Winter centerpiece for hot summer.
.Ambiance
(I admit to being a little distracted with our kids having been evacuated.)
There are many reasons to eat out. An easy meal with no dishwashing. Better food than home cooking. Opportunity to meet with a group of friends. Tired of cooking. No food in the house. Power failure at home. Special dishes with uncommon ingredients. Restaurant elegance. And many more.
Mood is important. I remember one experience that had it all. We were both working and felt the need for a special occasion. Château Souverain, a fancy restaurant in Geyserville, had received rave reviews, especially for their beer-battered lobster. It was entered through a vineyard, and up a vast “Hollywood” staircase. It was elegant, and especially quiet, unusual for most restaurants. One end of the dining room was all windows, looking out at vineyards.
The night we were there it was a full moon, which moved from one side of the main window to the other during the spectacular meal. It was like a cathedral. We were dressed up, a big change from our usual work clothes. The whole experience was spectacular, and memorable.
We can’t go back. It was purchased by Frances Ford Coppola, who made changes and made it kid-friendly, according to stories in the paper. The restaurant is now called Rustic and all that elegant ambiance is gone, never to return.
Did you have a restaurant experience that combined perfect companionship, perfect elegance, perfect ambiance, and a perfect meal? Is your memory accurate or only wishful? Is such perfection attainable?
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community seriesfor those who wish to share a virtual kitchen table with other readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another.Drop by to talk about music, your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper…. Newcomers may notice that many who post in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table and hope to make some new friends as well.
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