Gary ~ May 26

 

Hot Time In The New Town Tonight

 

Spoiler Alert: Not Exactly.

 

Anne left for Woodstock later than she had anticipated.  She wanted to go back to our (now) old house in Willow to get more of our stuff, mainly food, and bring it back up to our new place in Roxbury.

 

"I won't be back til late tonight," she said as she was leaving, "So you're on our own, as far as dinner is concerned." Fine by me.  I like going out to eat alone and so I certainly had no problem with that.

 

We had breakfast at the Watershed restaurant in town and while we were there, I went across the street to check out the menu at a place called the Fierce Grizzly, thinking that perhaps we'd come back later and have dinner there.  The menu looked good. They were featuring French onion soup and filet mignon for the evening's fare and I made a note that that's just what I'd have when we came back later for dinner.

 

Anne was not going to be around for dinner so after giving the dogs a short walk down the path leading from our townhouse, I put on a brand new pair of ripped jeans that I bought for a role in a play that I never got to wear, slipped into the new pair of casual shoe that I bought recently, and topped it all off wich a clean yellow tee shirt and I was all set for a hot night out on the town. 

 

I had been in the Fierce Grizzly once before, and  I didn't get a very good reception when I went in and tried to order a cappuccino to go.

 

There were only men in the restaurant at the time and they all seemed to look at me with a "What the fuck is this guy  doing here?" attitude, or at least that's the way it seemed to me at the time.

 

A stern-looking man, who seemed to be the owner of the joint came up to me and simply stared.

 

" Can I get a cappuccino to go?" I said, thinking what a strange place this seems to be.

 

"We don't serve cappuccino here," the stern-looking guy said, and then wheeled around and started talking to some guys who sitting at one of the tables.  Fierce Grizzly indeed.

 

I really wanted that onion soup and the filet mignon and so I was willing to give it a second shot and so I decided to approach the Fierce Grizzly once more.

 

My second attempt failed just like the first time.  Feeling bold and confident, I went into the Fierce Grizzly and stood in stood inside the doorway.  When the same stern guy approached me with a slightly annoyed look on his face, I looked him in the eye, raised my index finger pointedly and mouthed the word "One."

 

"Do you have a reservation?," he said without emotion.

 

"No," I said. I showed no emotion either.

 

"If you don't have a reservation I can't seat you," he said even though the place was half empty and it was well past 7 o'clock.  Who knows?  Maybe they have a late night dinner crowd.  Could be, I guess.

 

I said, "OK," and left.  I walked across the street to Chappie's and they were totally full and hopping. I could see that they were really backed up and the waitress (is that word still used?), whom I have seen in there a few times, looked totally and completely stressed.  There was leftover food on a lot of tables that needed cleaning up and she looked at me like I was the last person she wanted to see, although she did recognize me, I think, and gave me a wan smile.

 

I didn't want to torture her by asking for a table and asking her for a menu and if there were any specials, so I simply left and went around the corner and up the street to the Old Mill Tavern right across the street from the radio station from  where I do my Sunday show, the Doo-Wop Shop.

 

The Old Mill Tavern was not hopping in the least.  Just one couple in the corner and an Asian family of four at the only other table that was occupied.  The two kids played video games while the mother and the father checked their cell phones every 15 or 20 seconds, and not looking very happy. They were clearly not having a hot time in the old town tonight any more than I was.

 

Instead of French onion soup and filet mignon, I settled for cream of asparagus soup and baked crusted halibut. 

 

Next week I am going to make a reservation at the Fierce Grizzly.  I am a guy who does not give up easily.