Friday Night
I had so much fun last weekend; I didn’t even have time to write about it. Dominic was born on Friday. That night I celebrated by drinking heartily at a new wine bar called Cav. It’s near Zuni’s on Market. I’m happy to add it to my short list of rotating hangouts: Citizen Cake, The Grove, Bluejay Café, Eastside West, Solstice, and now Cav. Stellar wine list. Lots of cheese selections. Great ambiance. Sipping wine with five of my guy friends. Gotta love it.
I decided I’m going to start going out on Fridays instead of staying in, sitting at a café, or otherwise making it a quiet night. Going out on Fridays makes the weekend seem longer.
Saturday Night
Saturday I went to a friend’s birthday shindig at Rosewood in North Beach. Either 1) I got there too early, or 2) they finished dinner rather late. Either way, I sat at the bar staring at the bartenders pour and mix drinks; I was bored out of my mind. The only reason I didn’t leave was because I found parking right in front of the bar! I drove right into the spot—as if I had valeted my Honda Shitic. Who finds a parking spot that easily in North Beach?!
Before I finished my glass of wine, some guy comes up to me and busts out with, “Hi, I’m Darin.” I was taken aback. I didn’t know whether he knew me or if he was with the birthday party or what. I asked if there was some kind of association between us. He shook his head. “I’m just randomly here with a friend,” he commented. I admired his friendliness—coming over and introducing himself so whimsically. Maybe it was the annoyed, bored look on my face. Or that I was sitting by myself while everyone else chatted with friends.
I was so glad I had someone to talk to. Serendipitously, Darin and I lead parallel lives. Bay Area natives. I went to Cal. He went to Stanford. Determined to follow a finance track, he got his MBA from Wharton and I went to Chicago. I asked what he did, where he worked. He’s a finance guy at Cisco. I was shocked. I did my summer internship at Cisco, having worked with people who are his co-workers.
We did the business card exchange. He emailed to see if I wanted to get a drink this past weekend, but I was in LA. Seems like an all-around good guy, but he lives in San Jose. I consider that a long-distance relationship which, from my perspective, is doomed.
I left North Beach to meet up with my friend Adam and his girlfriend Lanwei at the Melting Pot Gallery for a joint birthday party. Cool venue. There was a live band. And food! I was happy scarfing down potato chips, popcorn, and birthday cake in the corner.
Sunday Afternoon and Night
Do you know how much I love food? The fact that I spent all day Sunday eating should convince you. I trekked out to the burbs of Pleasant Hill to hangout with my friend Cristina and her husband Allan. The newlyweds just finished renovating the kitchen of their new home and planned on making dinner for a few friends. I arrived at 3pm on the dot, helped myself to cheese and crackers, and did not stop stuffing my mouth until 11pm when I left. Never-ending appetizers, chicken salad, salmon, chocolate chip cookies, wine. What did I not eat? In-between courses, my friend Erika and I kept signaling to each other how stuffed we were. Two of Allan’s friends joined the dinner party as well. The whole time we were joking, laughing, commenting on how good the food was. Great food, great people, great time.
Allan and Cristina were so hospitable. Whatever we wanted, we got. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. The dessert wine came out. They made a separate chicken pasta dinner for Mark who doesn’t eat seafood. And my final No Shame request? “Hey guys, I don’t have time to go to the store before I go home. It’s already late. I ran out of toilet paper. Can I get some?” And so I left, with a couple rolls of toilet paper in my bag. That is true friendship.
Writing about food made me hungry! I just returned from Jack-in-the-Box with chicken strips, curly fries, and an Oreo cookie shake. Mmmmhmmm good. Time for bed 🙂
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