Auld Lang Syne with a Thumping Bass

I celebrated New Year's Eve in a room full of handsome men who were extremely well-dressed and could not have been less interested in me. Or any female.

But to begin at the beginning, I got a late start because my wrist was bothering me and I was out of ibuprofen. When I went to get some at the store, I found I had a flat tire. All of a sudden the foodie gathering at a friend's house in the West End was not a possibility.

I knew my neighborhood joint would welcome me, even at such late notice, so I ended up at Bistro 27.This worked out especially well because once there I found out they were having a DJ later so I wouldn't even have to hoof it over to the Nile afterwards for entertainment (sorry, Rattlemouth, I do love your offbeat time signatures).

One thing you can count on for New Year's Eve is crowded restaurants, lots of female skin showing and over-the-top jewelry. Check, check and check. When I walked in, Ron the bartender greeted me by saying, "I was wondering if we'd see any of our regulars tonight." Just me.

I grabbed a corner stool at the bar (now padded booster-seat style to accommodate the slanted floor) and ordered Prosecco pronto while checking out the noisy crowd.

Before long, a guy in a tux took the stool next to mine, introduced himself and I then had a companion for the next four hours. Funny how that works out. Like me, he's a big 27 fan and was there for the duration. I knew he was a keeper for the evening when he immediately started scoping out the room and commenting to me.

There was no way I could resist ordering off the NYE menu, so I chose the lobster fra diavalo with house made red pepper fettuccine (half a lobster, jumbo shrimp and a fra diavolo sauce). Meanwhile a couple of wine reps, one a friend, came in for a glass of bubbly and he and I dished and made plans to meet up soon.

The heat of the fra diavolo was perfect for the dish: unmistakable but not overpowering and the serving of pasta so generous I shared it with my new friend while he awaited the arrival of his rock fish and jumbo prawn. You score a lot of points when you give a new friend fine food.

Meanwhile, the handsome men continued streaming through the door. Unique tuxedos abounded. One guy had on a blazer with low-key skulls and flowers. Another had coordinated his black and white dotted jacket with his shoes. Still another had a gold lame ruffled shirt and houndstooth shoes. Total awesomeness.

I got a chance to ask the DJ what he intended to play and he asked me what I wanted to hear (we settled for indie pop). I saw a friend for the first time since the Dashboard Confessional show and we blathered about how much we'd both enjoyed it. One of the servers complimented me on my curls. A restaurant owner told me that with legs like mine, I must be an amazing dancer (not true).

Dessert was mixed berries in a dark chocolate cup with mascarpone and more bubbles, right about the time the DJ kicked into gear and the colored lights started flashing around the room and ceiling.

As someone said to me during a particularly bass-heavy medley of "Let's Hear it for the Boy" and "Girls Just want to Have Fun," (and with no trace of irony), "Hey, Club 27!"

I could tell it was getting close to the bewitching hour when I saw the staff start moving closer to their main squeezes and glasses of bubbly being poured like crazy. Then we were counting down and everyone was kissing everyone.

So, I did get kissed, quite a lot actually, but not on the lips and not by anyone who mattered. Still, I'd lucked into good company, plenty of eye candy (my new friend estimated the room at 75% male) and enough people who knew me to feel like I belonged.

When I went to say goodbye to my new friend, he was visibly disappointed at my leaving. "You meet a lot of people in life and most are disposable," he said. "You're real. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed sharing your company tonight. Thank you."

After a compliment like that, walking home to the sound of fireworks exploding everywhere was just icing on the cake.

Welcome 2011. Would it be too much to ask for this to be a really good year for me for a change?