Shortly after that, I realized that the dinner I was attending at the Blue Talon Bistro was at 7:30 rather than 7, so I ambled around the corner to The Trellis for a drink.So instead of being on a plane to Paris and Munich for a week, we are doing a dinner at a French restaurant in Williamsburg. Yeah, that’s the same. Didn’t feel like battling traffic to come up here on a Friday night but felt obligated if I want to stay on course for at least getting the 1.5 credits for this kick in the groin.
I just got a speeding ticket driving into town by College Landing. Where we used to go and drink a bottle of Bounty Fijian rum circa 1990.
I guess I’m glad to get pulled now rather than then, but Williamsburg can suck it. I’m a bit pissy at the moment, needless to say.
Ah, The Trellis . . . the first restaurant I visited on Duke of Gloucester Street in 1988, and it became the go-to free/good meal place when my parents came to town. Occasionally I would pony up some cash and take a date. Very, very occasionally. In a college dining tenure littered with Caf/Marketplace, College Delly, La Tolteca, and Sal's meals, plus a few trips to Peking and Baja Bean Co. and many freshman visits to Wendy's Superbar, The Trellis got very little of my time and money.
Founded in 1980 by resident award-winning chef Marcel Desaulniers, The Trellis had a very upscale 80's feel to it. They may have stuck with that vibe too long. He sold the place in 2009, and it's trended downward steadily. But I always kind of liked the joint.
I had a pair of quick Jameson rocks and split. Quiet, small crowd. The bar is configured differently than it used to be, but it served me well. Well, it served me. Those two not-stingy drinks gave me just the lubricant to get the conversation rolling at dinner with six grad school classmates and the Associate Dean.
Amusing side note: That dean is a terrific guy with a fascinating backstory from Pittsburgh TV on-air sports reporter -- the "Bruce Rader of Steeltown" -- to business school stalwart. He also has a good memory for ridiculous stories, one of which was my first conversation with him. Two and a half years ago I had applied to William and Mary's b-school, and because my undergrad GPA was sub-3.0, I had to get an obligatory phone call from the Associate Dean (AD) to discuss it before being approved for admission.
AD: So Whitney, I just want to let you know that this is a formality. Your career across several industries more than makes up for grades you got 25 years ago. Plus, it's William and Mary, and we know how we grade. But . . . I gotta ask . . .Yeah, it was doofy and dumb, but apparently amid a sea of boring phone calls with applicants justifying their mediocre undergrad performances, he appreciate the levity. He brought it up the other night and laughed again, saying he'd also told his wife about it for a chuckle. Glad I can play the same part in business school that I played in high school, college, and beyond.
W: Yes?
AD: How'd you manage to get exactly a 2.0??
W: Well, Dean So-and-So, I'll tell you the same thing I told my parents. When I got college, they told me that in order to graduate, I had to have a 2.0. I didn't know they meant "or above"!
Mantra: They don't give Class Clown to just anyone, you know.
The Trellis closed down two days ago without much fanfare. Its heyday was my heyday, and it was a long slog since. I'm glad that my own blockheaded time mismanagement meant that I got to throw back a last couple of liquor drinks in a quiet toast of a rather classy eatery's 40 years.
You can go home again, but the landscape strays further from how you remember it every time that you do.
Posts
33 comments:
off to a great start with the new GTB "Work from Home" content package
First time to the Trellis was in 80’s after my orthodontist recommended it to my mother upon hearing we were going to Williamsburg. He did not mention it to me because we weren’t on speaking terms. He apparently believed that I intentionally bit him when he was tightening my braces. He might have been right. Anyway, we had a fantastic meal there and when I matriculated to The College the Trellis became a mainstay for family weekend dinners. Had an ex lady friend/unit M sweetheart that worked there. Lots of good memories with family and friends alike.
As Whit points our it had gone downhill in recent years and their Death by Chocolate was always overrated . But the bar served a good Moscow mule and the patio in the fall was great place to pass an afternoon.
you bit your orthodontist? that's hard core teenage rebellion.
Marls has always had a savage side lurking just below the highly polished surface.
I may have treated my college lady friend to a meal at the Trellis twice in four years. Perhaps that was an early sign that I didn't see it as a long term thing.
i got engaged at the trellis. well, right outside it, but still.
they postponed the masters. does that mean they postponed spring, as well?
I don't think I ever ate at the Trellis which should surprise no one. You also shouldn't be surprised that Marls is a biter--it would be more surprising if he never bit his orthodontist. In fact I saw him bite Spoid once. True story.
NJ cases up 72% from y/day, despite limited testing capacity.
Who has given up going to the gym? I last went on Wed. Floated the idea to my wife. Did not go over well. But I’m thinking of keeping distance, going at off-hour and washing multiple times. Am I crazy?
I went to The Trellis during my graduation weekend. I think I ruined the dinner when I told my mom that I was being allowed to walk, but I wasn’t technically graduating b/c ROTC negged a Kinesiology credit. Fun times.
