Working on my Karma

I've found the best way to meet Church Hill people: go to Dutch & Co. on Monday night.

I took a seat at the bar and before long was asked to move down a stool to accommodate an incoming couple,

Doing so put me next to a Church Hill resident, business owner and eager conversationalist.

While I ordered a glass of the house red, Vina Temrana Garnacha, he was busy chowing down on a bunch of the $5 blackboard specials, also my favorite way to order.

Before long, he was telling me his thoughts on Boston (we agreed Cambridge is eminently bike-able), the U.S.'s economic woes (devalue currency before violence forces the issue) and karma (you can only skirt giving back for so long).

He told me his opinions on the three blackboard specials he'd had, even sharing his fromage fort with me.

The blend of cheeses, garlic, salt and pepper on toasted, thick-sliced sub Rosa bread was lovely and his unexpected generosity negated the need for me to order it.

Instead, I ordered beef heart stracetti (meaning thinly sliced) with bone marrow and apple slices on crostini.

Yum, tender beef heart with rich marrow and crisp apple was a delightful way to begin my evening.

While discussing how many hours are necessary to master an instrument (he said he'd done 1500 of the 10,000 required for guitar), he highly recommended the abalone mushroom with persimmon, walnut and mushroom vinaigrette as "delicious and nutritious."

As if to prove his point, he ordered it a second time, intending to take this one home with him as a snack while he practiced guitar.

It was a unique preparation and since I'd never had the distinctive abalone mushroom, a chance to try something new.

He left with his abalone while I was still eating mine, but I soon found the stools around me taken by new Church Hill residents on both sides.

Over another glass of garnacha, I chatted with the low-key man on my right (also a Bistro 27 fan) and the chatty duo on my left (brunch hounds who wish Dutch & Co, would stay open later at night), all of whom wanted to know why a Jackson Ward resident had climbed the hill on a Monday night.

It's not that far, people, and any restaurant with great food open on a Monday night is a worthy destination as far as I'm concerned.

The guy to my left ordered the skirt steak with pork belly and shared his favorite brunch spots (Magpie, Black Sheep and Lunch).

His friend spoke of inefficient cab companies, texting versus e-mail and how reliable Bamboo Cafe is while her phone charged at the bar's outlet.

When they cleared out, I got my final companions of the evening, a local mixologist and his companion.

They'd already been to Magpie for small plates and a firkin, but wanted a "perfect egg" to finish out the night.

They accompanied it with rye old fashioneds, rillettes and beef heart minus the apple, due to a fresh fruit allergy.

That topic led me to confide my stone fruit allergy and suddenly, I had a brother-in-arms.

Only another person with the same allergy can truly understand the pain of not being able to enjoy fresh peaches.

At one point, a customer came up and asked of the bartender, "Is it always this crowded on a Monday night?"

She assured him that Mondays vary, but since it was my second Monday, I feel qualified to say, yes, given the dearth of Richmond restaurants open on Mondays, of course it's busy.

But a smart Jackson Ward resident will arrive early enough to grab a stool before all the neighborhood regulars show up.

That way, she's assured of non-stop conversation and some excellent Monday night eats.

The way I heard it, I may as well spend my currency before it get devalued.