By Katie McQuaid
Contributor

I love when a night out to dinner becomes a lot more fun than expected. Saturday was one of those nights.

I had friends visiting from Boston and Manhattan, who always find time to make fun of the dining and entertainment scene in Manchester. They expected a night of Budweiser and cow-tipping, but I gave them fun and class as we stuffed ourselves at A Taste of Europe and later rolled ourselves into the restaurant’s new function room to take in a comedy show. 

A Taste of Europe (for those who still haven’t discovered it) is the sister restaurant to the downtown culinary gem Piccola Italia. Both are owned by Giovanni and Rosa Paolini.

The dining room is small with a beautiful mural that runs the length of the restaurant. A large mirror on the back wall makes the Elm Street eatery feel more spacious than it is, and we had fun laughing at one member of our party who walked into the mirror on her way to the restroom. In her defense, it does look like another room. But still, I laughed the loudest. 

I’ve been to A Taste of Europe before and found its extensive tapas offerings make it a great place for a fun dining experience with friends. Tapas are essentially appetizers that are meant to be shared. Unfortunately, the rest of the group had a tough time tearing one of the evening’s specials ­ Lobster Macaroni and Cheese ­ out of my sticky little fingers long enough to get a decent bite.

The five of us also shared a seafood pasta dish called Fire and Ice, crispy calamari, cream cheese and chorizo-stuffed dates wrapped in crispy pancetta, escargot and a Caesar salad. Finally, we managed to cram three desserts into our expanding waistlines. 

The whole meal, which included two bottles of Chianti, was only $33 a person. My out-of-town friends were amazed at how delicious and relatively inexpensive the meal was. I had proved to them that there is culinary excellence in Manchester. But the night was still young, and I had made no plans for post-dinner fun. It was A Taste of Europe to the rescue again.

The owners collaborated with Lauren Verge Comedy to bring two comedians to their new function room. After purchasing some last-minute tickets ($20 for the show and $50 with buffet meal from Piccola Italia), the organizers squeezed another table into the packed house so we could sit down.

They had two big name headliners ­ Frank Santorelli from HBO’s “The Sopranos,” and Brian Kiley, head writer for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” The pair offered very different comedy styles, and both had us laughing to the point of tears and hiccups.  

Lauren Verge, who organizes comedy shows all over New Hampshire and Massachusetts, plans to bring comedy back to A Taste of Europe’s function room later this summer.

For more information about A Taste of Europe, 827 Elm St., Manchester, call 296-0292.

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