Before launching into the nuts and bolts of my 45-minute return to the airwaves after a months-long absence, I will break my adherence to Dr. Joe’s “irrelevant past” edict. Thanks to Facebook memories, we are smacked in the face with “what happened on this date” a year ago, a few years ago, a decade ago, etc. This can be soul-crushing when it comes to the “anniversaries” of our beloved pets dying, heart-wrenching regarding how fast our kids grow up, or delightfully melancholy when you rewind to just a year ago to see how much has changed. That last one is what inspired this little preamble of mine.
Just one year ago, Sarah and I had one of the best dinners of our entire lives. I had been chatting on social media with a fella named Chonn (pronounced “Shawn”) about his group, Proper House. At the time, they owned and operated Nebraska Mini Mart (not a convenience store, but a burger shack in Seminole Heights), Gallito Taqueria located at the Joinery in Lakeland, and Rooster & the Till. He really wanted me to check out Rooster & the Till, as he had heard and read my words about restaurants and how passionate of a diner & observer I was/am. So, he set us up with a reservation at their bar that overlooks an open kitchen. We were excited.
Favoring hotel stays, as Sarah dwells in Lakeland and I’m in Tampa, we checked into one of our favorite properties (always discounted on HotelsNow), the Westshore Grand. We took a brief Uber ride (this was before we watched that eye-opening Uber dramatization starring Joseph Gordon Levitt that turned us off to the company and their business model) to Seminole Heights, and before you could say “cobia cheeks,” we were seated and greeted. Come to think of it, I don’t think that Chonn facilitated the reservation. I went through my buddy (and former Tampa Bay Times food scribe) Jeff Houck. Sorry, Jeff! Jeff was excited for me, knowing my food tastes and preferences, and knew that I would be over the moon about the experience there.
And we were. Holy cow. Ty Rodriguez, another principal with Proper House, was working the bar/kitchen and made sure we were well taken care of. We met the executive chef and told him that we surrendered our palates to him, that he could send out whatever he saw fit to. And he did. I won’t go into the details of what we ate, as that would lead to far too many words (and I’ve spent enough on it already), but suffice it to say that this was one magnificent and breathtaking dining experience. It’s definitely a “special occasion” restaurant, so spend your next anniversary/birthday/whatever at Tampa Bay’s best restaurant. Ferrell Alvarez, the third in the triumvirate that makes up Proper House, is responsible for most of the incredibly creative menu and oversees Rooster. The Proper House dudes have since added “Dang Dude!” which is an Asian-inspired joint located at Sparkman Wharf. They’ve got a few more things up their talented sleeves, and I can’t wait to experience them.
After our wonderful experience there, we Ubered back to the hotel and met our good friends, Danielle and Jamie. Then, we all went to the Castle which had just opened the Dungeon back up for our favorite night, 80s video night. I think our friend, Jaime, met us there. The rest of the night is a beautiful blur, with hazy (and possibly fabricated) memories of us sitting in one of the tucked-away corners featuring comfy benches in a circle around a stripper pole (on which I believe some ladies showed off their skills), awesome music, my friend Gen bringing over a bottle of Jameson, and from there it is absolutely lights-out. What a night, and that was exactly one year ago from yesterday (according to Facebook).
I woke up exactly a year ago, head pounding and mouth dry, in our hotel room. We didn’t have the luxury of sleeping it off, as we had not only a room to check out of, but new friends to meet at Noble Crust for brunch. See, I was on a mission to actually meet in person the people whom I found delightful and interesting on social media. Seems kinda weird in writing, but as someone who keeps a pretty tight circle of friends, I am always open to new experiences and expansion. Sure enough, the two ladies who met us for brunch were freaking awesome! We fought through our dehydrated hangovers (one glass of water for each round of drinks, kids!), ate some more delectable cuisine, and met some super-cool people who have, indeed, become real-life friends. All just one year ago, today.
We haven’t really discussed my visit with my doctor from Friday.