OK, not a fifth, but definitely some wine. In fact, between all the vendors who came in Wednesday, we tasted about 21wines. Jeremy brought some good stuff in, and then Kristin took us back to Willamette, reintroducing us to Argyle and Elk Cove. We enjoyed them so much, I had to email two of the winemakers who we met in the valley.

Kristin also brought an amazing bottle of champagne along to celebrate the opening of our kitchen. We shared the bubbly before diving into seven other wines.

We had a good group in for Thursday’s tasting, and then Jeremy returned Friday with another line-up, and spent the better part of the day here. In fact, he was here so long he brought us a bottle of “apology cab” on Saturday. That is the sign of a really good day…

Friday night, The Elected Officials once again rocked the house, and we had a great crowd, some of whom stayed well after closing.

They say necessity is the mother of invention (although I don’t know who they are), and it has proven true in our kitchen. I ran out of pesto and did not have a food processor here, so I was forced to improvise, and ended up with a chunky and delicious version of this basil-based spread. So, we liked it so much, that is how we will make it from here on out, and we call it “Pesto Rustica.” Just for fun.

Also, a 6-year-old and a 5-year old each declared the flatbreads the best pizza in the world, and I figure they’ve been around, so I am taking their word for it.

Earlier in the week, we hosted a wedding reception, and I felt like I was in college again, bartending for the masses. On the bright side, many in the wedding party were bartenders, and bartenders are good tippers, so I took home more money Monday night than I have since we opened this place!

So, if you need a place for a private function…

Anyway, Susan and Ed have been putting out some really pretty plates of delicious food, and we will be ready to start growing our tapas menu soon, unleashing their creative talents on the world…bwahahahaha! Sorry, a little overexcited. We are also expanding our wine retail room, to provide a good, solid selection of wines to drink here, take home, or enjoy with one of our culinary specialties.

Speaking of culinary specialties, we have a new website, thanks to some good FOTGs (again, that’s Friends of the Grind, for those of you keeping track at home), and it is delicious. Over the next few weeks, it will become more dynamic, as we feature wines, our menu, and other items of interest to our customers (at least, we hope you are interested!). The site is http://www.treehousebistrocb.com/. Check it out; it is really cool, and far more impressive than something a hack like me could design.

OK, on to the immediate future. Kristin, our girl Choice Spice, will be hosting this week’s wine tasting. And following the tasting, national recording artist Julie Gribble will make an appearance from 9:30 to 11, so taste some wine, grab a bite and sit back for some killer sounds. Julie won the 2005 L.A. Music Award for Best Adult Alternative Artist, and was nominated for 2007 L.A. Music Award for Female Vocalist.

How, you ask, does our little shop attract such talent? Well, I asked that question myself, and then remembered that we fed her when she was here last time. Our food is that good, I’m just sayin.’

Sunday night, 2 the Ninez played, and we had a full house. We went through so much beer and wine, our shop looks like it did before we actually opened for business last May! The delivery people will be busy this week…

Anyway, we should be back to normal music schedules this week, with Jeremy and Dave both back in their usual rotation, so we are excited about that. They played together Saturday night, and Dave’s daughter, Aurie, took the stage and played a little piano. She and her brother, Simon, are both very talented, and they are both in elementary school!

Well, that is enough random information for one week, so quit reading, come on down to the Treehouse Bistro, and let the 2 Wine Guys @ The Grind pour you a glass.

Shawn