On the surface this day may not have seemed so special. It began like most days with a shower, blow dryer, curling iron and makeup. But then the special part began. Mike and I got in the car TOGETHER...a rare occurrence with our crazy disjointed life. We embarked on a trip to work to pick up THE PROJECT, the project from hell, and the source of all my angst this week. When we arrived at the office, I actually was filled with a little apprehension. What had we missed in all our haste? Actually very little. The completed miracle magazine looked pretty darn good. I thought my client would be pleased. The big hug and sigh of relief I received upon delivery validated my thoughts. She was pleased...very pleased. Her reaction made me almost forget the road traveled this week to get to this point. Almost, but not quite.
I wanted to celebrate the accomplishment with some of my favorite people. My most favorite was riding in the car with me. I just couldn't get over how cool it was to actually have a Saturday with no work at Costco. A Saturday with Mike. I suggested we ask Carolyn, my fellow miracle worker, and Kenda and Mark to join us at The Ravenous Pig for lunch. To my delight, they all accepted the invitation.
Lunch at "The Pig" was as awesome as dinner earlier in the week. The menu included some of the Pub Fare dinner offerings, plus a nice selection of sandwiches and salads. I ordered a Herbed Collins, Mike a beer and pretzels. The restaurant was packed. So packed, the wait was 25 minutes on a Saturday afternoon. Our waitress stopped by to say they were out of pretzels, but had "Ugly Ends" if we wanted them. "Ugly Ends" are a smaller, more irregular version of their delicious Gruyere biscuits I raved about earlier in the week. They weren't pretzels, but they were a pretty tasty stand in...and for $2.00, they were amazing.
For the next course we ordered Mussels and Fries, another repeat. I discovered Kenda doesn't really care for mussels. Her dissection of the tender morsel and scrunched up face after it entered her mouth was priceless. That was OK, her disdain left more for the rest of us.
Each of us ordered something different for our main course. Mike had a Pub Burger, Kenda a Grilled Mahi Sandwich and Carolyn and I split a Shrimp and Oyster Po Boy. Mark was a late arrival and had already eaten lunch, but couldn't resist Mike's leftover fries and Kenda's half sandwich.
The food was outstanding, but the company was the best. It was just what I needed to release the vise and relax. I sat back in the booth and surveyed the table. I was surrounded by my prized collection of friends and amazing food. Life doesn't get much better than this.
Well...it did. I suddenly remembered the other reason for celebration. This was the day our roommate Jim was regaining his independence. This was moving day for Jim. He was vacating the awkward haven of our house and moving on into his new home. We wish him the best of luck, but are very grateful to get our life back.
Mike ordered "Pig Tails" for the table, cinnamon sugar dusted fritters with chocolate espresso sauce. And we talked, and talked and talked some more. We talked so much that none of us noticed our "Pig Tails" were taking a little long to make it to the table. We didn't notice, but management did. The manager came to the table to apologize and told us she was comping our dessert and adding a bowl of homemade ice cream. This is what makes "The Ravenous Pig" so good. The attention to detail is impeccable. They even recycle the ever changing menus into coasters under the coffee cups. It is official, I have a new addiction..."The Pig."
Many hugs and momentous occasions,
Kathy
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