And baby makes 3 happy diners

Scampo, in the Liberty Hotel at the foot of the Longfellow Bridge, doesn’t start filling up until 6, so at 5:30 we had our pick of tables, thanks to a considerate host. My parents, in town from Des Moines, were joining us for dinner. Clearly not up for another big night out, the babe fell asleep on the way to the restaurant and didn’t wake until we had eaten, paid, and left. It was like a flashback to the easy old days. The place wasn’t quiet. Two men beside us were doing business over gargantuan 22-ounce veal steaks and families shared selections from the mozzarella bar (we enjoyed grilled asparagus and peaches with soft, mild imported mozzarella and a “pesto’’ of mint, celery leaves, pistachios, and arugula). Butter-poached lobster came with fresh, flavorful Swiss chard; Dad, a gardener, loved even the stems. Sweet, delicately cooked crab risotto came with several bits of crab shell, though it was still divine. I was only disappointed by the fact that I was never brought the takeout box of my meatball pizza, which I had hoped to eat for lunch the next day.