Unexpected Chocolates and Men

The best nights always end up being about the people you meet.

It started out as just another couple date, albeit with one of my favorite couples.

I dressed cute because my friend always gives me bonus points for doing so and because I never know when it will pay off.

We'd tried to make a reservation at the bar for dinner at Bistro M, but  they said they didn't take bar reservations.

Too bad, because Acacia, Amuse and Bonvenu all happily take bar reservations.

We lucked on to three stools, but only after after a duo slid down. I recognized our server from Lemaire, accused him of moonlighting and had my hunch confirmed.

We began with the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc because they were out of my friend's first choice, the Wild Rock.

The fact that they have an ABC off license means that people are enjoying a wine for dinner and then buying it to take home, making for a reduced stock for other diners. That's a good thing.

One of our bartenders was of the Tom Cruise variety, slinging mixing cups and doing showy things totally unnecessary for customers like us. I wanted to write him off immediately.

He was a poli-sci masters student with LA and NYC bar experience and a tad pretty for my taste, but he provided decent conversation.

For starters, we had the deep fried pork with Sriracha, kale and green onions, the salad nicoise, and the New Zealand mussels on bacon with Great Northern beans, garlic and tomatoes with white wine basil cream sauce.

As many times as I have had mussels, this was my first time with beans and I am happy to say I loved the combination.

The cream broth was nothing short of obscene and it was good that they only gave me three slices of crusty bread with which to sop it up or I' d have kept going till the bowl was dry.

As I queried of the bartender, "Who doesn't like deep-fried pork?" especially with Sriracha for heat to balance the fat.

The spiciness of this one was reminiscent of the heat of Hunan dishes or Thai food.

The Nicoise salad had everything except the tuna, with capers, olives, eggs and greens and, at $5, a steal.

Since they were out of my choice, the Kanu Chenin Blanc from South Africa, we settled on the Vina Nora Albarino, a worthy substitute.

Dinner came in the form of tonight's special, a mixed grill (lamb chops, chicken sausage and a giant pawn), molasses marinated Muscovy duck breast and portabella steak with Bernaise and crabmeat, all superb.

We listened to the dessert selections, but since not one of them included chocolate, we demurred out loud, enumerating our reasons.

Moving on to another bottle of  Albarino, we were very surprised to be have an array of chocolates from the Bistro's market unexpedtedly laid out before us. Our chiseled bartender had seen to our chocolate needs unbidden.

Appropriate points given.

Along about that time, a friend of my friend's showed up and he turned out to be a Rocketts landing resident. He joined us for some Sharecroppers Pinot Noir and conversation.

He asked for the abridged version of my life since I arrived in RVA and I delivered. I always love seeing people's reactions to my come-here story and subsequent neighborhood shifts.

Outside, it was starting to sprinkle as we left, a weather event so wonderful that we lingered outside to enjoy it.

We moved on to Julep's, where a private party was in full swing, so we ended up at Lulu's for our nightcap with the new friend.

He ordered a bottle of the Heron Pinot Noir, nicely balanced and not too alcoholic, key at this point in the evening.

Next to me turned out to be a music lover so I enjoyed conversation with him on any  number of shows in Richmond, both recent and from days gone by. We'd been to many of the same shows.

He tried to make a case for his frequency in going out, but finally acknowledged that he couldn't hold a candle to me.

On the table were Bon Iver, Lucinda Williams, Carol King, The Eagles, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Springsteen. I can discuss them all, but my preferences are public record here.

Still, it's a real treat to meet somebody who's into discussing music non-stop with me and this guy did.

By the time we left Lulu's, Shockoe Bottom was in full swing with girls in short tight skirts (shorter even than mine), high heels (4 and 5 inches) and police everywhere.

That's always the right time to beat feet for J-Ward (me) and points beyond (my friends).

Meeting two new people in one night is plenty.  As it is, there are only seven nights in the week.

No one can say I'm not putting myself out there, even if it is within the comfort of a couple date.