Grasshopper Pie

Bob and I went to the Laney Bistro for lunch. That's the restaurant run by Laney College's culinary school. We've eaten there twice before. Both times we were practically the only customers in the place so we received a lot of attention and service, which I liked. I also liked the fresh-faced young wait persons/students, so friendly and eager to please. But this time, the cafe was packed and the wait staff was too busy running around to lavish much attention on us.

I must admit, I had enjoyed being coddled. I felt like a first class passenger on a cruise ship. Now I was just one of the huddled masses below deck. "I guess the word got out," Bob remarked to our waiter.

"We were featured in Oakland Magazine," he replied, beaming, plus something about how they were adding a new room so they could expand seating capacity. Oh, well. Bad for us, good for Laney.

We split Grasshopper Pie for dessert. "Isn't that a Southern thing?" Bob asked me.

"I don't remember eating it when I was growing up. "

But when it arrived, I did remember the creme de menthe mousse cradled in an Oreo crust. It was the same pale green color as Benedictine, a cream cheese spread invented in Louisville, my hometown.  Disloyal to Louisvillian tradition, I confess that I have never liked Benedictine. Its pale green hue is only cucumbers enhanced with food coloring, after all. But I did like the Grasshopper Pie with it smooth mint filling and crumbly chocolate crust.