Before we get started with our weekly blather, I want to let everyone know that we are hosting the Chamber of Commerce Social September 9, and a fun time will be had by all. But wait! There’s more! Yes, along with the social, we will also hold our ribbon cutting and grand opening for the Treehouse Bistro restaurant.

The social runs 5:30 to 7, but we will carry on well into the evening, with food specials, beer and wine promotions, and live music along with our usual brand of revelry. You don’t have to be a Chamber member for this party, just a FOTG (that’s Friend of The Grind, for those of you scoring at home).

So mark your calendars, set your reminders on your cell phones, shoot yourself an email…whatever it takes to remind you to be here for this gala event. The Mother of All Celebrations, the shizzel my nizzel, the party of the decade…it will be something worth seeing, I’m just sayin.’

OK, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I was remiss in last week’s email, for not mentioning the jewelry show held at our shop the previous Sunday. Our lovely French-Canadian and English ladies had a table-full of costume jewelry on display, and we had a little party while they sold their wares. It was a fun day, and we thank them for thinking of our shop as a place to promote themselves.

This past Monday, I went to a beer dinner at Front Street Brewery, which one of or regular wine-tasting customers told me about the previous Thursday. The Cajun theme included crawfish, shrimp bisque, red drum and a bread pudding, each paired with one of their house-made beers. It was a lot of fun, and the food and beer were really good. Afterwards, it was next door to the Irish pub for a snifter full of Jameson’s and a quick jig.

Meanwhile, back at the Bistro, I did Thursday night’s tasting, and, well, I don’t want to say I killed, but, well, I killed. The Wisdom Hill Cab was the star of the show, but we also moved through the Snake Charmer Shiraz and a lovely Tuscan blend. Once again, our white sold out, and it was the first introduction of many of our tasters to the Picpoul de Pinet grape from France. A beautiful wine, that was perfectly refreshing for the warm evening.

Friday, Jeremy returned to play, and Live Bait serenaded the crowd on Saturday. One patron said Live Bait could not have pulled it off without Lou on the bass, which everyone thought was funny…including Lou. For their part, Live Bait said the show was a “small gig, but incredibly fun,” which is exactly what I have been saying for over a year now!

This week, there is a strong chance I may be doing the tasting again. I am not sure how I ended up with two holes in a row in the calendar…I must be spending too much time in the kitchen. At this point, I don’t have the slightest idea what I will be showing, but I am fairly confident it will be good. So let it be written, so let it be done (picture Yule Brenner saying that as Pharaoh, and it is much more powerful).

Saturday, Sam Melvin will be playing here. Now, I have known Sam for a long time, but I am still letting him play. I have more stories than I care to mention about this aged musician, but most of them are inappropriate for a family audience. Suffice it to say I will be locking away the silver.

The rest of the weekend is currently in the planning stages, as it is only Monday (yes, I am writing this on Monday, and I can do without the smart-alecky remarks, thank you very much! OK, OK, so I didn’t send it out until Wednesday…I’ve been busy!), but you know the place will be fun, our chef will be working on some new specials, and who knows what new wines we will have on the shelves.

So, quit making excuses, duct tape the kids to a chair, turn off the cell phones and come on down to the Treehouse Bistro and let the 2 Wine Guys @ The Grind pour you a glass and fix you a plate.

Shawn