1 February 2005
Consolation Dinner
I haven't had a real date in about two and a half months. So when I got stood up tonight, I was pissed. I'd be damned if I'd have my evening ruined, so I decided to take myself out for an even nicer dinner than the one that was originally planned. RNM is just three blocks from my house, and hey, I was already showered, well-dressed, and perfectly lipsticked. As it turns out, they were fully prepared to serve me the most heavenly meal I've eaten in months: the Chocolate Menu.
- For starters: Baby arugula, strawberry, and fresh ricotta salad, with Scharffen Berger cocao nibs and balsamic vinaigrette
- The entree: Pan roasted venison loin, with camembert-enriched cauliflower gratin, grilled asparagus, and cabernet/bittersweet chocolate demi sauce, with shaved Périgord truffles
- For dessert: Milk chocolate Venezuelan pot de creme with amaretto cream
That plus two Manhattans, and all my frustration evaporated into bliss. It helps that RNM shows excellent old movies on their flat-screen TV: First I saw the end of Breathless, then the beginning of On The Waterfront. To top it off, my beautiful pal Erin appeared and commiserated with me over hot tea. The bartender, Todd, handed us a single serving of See's Candy before cheerfully bidding us good night.
As I walked Erin to her car, the universe handed me an extra bonus: lying on the sidewalk was a discarded copy of The Nude Figure: A Visual Reference for the Artist. The artist, yeah, that's right. I'll just be taking this home with me....
When I arrived, my cat greeted me as though I were the most extraordinary creature on the planet, blinking and purring ecstatically at me as I put on my favorite pajamas. A few minutes later, he brought me a young grasshopper that he'd mauled in the garden, presenting it loudly and with a flourish of his magnificent tail. Trust me, a grasshopper gift is a tremendous compliment from a cat. Really, I should get stood up all the time if it's going to turn out this nicely.