How about: Great Supper Club Friends, Great Food, A Great Setting and Great Wine.
There is something special about getting together with old friends. Living the lives of corporate nomads makes it tough. We have a core of friends that lived in Memphis 15 years ago and live around the country today. It is hard to get together, but when we do, boy is it fun.
Five years ago three couples got together at Kathy and Scot’s house in Guilford Connecticut. Susan and I flew in from Memphis. Joe and Amy flew in from all over.
We stopped at Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to pick up provisions for the weekend. There is a bakery there that makes special breads. The crusts on these breads are the best I have had in North America. Cold cuts in New York are an art form. The man cutting our salami and mortadella was 80 years old and layered the thinly cut meats with expertise and panache. The cheeses we bought had a depth of flavor that I haven’t had since. The seafood was as fresh and shiny as you will find on the docks of New Orleans or Montauk.
Fully stocked, we started our drive up to Connecticut. Susan and I did make once quick stop along the way for lunch. We made some quick sandwiches with salami and a sesame bread. The crust was amazingly crisp. That rental car has crumbs in it today five years later as every bite exploded with fresh baked crispiness.
The weekend unfolded with one amazing meal after another and, one amazing bottle of wine after another. It was like the dueling guitars on the Eagles Hotel California record where Joe Walsh and Don Felder get in a contest of “Can you top this”, it just got better and better. My buddy Scott has a great wine collection. When he moved from Memphis the local Germantown Baptist liquor store flew their flag at half-mast in mourning. Having the gathering at his house gave new meaning to the expression; “there is nothing like a good excuse”.
The key to supper clubs is socializing over a meal with friends. There is something about real friends that are special. The message behind this story is that supper club friends an be become lifelong friends and that is really cool.
If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.