I’m at the gym now. It’s delightfully empty. I’m just wiping everything down like crazy and will scrub down after I finish. I imagine it increases my risk somewhat.
Markets tanking on the speech. Every time he goes off script, he says something asinine.
When I saw he was “speaking to extemporaneously” I knew we were in for another disaster.
I haven’t given up the gym. I know I should but I really like my alone time at the gym. And I’m extremely vain.
But, I badly buckled my knee playing basketball last night and have been semi-laid up all day. I’m cautiously optimistic that it’s just a sprain as I’m able to gingerly get around. Never had knee issues amongst all my other sports related injuries. I know we’ve all got bigger fish to fry right now but keep those fingers crossed that I didn’t do anything serious to my aging body.
Markets rip when the adults in the room start speaking. Nice move to show the depth of talent contributing.
So I guess Trump agreed to let others talk as long as Pence closed the event by serving, as ever, as Trump’s #1 supplicant.
Markets will rip into the close. Trump will win the news cycle for a minute by giving the right some positive fodder. Not sure what the spin will be when the fatalities ramp towards 1,000 in the next two weeks.
how bad an idea, really, is mixing muscle relaxers with whiskey? asking for a friend.
rob burke didn't get the uncw head job, so we hate the seahawks now, y'all
I’ve done it, Rob. I’m your current situation and the overall current situation, I’d say you’re entitled.
As for Rob, I honestly never thought he had a real shot at the head job. Just not enough pedigree for an AD that’s looking for a splashy hire. Hopefully he’s built himself some momentum for a better assistant job.
*In your current situation*
Rob - I have done the mix in the past and found pain relief synergies.
The one thing my family has going on is binging The Office. We are now almost done with Season 6. Wife and I had both stopped watching at this point. Still really funny.
One of my cousins schooled at the C.I.A., of the culinary brand, not intelligence. Her first job out was as the sous chef there. The stint didn't last long nor did her time in F&B. She burnt out quick and became a florist, and an amazing one at that. Talented gal and one of my fave cousins.
On working out, take up swimming...chlorine is a COVID killer.
In escaping the stresses that this has placed upon me and all of us, I totally neglected the mgt of this thing yesterday, teeing it up at 9am which coincided with my first drink of the day. Roughly 12 hours later I stopped. I've been trying to catch up on the work this morning. This is not the time to be largely reliant on resort business. "Hammer fucked" is fitting. To date, we've had one private club out in CA cease operations - we have about 40 folks there, all but two are hourly. I'm about to get a call from a resort rep down in S. Fla asking us to fire a Manager. And it's just starting. I hope all is a little better in your worlds.
I was at the Player's Championship on Thursday, wondering if we were viewing the last live sporting event of 2020. This is fucked up.
Sitting by the pool because sun and whatnot is supposed to be good for the immune system. It’s 85 so the kid is happy to be in the pool. I’m done with this level of social distancing.
We went on a 2-hr hike w/ another family. Having a second family was huge b/c it kept my wife and youngest from complaining about what turned out to be a more arduous trek than we thought.
Apparently I’m full of mistakes today. I’m down with this level of social distancing is what I meant. I may have napped by the pool whilst listening to an 80s playlist. Nice little Saturday.
I'm on a rom-com bender this afternoon: 50 First Dates and now on to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
ESPN is rerunning Basketball: A Love Story. It’s a fantastic docuseries. Full of rare clips and contributions from pretty much every relevant basketball figure of the last 50 years. If you’re practicing social distancing.
I always practice social distancing.
Same, Z. Same.
Unlike a lot of the the G:TB intelligencia, I enjoy a lot of styles of electronic music. My wife doesn’t. I told her last night that I think musicians should use this point in our collective quarantine to do concerts/sets from their home studios and stream them. You’ll never have a larger audience.
John Digweed kicked it off today. A number of high profile DJs are following suit. Pretty cool to see a bunch of DJs just spin shit they love in an effort to entertain the cooped up masses.
“G:TB Intelligencia” is an oxymoron.
My family is going to visit another family tmrw. Are we breaking the current societal laws? Is it okay if we avoid contact, wipe surfaces and wipe down XBox controllers?
Teaneck!! Stay safe Z-Clan.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/15/teaneck-nj-ordered-to-self-quarantine-after-coronavirus-outbreak/
I went to high school with the current mayor of Teaneck. Let’s just say he is not the person I would want to entrust with my health and well-being during a viral pandemic. Luckily I moved zmom closer to me this summer.
First, the Coronavirus comes to the tri-state area. Now we have to deal with the Pitinovirus too.
here are my notes so far:
http://sentenceofdave.blogspot.com/2020/03/waiting-for-inevitable-coronavirus.html
we've been at a string of get-togethers over the past few nights. people are progressively freaking out more and more.
my bar crawl is not looking good . . .
Post a Comment