Taking the New Year by the Horns

"What are you doing New Year's Day?"

The question came out of the blue from an old friend I hadn't seen in forever (he actually called me, if that tells you how out of touch we'd been).

I don't know about other people, but the first of the year is not usually a big day for me (although I once got married on New Year's Day, but that's a story for another day).

So when he suggested lunch today, I thought it was a fine idea. He wanted to hear what had been going on in my life since we last talked and although that meant there was the potential of lunch running into dinner to share everything, I was game.

It was also his first trip to J-Ward and based on the little he knew of it, his overall impression was nowhere near reality. I gave him directions to my house and told him to admire the architecture on his way in and that there would be a quiz later.

He left the restaurant choice to me and since I'd already thought I might go to Comfort today, suggested there (he'd never even heard of it). The Comfort kitchen was putting a Mexican spin on their menu and suggesting people bring themselves, their friends and their hangovers. Can do.

We were immediately seated in one of the two front alcoves with a three-sided view of Broad Street, which although a tad chilly for me, suited my friend fine. His first question to me was, "Are we drinking?" Um, I don't know why not. When's the next time it's going to be 1.1.11?

He wanted a screwdriver ("It's too early for wine," he told me. 1:30? Says whom?) and I asked for a glass of the Josef Bauer Gruner Vetliner. My friend liked the place but was flummoxed by things on the menu like pollo con mole and carne asada. I translated for him, causing him to ask, "How do you know this stuff?"

Our libations arrived and my friend and I ordered our food. He then came up with perhaps the best line of the afternoon. "Now don't go putting our food order in right away. I want to enjoy my drink and get a buzz on before eating." Our server laughed out loud.

We used the cocktail hour to hear about what had been going on in each other's lives, necessitating him ordering another drink since we both had a lot to share and many comments to make on the other's stories. I was surprise to hear how many serious relationships he'd been in since we'd last talked.

Luckily, we'd covered all the salient points when a food-runner arrived with our plates, grinning a mile wide. "I wanted to see who'd ordered the two best dishes," she claimed. "Really, these are the most amazing things on today's menu." Insert sound of us patting ourselves on back.

Friend had gotten the torta milanese, a crispy pork cutlet with the traditional accompaniments on a crispy roll with fries and I'd chosen the braised oxtail tacos, charros beans and rice. It was great to have her blessing on our choices and I told her so. "You'll see," she promised.

Our server came over shortly thereafter to ensure he'd timed our food arrival correctly. We assured him that he had, but my wine was long gone and he scurried off for more. The Austrian must keep up with the Mexican, if you know what I'm saying.

The staff's promises had not been empty ones; the oxtail was braised into chunks and slivers full of flavor and my friend's pork caused him to gush about how good it was. The huge sandwich kept him busy enough that I could snag a few fries while he worked his way through it.

The music was good when I could hear it, but we arrived just before the bulk of the masses did and there were times when it disappeared under the din of conversation.

Other times, Ray LaMontaigne, David Gray and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros provided a suitable soundtrack to our reunion visit. My friend, the type who is (sadly) oblivious to music, tolerated my extended conversation with our server about their playlist and band choices.

After having occupied a prime table for several hours, I suggested we move on to the rest of our respective days. He reluctantly agreed.

When we parted ways, he thanked me for "the charm of my company" and said it had been his best New Year's Day ever.

I wouldn't go that far, but it certainly beat the one where I got married. That's all I'm saying.