more real than the real thing

First Italian restaurant, courtesy of the Center, Scoozzi, it is a rather cool place, no pictures of vesuvio or mandolini hanging from the wall, just to set up the scene. With the help of my neighbours I set up for my first italo-american experience.
The menu is quite and interesting item of cultural hybridization, it is divided in sections, with the Italian heading : "primo" and "secondo", but really it is a distinction between entree and main course dishes. with the pasta and the risotti being placed under the "secondo" together with the beefsteak.
Second little difference, olive oil, of very good quality is provided right before the meal, from the bottle into some small bowls spread on the table. To dip the bread, I am told this is an usual feature in Italian restaurants.
I set for a "bruschetta", of toasted bread with cold crab spread, I am not enthusiast. For my main course I went for the dish with most garlic in it, I want to check on the urban legend about garlic, fettuccine olive oil and garlic. When they arrive they smell strongly of garlic, but then the taste is just fine, quite mild. there seems to be turnips tops, and lots of cubes of meat about, a little tomato, overall quite good. There is not grated cheese on the table, and no pepper either, both come with the waiters. The lady on my left is having a mushroom risotto, a waitress arrives with a grater and offer some fresh parmesan, (a blasphemy in the highly normative italian cooking etiquette. It was offered only to her, not to me, I had some pecorino cheese on my pasta.