denver, lebanese redux

My work colleague S was back in Denver on Monday for work so we met at my house with plans to go to dinner (I had to promise that where ever we went would be close so we wouldn't be walking for hours like last time).

The best laid plans...

He loved my new kitchen and said I should have been an interior designer (funny, on so many levels). We had a glass of wine and then got into his rental car so he could check in to the Curtis hotel. Actually, I asked if he was staying at the Curtis and he said "no, the doubletree". He had the address, and as we drove by I said "I think you are staying at the curtis" and he said "no, it's gotta be the double tree". We drove by it again and he saw a sign that said "hilton". The third time we drove by it we finally saw the double tree sign. The hotel is officially called "the Curtis, a double tree by hilton". Someone fire the marketing people.

By this time it was almost 8 o'clock. We had planned to eat at Hodson's but S wanted to check in first. Checking into a hotel is never easy when S is involved (every time we stayed at a hotel together some disaster happened). The poor young 20 something girl working at the check in desk had no idea how to respond when S said "you DID give me a room with a view of the ocean, didn't you?" and some other ridiculous things. She got so flustered that another staff member had to come over and help her. Then it turned out, shock and surprise, they didn't have a room for him but had to "unlock" a room so he'd have a place to stay that night.

I was like "great, unlock the room, we're going to eat". We walked to Hodson's and arrived 5 minutes after they had closed. Then I suggested a french bistro which was also closed. Sam's, also closed. I was about to faint from hunger and it was like the restaurant death march from the last time S visited all over again.

Finally we decided to eat at the office, in the Curtis. I ride my bike past the office all the time in the evening and it's always packed. On monday, there was one table with people. S asked to be seated near the ocean, again (he's from Florida), and the server had no idea what to do so I was like "we'll sit here".

The office, according to our waiter, is "exotic comfort food". What ever the fuck that is. I ordered the nicoise salad. It sucked. S got some fusion vietnamese, brazilian, chinese rice bowl thing that had a fried egg on top. It was okay. Would not eat there again except for the hummus plate which was excellent.

S told me a funny story: he had been at a defense conference in DC that had the latest in weapons. He saw a booth with a company that had a weird name, turned out it was an Israeli company. He asked if he could take a USB thing that plugs into the car cigarette lighter, what ever those things are called, that the company was giving away. The guy was like "sure" and S was like "thanks, that's the only thing the Israelis have ever given me".

(because he's lebanese - never mind - and for the record he has nothing against Israelis, he just always has to fuck with people)

We talked a lot about the conflict in Syria and the shit going on in Iraq and how it's not safe for him to go home to Lebanon to see his family anymore (besides the usual reasons, he's christen, not muslim). He said it doesn't matter what anyone does, the rebels, when you ask them what they want, have no definitive answer. They're just a bunch of asshole fucks that are wrecking the middle east. You can't negotiate with people who don't know what they want.

Then he told the waiter it was my birthday and the waiter offered to bring me a dessert which I declined because I felt guilty that it wasn't actually my birthday. Then the waiter offered to bring me a free glass of wine, and I declined that too. When we finally got the bill the waiter said "since I offered you a free dessert or free glass of wine and you didn't want them I decided to comp the two glasses of wine you guys already had" (we both had a glass of wine with dinner). And S was like "great job getting both of us free wine!" even though his company paid for dinner...

...and then we went to the lobby, his room was ready, he drove me home (it was 11 pm and he was worried about me walking home by myself) and that was the end of that crazy evening. He may be in town next week on Monday, which would be fun because I'm working in the evening at a brasil street food event for the world cup at the british bulldog and he'll get to try acaraje and we won't have to worry about dinner.