new year's eve can suck my dick
a big FUCK YOU to all the guests who made what should have been an easy and lucrative evening at the restaurant a bona-fide hell fest for yours truly. no details necessary, suffice to say that humans suck and i hate all of them.
moving on, i have reached the pinnacle of my career as a waitress (if there is such a thing). last thursday, i waited on craig leban, one of the most well known food critics on the east coast and the most feared man in philadelphia (for the restaurant community anyway). i was the epitome of grace and composure while my manager and kitchen freaked the fuck out. for the first part of the dinner, my elegance was completely faked; my heart was racing and my mouth went completely dry and i really thought i was going to puke as i kept repeating the phrase in my head "DO NOT SPILL THE SANGRIA". but when i realized that i had flawless answers to all of his food and wine questions i legitimately relaxed and the whole meal went very very smoothly. he seemed content and happy. it was one of the most intense experiences of my life, when i thought about all that was riding on my shoulders (the least of which being my job and the jobs of my friends, the greatest of which being a multi-million dollar dream of an amazingly talented chef). so, if we get a good review (which i anticipate) i'll post it. the next day, my gm said she went to bed feeling at ease about the whole thing. coming from the high-strung queen of crazy herself, that was a big compliment. i am really honored that they chose me, and i am proud that i rose to the occasion.
after such an intense week and crappy new year, dan and i decided to blow the proverbial wad on an extravagant dinner last night. i painted my nails, wore a tiny black dress, and the huge iced out earrings i bought for new year's (which were wasted on that god forsaken night). it was lovely. i felt like a million bucks, and it's appropriate, because that's about how much we spent.
a cold and rainy monday after new year's set the stage for a quiet restaurant that we had all to ourselves. he had a $100 gift certificate to morton's steakhouse so we just did it up right. we started with martinis, oysters and tomato/blue cheese salad. we got a beautiful bottle of petite syrah, and i had filet mignon with bearnaise sauce, grilled asparagus, and then their legendary hot chocolate cake. we finished with a glass of port at the bar, and then went to alma for a mojito martinis cause why the hell not. our server asked us if we were in town for a special occasion. we said nope. sometimes you just need to take a rainy monday and celebrate.
and that sort of brings me to my closing argument. new year's eve can suck my dick because there is way too much pressure on the night. i felt like crap, i was working, i had a really rough week and i would have shrugged it all off except that it was NEW YEAR'S and OMIGOD this should be FABULOUS. the thought that i was ringing in the year the wrong way, or that it was somehow indicative of 2006 made me want to cry (and, in all honesty, i shed a few tears).
but on monday i realized. life just doesn't work that way. plans fall through, assholes surface, people treat you badly, unfairly and unexpectedly. but then in life there are spontaneous nights of richness, there are incidences of incredible fortune, random moments of poise, days that run smoothly, sweetly, fabulously. sometimes you have to carve out your own holidays and declare your own days of celebration. the special occasions that you invent, and the festivities you choose are just as valuable as any new year's, if not more so.
moving on, i have reached the pinnacle of my career as a waitress (if there is such a thing). last thursday, i waited on craig leban, one of the most well known food critics on the east coast and the most feared man in philadelphia (for the restaurant community anyway). i was the epitome of grace and composure while my manager and kitchen freaked the fuck out. for the first part of the dinner, my elegance was completely faked; my heart was racing and my mouth went completely dry and i really thought i was going to puke as i kept repeating the phrase in my head "DO NOT SPILL THE SANGRIA". but when i realized that i had flawless answers to all of his food and wine questions i legitimately relaxed and the whole meal went very very smoothly. he seemed content and happy. it was one of the most intense experiences of my life, when i thought about all that was riding on my shoulders (the least of which being my job and the jobs of my friends, the greatest of which being a multi-million dollar dream of an amazingly talented chef). so, if we get a good review (which i anticipate) i'll post it. the next day, my gm said she went to bed feeling at ease about the whole thing. coming from the high-strung queen of crazy herself, that was a big compliment. i am really honored that they chose me, and i am proud that i rose to the occasion.
after such an intense week and crappy new year, dan and i decided to blow the proverbial wad on an extravagant dinner last night. i painted my nails, wore a tiny black dress, and the huge iced out earrings i bought for new year's (which were wasted on that god forsaken night). it was lovely. i felt like a million bucks, and it's appropriate, because that's about how much we spent.
a cold and rainy monday after new year's set the stage for a quiet restaurant that we had all to ourselves. he had a $100 gift certificate to morton's steakhouse so we just did it up right. we started with martinis, oysters and tomato/blue cheese salad. we got a beautiful bottle of petite syrah, and i had filet mignon with bearnaise sauce, grilled asparagus, and then their legendary hot chocolate cake. we finished with a glass of port at the bar, and then went to alma for a mojito martinis cause why the hell not. our server asked us if we were in town for a special occasion. we said nope. sometimes you just need to take a rainy monday and celebrate.
and that sort of brings me to my closing argument. new year's eve can suck my dick because there is way too much pressure on the night. i felt like crap, i was working, i had a really rough week and i would have shrugged it all off except that it was NEW YEAR'S and OMIGOD this should be FABULOUS. the thought that i was ringing in the year the wrong way, or that it was somehow indicative of 2006 made me want to cry (and, in all honesty, i shed a few tears).
but on monday i realized. life just doesn't work that way. plans fall through, assholes surface, people treat you badly, unfairly and unexpectedly. but then in life there are spontaneous nights of richness, there are incidences of incredible fortune, random moments of poise, days that run smoothly, sweetly, fabulously. sometimes you have to carve out your own holidays and declare your own days of celebration. the special occasions that you invent, and the festivities you choose are just as valuable as any new year's, if not more so.