After I flew in from my business trip this week, I was zapped and in need of dinner and wanted to take myself out someplace because I knew there was nothing in my fridge but old moldy veggies (gotta toss!) and the last of a bottle of bubbly I’d uncorked 5 days earlier.
So I took myself to this new restaurant that’d I’d heard about from not one but two different friends in the last week. In fact, Cindy and I were going to go there on Monday night (the fateful argument night), but they are closed on Monday, so we ended up at our old standby.
And Maria had sent me texts from the very same place on Tuesday night, telling me that I HAD to go there - wonderful bar scene and great food and amazing people! She even sent me photos of her and an old, old acquaintance of mine whom I haven’t seen in maybe 5 years! Somehow they found out that I was a mutual friend (the two had never met before - small world!).
Anyway, since the dog was still at her babysitters and I wouldn’t need to get her until the next morning, I drove myself straight from the airport to this place, still in my presentation work clothes.
The place was packed, and LOUD, and after about 10 minutes, I finally snagged myself a seat at the bar amongst the loud bar crowd. On one side was a group of very pretty women, clearly there for girls night (it’s a casual place, but everyone was pretty), and on the other side, three boisterous men about my age or a little older having drinks. There was something sexy about these guys and they even seemed to have swagger, though they were sitting at a bar.
I ordered myself some pink champagne and a chicken dinner that sounded tres francaise and treated myself to the atmosphere, enjoying the decor and the local folks, watching the staff buzz around the place, and half-listening to conversations. At one point, I did hear a guy say something about, “you have your back to her” and it was definitely directed at the dude who was sitting at the bar with his back to me. Heh.
I texted Maria for a while, telling her that I was hanging out where she’d been the night before, and she was asking me how much I loved it…I must say, I was liking it a lot! Great neighborhood spot, age-appropriate crowd, much sophistication in a casual atmosphere.
Pretty much as soon as my meal arrived, two of the boisterous men left the bar, leaving one lone patron, who immediately came and sat next to me. Not in a creepy way at all! But it WAS funny that he said that the reason he was scooting over was to leave two empty seats next to him so that a couple could sit down if they wanted.
I looked at him and blinked a few times. You guys, I thought for sure I was sitting next to Steve Freaking McQueen!!! In all his sexy, sexy glory.
We talked. Talked. Talked so much that I barely ate my dinner. I boxed up my dinner as the place was kind of winding down and excused myself to go to the restroom. He waited for me. And when I came out of the restroom, I’d noticed a “secret” tiny bar in sort of back area of the joint. I thought that was a PERFECT little private spot!
I came back from the restroom, very excited to tell my new friend (whose name is…well, let’s just keep calling him Steve McQueen, shall we?) that there was a sweet little spot in the back of the restaurant for more intimate conversations, and he was all, “well let’s go back there!”
Love it! So much fun!
We went back there for our nightcap, had hilarious chats about work, his kids (one of his sons was getting his wisdom teeth extracted the next day, and I told him to video the aftermath!), my travels, his worldliness, our families, and exes…
We shut the place down - laughing all the way!
What a sweet, sweet, magical surprise. This hasn’t happened in a long time. We exchanged numbers. We’ve been texting and missing each others’ phone calls. I do hope we connect sometime this weekend.
I sent a text to Maria the next day, explaining what happened. I told her that I thought the place was magical, and she agreed.
And Athena, if you’re reading, we are going here for one of our Brunch Upon a Times!!! I’ll PM you the place.
Magic!
xox,
GS
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