Tuesday, March 2, 2010

A Restaurant Love Affair


On a chilly Sunday in the fall of 2008, after a weekend in Oklahoma, Sarah Smith arrived at her apartment, tired, a little bit cranky, and in dire need of a glass of wine. Her roommate Alexis greeted her with a tired smile. It had been a long weekend for them both.

Always in the best mood when they were in each other's company, their spirits soon lifted with the prospect of Sunday dinner plans. Italian, they both decided. But where? Alexis remembered a unique little place on Greenville where Adrienne's mom Dotty had taken them a year ago. Terilli's! She exclaimed. Sarah was only familiar with the place as the establishment at the end of the row of a couple bars she frequented, Hurricane, where she spent her 24th birthday, Mick's, where she had her first real Irish Car Bomb on St. Patrick's day, and Greenville Bar and Grill, or GBG, as she had so lovingly learned to call it over that very summer after many many nights there with some newly-made friends. Terilli's, she thought. I might as well give it a try.

Alexis and Sarah arrived at about 7:00 pm. They took a seat on the right hand side of the restaurant right by the bar...behind the piano that had filled the dining room with music the night before. It was quiet. Their waiter only had one table other than them. Three girls sitting in the corner. Before they ordered Alexis and Sarah inquired about the Italchos, a menu item they had never heard of before. The waiter recommended they try them with steak, gorgonzola, and red onions. No, the two best friends thought, we are semi-vegetarians and aren't in the mood for cow tonight. So, they decided on an array of veggies, asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, and broccoli. They sipped their wine and waited for their order, laughing at how romantic this evening was, and loving every second of it. It had been a long time since their last date. Both girls, enjoyed the Italchos coupled with a house salad each, and two glasses of red wine. Sarah had the house cab, Alexis a pinot that was at least $10.00 a glass. After dinner Alexis and Sarah retired to their apartment and reflected on their meal. Wow, they both thought. An undeniable restaurant love affair had just begun...

A year and a half later, following about thirty visits to Terilli's for late night dinners and late afternoon lunches, it is gone. Today, I am reminded of those mussels I only tried once, and how glad I am that I did, the best birthday party I ever had (thank you Mary, Ande, and Alexis), sitting at GBG talking about Fake Plastic Trees with Jesse, Nok, and Brandon while studying for the bar, Liz taking a spill outside and ripping a hole in her pants, the not one but two times I randomly ran into Robert and Alexis outside/inside the restaurant, playing trivia with Neil at GBG and logging my score as Sarah Potter or Sarah Weasley every chance I got, sipping wine with Kendra after the symphony, Jenny getting flustered while waiting for a table, taking every friend who ever came in town there at least once, finally eating there with my mom last month, those damn Italchos and chocolate martinis, clearly I could go on forever...if this is the end of my love affair, I just don't know what I will do.

My thoughts today will be focused on Terilli's insurance. Emit positivity. Hopefully they will be back in business soon, because, just as I feel when I am signing my check at my favorite restaurant, I am not ready for this love affair to be over...not even close!

1 comment:

  1. I can almost taste the Pinot and the italchos!! I pray this isn't the end!!

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