Today, It Was A Very Good Year

A year ago today, I ditched my first career and embarked on my second.

A year ago today, Restaurant Gal Daughter began college at a school with which she would never fit, and was simultaneously diagnosed with a nasty mono virus. Then she got better and looked for another home away from home.

A year ago today, Restaurant Gal Son discovered how intelligent he really is and took his college experience to the next level.

Today, my new restaurant celebrated its birthday. Thankfully it was not too busy. Thankfully everyone got it right.

Today, I mastered some idiotic functions on Micros. Thankfully, I didn’t have to perform these functions too often.

Today, after work, both the FOH and BOH staff went to my old restaurant to celebrate the beginning of this one. I almost went. Then I declined. Thankfully, I got to know the other assistant manager just a tad better when we stopped for a nightcap en route home.

Yes, today was a good day, a keeper.

Not that things were perfect.

The couple celebrating a birthday finally had to laugh at all that went wrong with their experience (who comes to restaurants on the first day they are open?)–compounded by overkill on the birthday thing. Chef talked to them in the end. I think they left happy.

The ice sculpture from last weekend’s opening party–the one carefully saved and refrozen all week–came out cloudy and looking like a second-hand image of its former self. Try as we might to wipe it down, it wasn’t until the restaurant logo faded away that it shone crystal-clear.

“Even clear ice has it’s beauty,” reflected one of the servers.

Actually, it does.

Now that we are open and about to wow the world, now that Chef is in his kitchen for good, now that a few more things have fallen into step for me, that ice looks pretty clear.

What a year.