Drapes to Drink By Part 2

It's not like I haven't made drapes to drink by before. My first ones hang in Secco to this day, here.

This time they're for another soon-to-be-opened restaurant and today was the day to take them (and the matching pillows) there and see just how well they looked with the furniture and walls (magnificent, just saying).

But before we got that far, we crossed the river to eat at Parkside. I knew my restaurant-owner friend would want to check out the place, as much for its decor as its food.  And it's a cozy spot for a girls' lunch out.

Like me, she was charmed by what the owners have done with the space. The green walls and red upholstery, the gold-framed vintage prints and the beautiful tabletops are a very attractive combination.

But let's face it, we went to eat. Starting with some lovely peach aqua fresca (my first), we moved on to baked Virginia cheddar with apples, grapes, pickles and grilled bread.

The cheese was lovely, if small, but we didn't realize it came in phyllo dough, problematic for someone who can't eat gluten. She dug her cheese out trying to avoid the wrapper.

Part of the reason I'd suggested Parkside was because they have five meal-sized salads, which is more than most places, all creative and tasty-sounding.

And since we were both in the mood for salads, she tried the excellent baby spinach, shrimp, avocado and warm bacon vinaigrette version I'd had last time.

I got the baby lettuces with craisins, apple matchsticks, sunflower seeds, and bleu cheese in a poppyseed vinaigrette. It was a lovely combination of flavors and contrasting textures (and at a mere six bucks; a steal).

We bypassed dessert (she'd brought me a piece of five-layer coconut cake, one of my very favorite sweeties) to go assess the drapes that drinkers will soon be admiring as they enjoy their imbibing and dining.

Okay, so that's my personal delusion. It's enough that she was so happy with how they looked. From here on out (once they open) it's up to the kitchen and bar to carry the place.

Jackson Ward will once again be representing in another neighborhood. I've done my job.