The Transporter Couch

Last night I went with the Cuvee Contingency to the Hill Country Food & Wine Festival Main Event. Actually something is happening today that is the true main event but last night’s affair was a big, sweet party. It was a lot of fun.

We drept our table in a curtain we pilfered from the restaurant andset up beautiful flowers and stylish wine bottles (a double magnum of this, a magnum of that, and a Nebuchadnezzar of that), which left very little serving room, which was the perfect amount of space for our shrimp ceviche on water crackers.

Jordan outdid himself behind the counter! Good kid. Nice kid! It would probably piss him off to hear me call him a kid but I mean he’s a 16 year old young man. And he works. Responsible, forward thinking, kind, polite. He was the “chef” in the chef’s coat and he assembled the wares that Len and I plied to the unassuming masses. On the way over to Austin I had a chance to engage Jordan and he can hold his own. AND AND!!! When we went to Central Market to pick out last minute flowers, he had thoughts! There is, truly, great hope for this boy! I don’t mean he’s swishy! He’s not. Not even remotely. Just, you know, picking out flowers is delicate work that requires confidence and assertiveness and he ….. asserted his opnion. GOOD!

The function was nice. Nice people. Nice crowd. Got to meet Kitty Crider, the food writer for the Austin American Statesman. That was a first. Met lots of people. It’s an expensive venue so you have to be careful. Half the people are in awe and half the people are pretentious. Either way, I can work em. We brought waaay too much food but you never know and it’s good to be prepared.

We were serving this nice little shrimp ceviche on a little cushion of avocado mousse, on water crackers, and with a mango chutney atop. It was nice. It was really popular. And the young woman on one side was seerving vodka and folks on the other side were serving Riesling. It was perfect.

After the event, Len and I went to Cedar Street, which used to be one of my all time favorite hangouts. There were 750 million people there and it wasn’t comfortable. I said to Len the instant we got there, “if we get separated, I’ll meet you RIGHT HERE at 1 AM” but we didn’t get separated. We just sort of huddled. It was that JAM packed. But truth be told we were tired anyway and it was time to come home. Len drove. Thank god.

Then in the alley behind Cuvee, my comeuppance. I decided I’d kick a box, and in the process fell down like a drunk old man. I’m swimming in cardboard at 2 AM and hoping no one saw this happen. I rectify myself just in time. Len came out to examine the commotion but I don’t think he saw me lying on my face in his garbage. Alas! Salvation!