I’m kind of a picky eater. Always have been. This was a major feature of my childhood. It wasn’t that my mom wasn’t a spectacular cook, it was that my palate was limited. And it’s sort of stayed that way. I love food. LOVE. FOOD. And I eat it. A. LOT. But I’m not the one who you should take to dinner if you are eating fish (which makes me gag, even the smell, EVEN THE IDEA, EVEN AN AQUARIUM IN THE RESTAURANT COULD MAKE ME WANT TO PROJECTILE VOMIT).

But there are plenty of things I do eat, and adore and become obsessed with. And my latest obsession, is the new restaurant Rifrullo Cafe. It’s an “Eat In. Hang Out. Take Away.”  place, gorgeously decorated, with fresh and inventive fare, and I seem to be unable to stop eating in, hanging out, and taking away from it.

Last night was their  first Community Dinner, which will happen every Monday night. It’s a candlelit, BYOB deal. I went with some friends and we had a super great time. The food was just unbelievable, and I was with some foodie folk, so don’t just take my word for it (now that you know I’m not the Anthony Bourdain of Brookline).

I should have written down descriptions of all the dishes, but I was laughing and talking too much, but I’ll give you a little run-down of what I remember. We started off with ricotta crostini with a swiss chard topping. I could have eaten the entire plate for my meal. The main course was a pork tenderloin with a chick pea side dish. The tenderloin, which I always find hard not to overcook, or undercook, was exactly right and chock full of flavor. And the chick pea thing was fantastic and satisfying. The side dish of fennel with bread and some sort of cheesy sauce made us all swoon. LITERALLY. SWOON. The dessert was a lemon curd and plum tart. Major delish. By the end of the meal, I was thinking of asking the owner, Colleen if she would adopt me (she already has three kids, so I decided she might not want to, and who wants to face rejection if you don’t have to).

Colleen Suhanosky has owned restaurants in New York and Nantucket, and has created a unique space with food not available elsewhere in Brookline . Her baked goods alone are insanely outrageous, and could become a real problem for me, without careful monitoring. I may need house arrest to stay away from the gluten free, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookie, which is the size of a small midwestern farm.

Ah, gratitude to Rifrullo. Glad this place is here. I miss Sealy’s, but I am just a little bit in love with this new incarnation. Thanks, Colleen & Company! I’m going to do a few laps around the reservoir now.