Rainy Nights and Mondays

When Friday, Saturday or Sunday don't work out for friends to get together, there's always Monday. My friend had had the day from hell at work and I had prior commitments for every day she suggested us meeting this week and before you know it, tonight seemed like the perfect fallback.

With slim pickins for restaurants on Blue Monday, we defaulted to Lemaire. Open every day and with a guaranteed bar until midnight, it's the go-to place on off nights and times. The Discovery wine list has a nice selection of wine gems all under $30 and we always seem to find people eager to chat, so it's practically a no-brainer.

While waiting for her to arrive, a guy sat down near me and pondered what to order. I recommended the Berkshire pork chop, telling him that Paula Deen had ordered it when she'd come to Lemaire recently.

I didn't bother mentioning that they'd been out of it that day and she'd had to settle for her second choice. In any case, he took me at my word, thanking me later for steering him right on that big ole chop (enjoyed with two Dogfish 60-minute IPAs).

Another guy near him got the over-the-top barnyard burger ( sunny side up egg, bacon and duck foie gras sauce) and suggested I get a napkin and have part of it with him. Tempted as I was, I demurred. I can't share burgers with every strange man who asks.

My friend's hectic day and the rain had slowed down her arrival and by the time she sat down, she practically needed an IV for the bottle of Haras sauvignon blanc we ordered. She announced that tonight's topic was OPP (other people's problems) and proceeded to tell me some juicy ones.

I finally interrupted because while the wine was going down easily enough, I was starving. I had the hearts of romaine followed by the brandy peppercorn-dusted beef tartare with horseradish and she got the filet mignon burger with a side of black-eyed peas (the barnyard burger containing too many exotic components for her taste). Food finally!

Our bartender Mark, who had served us just a few weeks ago when we'd been in, came over to me at one point, beaming. "Beruit!" he told me with obvious satisfaction.

During my last visit, we'd had an extensive music chat and while trying to make a point, the name of the band he wanted to use as an example had escaped him. It had finally come back when he saw me and he shared it with obvious pride. Now we could finish our chat.

My friend was feeling better about her harried day after we ate, although still checking her phone far too often for my taste. We ordered the Barboursville Pinot Grigio, also off the Discovery list, and were finally getting to OLL (our love lives) when two smiling faces appeared unexpectedly next to my stool.

It was RVA's two best mixologists, Bobby from Julep and Arthur from Acacia, who'd come over to say hello and chat. I never get to see these two together (well, except at Bobby's housewarming party and that's a bit vague), so it was great fun to have them both in front of me at once.

Bobby has been promising me that he'll do a tequila tasting at Julep for months. At his high-end rum tasting a while back, customers were treated to some of the most inspired and obscure rums imaginable while Bobby cooked up delicious small plates to accompany each one.

I wanted to see the same done for my beloved tequilas and was thrilled to hear that it's finally going to happen ("Although you know more about tequila than I do," Bobby insisted.) He already has Arthur and me as confirmed guests, despite Arthur's smart-assed comment that "Tequila is the new vodka." Say it isn't so.

Once they went off to eat and watch football, my friend and I resumed our wine-fueled conversation. She's very much enjoying watching me start a process she began months ago, so I was peppered with suggestions about how to handle my new choices.

I may be out of practice, but I think I can figure it out as I go along. No fallback necessary.