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Jan
18
Party at lunch!
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“So, Alec, what do you think of lady lawyers?”
This was the alliteration-emphasized question posed to a young Mr. Shop Tart - whose name, incidentally, is “Alex” with an “x” - by an older lawyer interviewing him for a job. He didn’t get the job, perhaps because he expressed no objection to the existence of lady lawyers in general, nor to the existence of any in particular. His wife is willing to generalize: She likes lady lawyers. They like to party.
Last week, she had lunch with three lady lawyers, with a fourth arriving at the end of the meal when happy hour had begun in earnest. The ladies met for a slightly later lunch and the Shop Tart understood why when she saw bubbly on the table. Instantly, she was charmed. Just to be social, she ordered a glass. After all, it was Wednesday, the hump day. Wheeee!
She was intrigued by the lunch special with three cakes: salmon, crawfish and crab. The lady lawyers informed her it was almost always on the daily menu and should at some point be elevated to the printed menu. Lawyers are such sticklers for details, n’est-ce pas? However the dish was communicated, the Shop Tart wanted it. Delish! The crab cake was her favorite. Actually the crawfish. Possibly the salmon. (Shop Tart Tip: Watch your girlish figure and eat what you want at the same time. When a dish comes with pasta and vegetables, ask the chef to go light on the pasta, heavier on the vegetables. And eat your vegetables. They’re very good for you.)
Speaking of carbs - which the Shop Tart professes to limit but enjoys with relish on a daily basis - the bread at Hampton Street Vineyard is worth it, because it comes with olive oil and cracked pepper for dipping.
After everyone enjoyed a glass of bubbly, it was time for round two. The lady lawyers ordered a bottle of heart-healthy red wine. Red wine is still considered heart-healthy, right? Or was that a myth?
The Shop Tart gets a less than charming flush from red wine, so she ordered a glass of Sancerre. Just to be polite. In case it wasn’t obvious from the name, Hampton Street Vineyard has quite the wine selection. Their bottle menu is a well-edited book and the by-the-glass menu is more extensive than most. Sancerre offered by the glass is always a happy surprise. Theirs is from Chateau de Sancerre and costs $9. And is real good, yo.
Before the second glass, the Shop Tart texted her babysitter to see if she could stay a bit later and take the middle child to his piano lesson so his mother could take a nap. (The cost of wine at lunch adds up fast when you factor in extra time for childcare. Just so you know.)
One of the ladies had the pan-seared tile fish with lobster, white wine and sun-dried tomato cream. This was the Shop Tart’s second choice and she will try a whole serving next time. She really enjoyed the bite she sampled.
The other dish at the table was a salmon special. It may have been served with a berry and/or pomegranate coulis. Whatever it was, it made for a tasty meal. Salmon is always a good choice because it is so good for the complexion (and the taste buds). The lady who ordered it has a stunning complexion. Coincidence? Hmmm…
The Shop Tart rarely enjoys a cup of coffee after dinner, as even decaf will keep her awake. (This is the sort of thing that happens to old people. Wait for it.) She can, however, safely enjoy a cup of decaffeinated, freshly brewed coffee after lunch…with great pleasure. Especially when it’s chasing two glasses of wine.
All too soon, her lovely lunch came to an end. What did she learn? She needs to schedule childcare for the whole day at least once a month to accommodate a long lunch. Let’s compile a list of places to enjoy lunches that are dinner-like in their devotion to adult beverages. Hampton Street Vineyard is near the top. How about Solstice, Dianne’s and Motor Supply? And Mr. Friendly’s. And the Kingsman, where the Shop Tart has fantasized about a steak and three goodness what is she thinking two martini lunch for longer than she can remember. The Hunter Gatherer would be a great day-to-night option. Maybe the second Wednesday of every month. Join her?
Happy Shopping and don’t forget to tell them you read it on the Shop Tart!
P.S. The Shop Tart heard from a reliable source that New Orleans restaurant has closed its doors after thirteen years. She verified the information with a phone call. She’d like to make a suggestion, a very self-serving suggestion. Will someone open up a place there where one could spend an afternoon playing hooky from work and sipping cocktails on the deck overlooking the river? Light seafood options would be the perfect accompaniment. Maybe the Oyster bar would like to open a satellite office? That would be nice.
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4 Responses to “Party at lunch!”
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The Shop Tart Loves...
Re: the New Orleans Riverfront Restaurant space, I second that! The porch there is one of the best places in the country to sip a cold one.
That’s right, I said “In the COUNTRY” — you Columbia haters don’t know how good you’ve got it with this beautiful green riverfront park system.
How about a seafood place? Cola needs a truly high quality seafood place.
The “seafood place” designation would draw enough touristy/mainstream/non-foodie business to support foodie leanings, especially if there were a perennial amazing deal on one signature menu item that could become a well-known word-of-mouth legend among hotel staff and businesspeople.
Something low-effort, and low overhead, kitchenwise, like a $10 bucket of steamers, or a half pound of peel-and-eat cocktail shrimp for 5 bucks. With an all-the-time drink special like $1.50 Bud Light bottles.
(As well as incredible crab cakes for $9-14 and top-grade cocktails and wines by the glass from $6-14!)
Give Red Lobster a run for its money, yo, and serve amazing local seafood + produce, Slow Food style.
…and how about a fast-casual, low-priced cafe menu as well, with healthy sandwiches, salads, soups, draft beer and coffee? Would be a great way to capitalize on all of the riverfront park daytime and happy hour exercise traffic.
Red wine — heart-healthy in moderation, but after a certain number of glasses (2 or 3, I believe, for women) it begins to be implicated in cardiomyopathy. I am a lady lawyer, so you might want to check the medical details with an actual medical professional, but….
In fact, it appears that all alcoholic beverages have a heart-protective feature, so if red wine makes one flush, as it does me, choose something else. You can get the red-colored fruit polyphenols from other things (cranberry juice in a Cape Codder, say)….or cranberry/pomegranate/raspberry coulis with your salmon….
What Tracie said.
Yay lady lawyers! We are oh so much fun… when we aren’t lawyering. Heck, when we ARE lawyering…