David Nepove has been tending bar at Enrico's for the past nine years, and he recently took first place in the Best Italian Aperitif category at the 40th annual Bacardi Martini Grand Prix, one of two premier international bartender competitions.
Kudos, Mr. Nepove. My hat's off to you. But I can't look at your gleaming dome without laughing at my own foolishness. Enrico's has been one of our favorite SF hangouts for years. The food's not outstanding, but it's good enough, and the space, and the people-watching, can't be beat. The wine list is quite nice, as are the hostesses. We were practically on a first-name basis with them for a few years when Amy was working in the vicinity.
But one overindulgent evening more than a few years ago I had a slight run-in with Mr. Nepove. Nothing crazy--the result was simply a stern "Is there a problem?" from Mr. Nepove and a tight-lipped "No problem" from me. But for some reason this episode stands out among my youthful indiscretions, and Amy and I remember him as "My Nemesis." So it was a little jarring to see him staring out at me from the back page of today's Wine section, but I'm certainly pleased to see him doing the home team proud.
And that corner of the bar where he's standing? Best seats in the house.
Ah, Enrico's. The scene of so much! -- remember Elspeth descending on you, me, and Bob one boozy Friday evening? I'll never forget that night!
Posted by: Your Wife | August 04, 2005 at 09:53 PM
Oh, I certainly remember that. For so many reasons.
Posted by: Ed | August 04, 2005 at 09:57 PM
Okay, this blog officially jumped the shark when you and Amy started conversing via comment posts :-)
Posted by: hunter | August 07, 2005 at 09:15 PM
Oh, we jumped the shark way before that.
But the blog-comment thing actually has practical roots. When I'm in DC (one week each month), I stay at my brother's where 1) my cellphone doesn't work (Verizon dead zone), 2) there's no land line (he and his girlfriend rely on cells), 3) I can't use their cells (we're rarely at the house at the same time), and 4) there's no Internet connection (don't ask). So that week Amy and I usually communicate via email and blog comments.
We've carried the practice over into the rest of the month, even though we're both...here. And yet somehow it seems like a more appropriate response than shouting across the apartment, "I LIKED YOUR POST!"
Posted by: Ed | August 08, 2005 at 12:21 AM
Yea, the long-distance thing has added a definitely weird but fun epistolary dimension to our marriage. We get along a lot better on our blogs than we do in person.
Posted by: Amy | August 09, 2005 at 04:17 PM
It would be unseemly to fight via blog. And inefficient.
Posted by: Ed | August 09, 2005 at 09:40 PM
If you were well over 30 when it happened, is it really a "youthful indiscretion?" Just wondering. And yes, I have my Snarkypants on today.
Posted by: Amy | December 08, 2005 at 04:58 PM