COMFORT ZONE TRYOUT NUMBER ONE

Okay, so yesterday I wrote about reaching outside my comfort zone and learning to fly solo with ease and comfort.  Can I say after tonight…I don’t know.  I mean I didn’t fly solo, but I went someplace definitely out of my comfort zone.  Here’s the story….

Joliene invited me to go with her and try someplace new.  She is after all my adventure girl!  She read about this place in Bucks County Taste, an online blog about dining out in the area.  A new up and coming place that use to be a biker bar, with plans of for expansion, a new chef and lots of enthusiasm for the future.  A local place.  In fact, they call it “Local”.  

Off we went.  A beautiful drive down Point Pleasant Pike toward the river.  Arriving, we found a beautiful old stone building with a sign out front near a door.  Walking up to the door, we found no handle.  Ummmm….how do we get in?  Walking to the side patio we spot another door.  Again, no handle and no entry.

Giggling, we started back toward the car when a women from across the street yells out that the entrance is around back.  I looked over toward her and asked, “How many times do you have to shout instructions to strangers?”

“More times than I care to say,” she shouts back.

Thanking her, we headed around to the door in the rear.  A lovely inset stone entrance, with a huge beautiful pot of flowers in full bloom welcoming us.  Opening the door, we walk into a well used bar, with pool table, dart board and about four tables and lots of seats at the bar.  A little dark and dingy looking but filled with character.  Or should I say characters.  The bartender/server was a very small, well-worn old man who was about the size of my right leg.  A squeaky voice that peppered his language so that he was constantly turning to us (the only two ladies in the bar) and saying sorry.  I got the feeling they weren’t use to having women in the place.

Standing there, trying to get our bearings as to what to do, a young man at the end of the bar says to us, that he will be able to judge us better when he hears what we plan on drinking.  Joliene, not shy or backing down chooses a beer.

“Where you ladies from?” he asks?

“New Hope.”

‘Oh this is not a New Hope place,” he says with a smile.

Oh know I say to myself, he thinks we are gay.  That thought didn’t even register with Joliene.

Another old man across the bar begins to share with us how wonderful the food is and how they use local food sources, and how much they make themselves, like the mozzarella balls are made right there…..

“And you know,” says the young man at the end of the bar, “you need to prick a hole in those to let the steam out because they are hot to bite into if you don’t!”

After listening to what sounds like a commentary from the food channel, I say to them, “You know the last time I walked into a place and asked about the food and heard that much positive response, I later found out they were all related to the owner.  You are not related to the owner are you?”

Laughing, he says, “No, I use to be a chef and I know good food.”  

“Nice to know.  Thank you.”

We glanced at the menu on the various walls.  While trying to decipher them, one man points out to us that having the menu on the walls is not really a good thing because if the place is full you can’t read the menu with everyone in front of it.

I chuckled.  It was true.  The one menu was right across the bar with a whole row of seats in front.  If they had been filled we would not have been able to read the board.

We eventually decided on what to eat, ordered the food, got our drinks and sat at the table.  Soon another gentleman walked in with his dog.  A friendly type.  Conversation flowed when he strolled over to the jukebox inviting us to pick out some music on his dime, asking us if we were in town for the gay pride week?

It was everything I could do to keep from laughing.  I don’t know if it was Joliene’s plaid shirt or my short hair, combined with the fact that we said we were from New Hope, but they all had the impression we were gay, so I began to reference the fact that Joliene was my daughter to set them straight.  

The dog owner says, “Here I thought you two could be sisters!”  

Now I didn’t know how to feel at this moment.  Sorry for Joliene because she was hanging with an old women  or happy because someone thought I looked young!  Once we made it clear that we were mother and daughter, the conversation turned to them wanting to take us home!  Now there would be a story!!!!

The food finally came and I must say it was great food.  Everything the men said it would be.  

As we left the place, Joliene proceeded to tell me the rest of the review from the Bucks County Taste.  She said the women who reviewed the place said she found that someone forgot to tell the men in the bar that it was not a biker bar anymore because when she arrived to check the place out, there was a knife fight out in the parking lot.  She decided not to share that part of the review until we were leaving the place.  

I will say, the only gang this group of men belongs to was the over-the-hill gang.  They were worn hard, but harmless, friendly and very chatty.  The next time we go there, Joliene won’t be allowed to wear her plaid shirt and I’ll put hair extensions in, wear a fancy dress with long earrings, tons of makeup….oh wait…then we really would look out of place!

So much for leaving my comfort zone!  Next?

PS:  They really do have some great plans for the place.  Keep your eye out for the news.  They plan on bringing in music, building an outside deck and a second-floor dining area.  They already have a head start on the food!