I recently got together with three other classmates, one I had gone from Elementary School through High School and the other two we went from Junior High to High School.  We were all in the same homeroom in Junior High.  We met at a restaurant for conversation and dining.   The restaurant is called The Brewery and though it sounds like it should cater to the draught and bottle crowd, they had a very good wine list as well as their menu.  The restaurant was a very ample size building with table service along side of the bar which was in the middle of the structure as well as a side dining area.  We had a table that was by ourselves and was excellent for good conversation, even with a musician soloist playing near the bar and the entrance.

Dinner choices were divided nicely; one had a chicken gorgonzola salad, one enjoyed white fish and two enjoyed orders of braised short ribs (I am sure that some readers may deduce one of the diners of short ribs).  It really was a bit of a decision because several of the dishes on the menu, as well as a couple of the evening’s specials all sounded delightful.  Each entrée included salad or a soup, a starch and vegetables, and one order of creamy macaroni and cheese was also ordered and shared as there was enough to be shared and would have been overkill for one person.

We had a wonderful series of conversations catching up with each other as some have not seen each other since High School.   Since I am such a pack rat, as all of my labels and matchbooks will attest, I had brought some show and tell items from our past.  I had brought some report cards from Grade and Junior High, graduation commencement souvenirs and a couple of newsletters.  Some items were remembered immediately and some had to be studied to make the mind remember.  As we looked at pictures of other classmates, we all started remembering other good times and laughed into the evening.  I am sure that our server would have wished we had left our table sooner, but we just awash with memories and stories.

Two of us were going to have wine, one abstained and one wanted a good taste.  Since the two who were having wine both had ordered the same dish, it made a wine decision much easier.  On the wine list under Meritage was an interesting bottle from Stag’s Leap Winery of Napa Valley.  It was called “Hands of Time” 2010, I had never had this particular wine, but I have enjoyed wines from Stag’s Leap Winery so the decision was easy, especially since it was not as dear as some Meritage wines can be.   The wine was very supple and soft, not as heavy or as tannic as some Meritage wines can be at first taste, so it was appreciated by all.  The most important part of the evening is that a grand time was had by all, and we are looking forward to an encore and perhaps adding more members to the group.