than expected.

But we received the usual plate of fresh-baked bread, with a dipping plate of extra virgin olive oil and dark vinegar, poured with grace by our knife-wielding server.

The meals were perfect (Well, except for the zucchini slices in the vegetable side dish. Wife is allergic to zucchini. Did I fail to mention that, while reviewing her surgery papers, the Surgeon had promised to make sure they didn't give her an injection of zucchini? Really. And he didn't say that in the dirty way, so Anat and those of you at the Rancho Lesbiano can just get your minds back out of the gutter. Or attic, or whatever.)

Steak was done to perfection, and could cut it with a fork. Mushroom sauce dark and bitter. A delicious side dish of mostacciolli and parmesan. And the company of the only person on the planet I would want to share this with.

And no boys.

A perfect dinner.

Wife, as usual, asked how much she should tip (yes, she usually pays for our dates). Now we have both worked in the food serving business. These people usually earn their money. Fifteen percent is the minimum, unless they really pissed us off. Good experiences will get 20 percent. Or a little more.

For the $51 tab, I recommended a nine dollar tip. And suggested we tell the waitress it would have been ten dollars, except she lost a dollar for throwing knives at us.