Sette Pizza and Girl Talk

Pizza can cure so many of life's ills...maybe not all of them, but enough to make it worth trying when you need a pick-me-up.

The other essential ingredient in that scenario is a really close girlfriend, the kind with whom you can discuss absolutely everything...and admit anything.

So it happened that tonight's destination was Sette Pizza in the Bottom, to scratch all of the above itches.

We arrived early enough to have the entire staff's attention and by the time we departed three plus hours later, there wasn't an empty seat in the house.

Mental note: the bar was especially fertile territory, being crowded with guys as it was.

Tuesdays from 5-9, bottles of wine are half off, so we began with a bottle of 2006 Alma Negra, an Argentinian Malbec/Bonarda blend and, at tonight's price of $17.50, a mighty tasty steal.

Our bartender assured us that even the regular price of $35 was worth noting, since Bookbinder's charged $70 for the same bottle.

Duly noted and, after a few minutes to open up, just beautiful.

We dove right into solving all our personal problems, over-sharing our intimate lives (or, in my case, lack thereof) and analyzing the current state of our hearts, but eventually even women with wine need more.

So it was that we ordered the Chesapeake pizza, a combination of white sauce, tiger shrimp, lump crab, and herbs.

My friend says white pizza, especially the kind with seafood, reminds her of an ex and something you used to be only able to find in Maryland.

Whatever the history, it's my preference and this was really nicely done.

The crust, as always, was good enough to eat on its own, the cheeses were thick and gooey and the toppings generous.

The consensus was that it was just what we needed and we made short work of it.

Or maybe we just gabbed less, having accepted life's unfairness.

We held on to just enough wine for the chocolate fudge brownie with ice cream and chocolate sauce, very much a comfort food dessert when you're feeling sorry for yourself (or perhaps that's just me).

I have another friend who has always said he could eat pizza every single day and while I wouldn't make that claim, it's not far off for me, either.

The combination of bread and cheese, no matter what else does or doesn't come on it, is a very satisfying one, much the way a good, long conversation with a girlfriend you haven's seen in a month can help you get your equilibrium back.

But it's the combination of the two that is absolutely killer.

I feel so much better now, even without the magic wand to make my life just the way I want it.