A lot to talk about this week, so first things first. Next Monday, January 24, will be our first wine dinner. Reservations are required, and seating is limited, so if you want to take part, let me know ASAP.

Details? OK, here you go: we will offer a five course meal, with a wine paired with each course. Starting with a cream of garlic soup served with Lawson’s Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc, then moving to roasted fish with an olive tapanade, on top of mushroom risotto with Maude Pinot Noir, followed by lamb chops and dried fruit couscous with Raconteur Cabernet Sauvignon, then thinly sliced filet mignon with au jus and truffled mashed potatoes with West Cape Howe Cabernet Sauvignon, and, finally, molten lava cakes with Amaretto whipped cream and a dessert wine.
Yeah, sounds good, huh! And the wines are fantastic. The price for the dinner is $65/person. If we get a good response, we will do more.
OK, now, on to daily business. We were reminded, once again, what great people we have surrounding us this past weekend, when we were hit with an unexpected rush. Now, we already knew we had awesome customers/friends, since it was some of them who helped us build the kitchen. But Friday was the perfect storm.
We had two employees out, including our all-important dishwasher. But, given the previous Friday’s “crowd,” I figured Teresa and I would be just fine by ourselves. And, when I was staring at that one lovely couple by the window, I was sure I was correct. Fortunately, Amy stopped in for a glass of wine...which she never got to have.

No sooner had she sat down than two groups of four came in, three groups of two, and, well, the next thing I knew all of our tables were full, and there was even a couple sitting at the bar. The rush was on! And it would be on for about two solid hours. If Amy had not come in I would have been totally screwed.

But there was still the back of the house to worry about. Dishes were piling up, and we were beginning to run out of stuff. Teresa could not crank out food AND wash dishes. When all seemed hopeless, in walked Max and April, our friends from The Veggie Wagon. Heavily involved in the Farmers Market, we had made friends with them through our mutual admiration of good, fresh food.

“What can I do?” Max asked, clearly seeing our distressed situation. Well, half-jokingly, I said “you might have to wash dishes.” And the next thing I knew, he and his wife were elbow deep in the sink, pushing tray after tray through the dishwasher. Before long, we were caught up, the crowd dissipated, and we exhaled.
But it was the profound statement Max made afterward, sipping on a nice Bordeaux...that he loved what we were doing, and wanted to see us succeed, and that he was willing to help any way he could to insure that success.
It is moments like that which help remind me why I am doing this. The stress, the difficult winter months, the long hours, the slavery to the shop...all seem worth it when you get that kind of validation.

Speaking of friends, some others came by with a bottle of Domaine Serene Evansted Reserve (the Cabernet of Pinot Noir), and we also did a vertical of Saddleback Cabs, from 2003 to 2006. Wow! Not your traditional football game fare, but, hey, this is the playoffs!

Anyway, we had a good weekend, and I am anxious for good weather. It clearly makes a difference. On Monday, we hosted a private birthday party, serving 20 people for a nice surprise to the birthday girl. It was a good use of a night we would otherwise be closed.
This week’s wine tasting will be poured by Ethan, featuring the wines of Millennium Beverage, including a really nice Petite Verdot, and a crazy good Syrah. Check it out.

I am also thinking of doing a special Valentine’s Day dinner, if there are enough people interested in us staying open.
All right, that’s enough for now. You know the drill.

Shawn