Vinnie's
Saturday night my wife and I traveled to Old Saybrook to join another couple (the Ryans) for dinner. They live in Rhode Island, so we consult Connecticut Magazine to find places sort of half-way between us for interesting places to dine. Hugh is one of my oldest friends and very intelligent (even though you'll find his picture listed in Wikipedia under Right Wing). Judy, his wife, a school principal, is also extremely bright. It certainly doesn't hurt my evening's enjoyment that even at our less-than-youthful stage of life she can easily measure up to the term "eye-candy".
We decided to try Vinnie's, the majorly-upgraded successor to the old Saybrook Fish House. Vin Baker, the 7 foot ex-NBA center, had purchased the place and poured a lot of money into it. The results are surprisingly effective, a nice ambience lending a warm comfort, and the nice touch of a 500 gallon tropical fish tank emphasizing the nautical flavor. The food was excellent. Pricier than the preceding establishment, but well worth it. I had a tasty choppino, and the others had a Thai seafood stew. Well-presented and delicious.
Hugh and I then got down to the important part of the evening, solving the world's major problems from completely opposing viewpoints. Without these solutions it is doubtful the world can survive, so we take these discussions very seriously. We are very mature about our disagreements, never resorting to violence and keeping the decibles of our voices under the sonic boom level (barely). "Yer mama" is seldom heard. Our wives gave all this the attention they thought it deserved, ignoring us completely and burying their heads in an album of baby pictures which Judy had brought along. Sometimes I get a really Rodney Dangerfield feeling around these women.
The discussion centered around the definition of "marriage", which Hugh felt required a monogamous heterosexual couple. You can imagine my reaction. Hugh cited dictionary definitions, I countered with a more realistic (my word) practical view. When Hugh said that he had no objections to "civil unions" with full civil rights as long as they needn't be sanctioned by the Church (please note carefully the capitalization), I felt no further need to argue logically. Logic and the Church have never been bedfellows.
By this time 3 hours had gone by and the manager pointedly cleared off our glasses to hustle us out before the next seating. I tried a light remark but he had NO sense of humor.
One last thing, I looked into the kitchen and to my surprise saw Vin Baker, in gym shorts, supervising the chefs. It was a funny scene, he towered over the staff by more than a foot. 7 feet is VERY tall when your not looking at a basketball court.
Eat well, drink well, and be hearty, tomorrow may never come.
Later.
Saturday night my wife and I traveled to Old Saybrook to join another couple (the Ryans) for dinner. They live in Rhode Island, so we consult Connecticut Magazine to find places sort of half-way between us for interesting places to dine. Hugh is one of my oldest friends and very intelligent (even though you'll find his picture listed in Wikipedia under Right Wing). Judy, his wife, a school principal, is also extremely bright. It certainly doesn't hurt my evening's enjoyment that even at our less-than-youthful stage of life she can easily measure up to the term "eye-candy".
We decided to try Vinnie's, the majorly-upgraded successor to the old Saybrook Fish House. Vin Baker, the 7 foot ex-NBA center, had purchased the place and poured a lot of money into it. The results are surprisingly effective, a nice ambience lending a warm comfort, and the nice touch of a 500 gallon tropical fish tank emphasizing the nautical flavor. The food was excellent. Pricier than the preceding establishment, but well worth it. I had a tasty choppino, and the others had a Thai seafood stew. Well-presented and delicious.
Hugh and I then got down to the important part of the evening, solving the world's major problems from completely opposing viewpoints. Without these solutions it is doubtful the world can survive, so we take these discussions very seriously. We are very mature about our disagreements, never resorting to violence and keeping the decibles of our voices under the sonic boom level (barely). "Yer mama" is seldom heard. Our wives gave all this the attention they thought it deserved, ignoring us completely and burying their heads in an album of baby pictures which Judy had brought along. Sometimes I get a really Rodney Dangerfield feeling around these women.
The discussion centered around the definition of "marriage", which Hugh felt required a monogamous heterosexual couple. You can imagine my reaction. Hugh cited dictionary definitions, I countered with a more realistic (my word) practical view. When Hugh said that he had no objections to "civil unions" with full civil rights as long as they needn't be sanctioned by the Church (please note carefully the capitalization), I felt no further need to argue logically. Logic and the Church have never been bedfellows.
By this time 3 hours had gone by and the manager pointedly cleared off our glasses to hustle us out before the next seating. I tried a light remark but he had NO sense of humor.
One last thing, I looked into the kitchen and to my surprise saw Vin Baker, in gym shorts, supervising the chefs. It was a funny scene, he towered over the staff by more than a foot. 7 feet is VERY tall when your not looking at a basketball court.
Eat well, drink well, and be hearty, tomorrow may never come.
Later.
posted by Papa Bill | 4:14 PM
2 Comments:
Try Jack's American Bistro next time you're in Old Saybrook. It's our favorite down there. Never got rushed there, either.
I was thinking you were partying right through the state of the union....but then I caught the date.
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