Happy Belated New Year!!

So I know it's a week late, but Happy New Year. I know you all are at the edge of your seats on baited breathe wondering, "What did N'Gina do for New Year's?" I hate to tell ya and disappoint all that thought I might hit the grid and get "hyphy", break a bottle of Jamesons over a cops head after he scolded me for peeing in the street and then spend the night in the gray bar hotel, but I didn't. Instead I had a very adult evening, sipping on Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey Manhattans at Hawks. Followed by making a curry chicken dinner for my husband and friends. Real quick...we are going to go back to Hawks. I love Hawks...BUT I hate poor service. And that night our bartender was ridiculous. As our group entered the bar I notice three women in the lounge with empty glasses and paid check at the edge of the lounge table they sat at. The bar was completely empty. We strolled up and took seats at the bar and our bartender, 5 minutes later, asked us for our drink order. He started with me, got my order and then slowly made it. He continued to go down the line taking our drink orders one at a time and again, slowly making them. I have watched honey pour out of a jar faster than the way he was making drinks. Questions ran through my head, "Why is he taking one order at a time instead of grabbing all of our orders and making them?" "Why is taking so long to pour my husband's scotch on the rocks..it' scotch and ice!" And "Why is he making sweat cocktails?" (The last term is what my husband and I refer to someone that is profusely sweating into a beverages that someone will later consume. It started with me putting a chef that I worked with on front street for making "sweat pizzas" and the term has just evolved.)

The bartender was visibly frazzled, and having been a manager of many a restaurant, I looked for reasons why before I started to talk shit. Upon my scan of the restaurant there were no reasons. The dining room floor was slow, the bar was slow. I can only deduce that he heard one of those ads on the radio that go, "Hey are you making $300 a night?...Well if you're not you need to be attending The Bartending College of Sacramento!" He said,"Hell I can be a bartender!" Hey buddy no you can't! Bartending is a underrated skill that, I am sorry my friend, not EVERYBODY can do. When my husband asked him for some bread (because they were not serving appetizers at the bar) he retorted, "I'll have to ask my manager." WHAAAT. For bread? We should have brought our own. My grandma does it and I used to think she was hella crazy for doing so, but I see now that she was just a very sage woman.

Anywho after we left the bar and returned to our home, our friend Clint suggested that we change into PJ's ...what a great idea! They were staying the night and to be in PJ pants instead of high heels just sounded delicious. So we finished our night with a magnum of champagne and wine, my famous curry chicken and alot of laughs.It was one of the best New Year's that I have had in a long time. I told Clint that I would post my curry recipe on my next post, but I just can't. Somethings you have to keep a secret. So I'll just show a picture of it's goodness, and it was good. Since I am not going to post the recipe I will make a promise to anyone that can make it to my house, I will make them my famous chicken curry with all the fixins. Make your reservations now people! Seats are gonna fill up fast. Send me an email or post a comment with a request and I will make you dinner. Happy 2010.