A Humid August Night on the Town.

There's a newish establisment called "Tabu" on the highway heading south which is actually the latest reincarnation of a place that used to be known as "The Tree House" and was run by a friend of ours called Nacho Vega back in the late 80's. Anyway, the place has the same great view but the furnishings are much nicer and there's a nice little menu of salads and pastas. We gathered there last night for cocktails and enjoyed the trasformation. It's also a great place to see sunsets since it's perched high enough for a great view and friend Jenny took quite a spectacular shot of the darkening sky meeting the horizon. Apple maritinis and bruschetta with goats' cheese were in generous supply.

Then we headed to Archie's Wok for dinner but that didn't pan out at all since the place was loaded to the hilt, boiling hot and required at least a 20 minute wait. We were all out on the sidewalk dripping sweat in our nice outfits and finally decided we'd had enough of that action. We headed to the air-conditioned Cafe Maximilian and almost kissed the owner with appreciation for his climatically optimal diningroom; a veritable oasis in a desert of humidity. Now, let's really start enjoying ourselves! The appertizers we had ranged from crab cakes and onion soup to foie gras. Mains included veal, lamb and beef and in the Maximilian tradition, it was all superbly prepared and delightful to look at. The flavours were outstanding and because we were celebrating a birthday, they brought us a comp. dessert which consisted of a molten flourless chocolate cake and a refreshingly light mint ice cream. Fantastique!

So, after plenty of conversation, laughter and boisterousness we headed for the Club Roxy's. We arrived a few minutes before the band was about to start a set so our timing was good and they've added a new pool table on the upper level which is a good touch. We were expecting "Red, Red, Wine" but instead got Jimi Hendrix and Led Zepplen with some Creedence thrown in for good measure. It wasn't exactly dancing music but it was definitely air guitar and drum solo worthy. I have to say when he broke into Zepplin's "Whole Lotta Love" I was transported into the rec room of a teenage friend's house which was a rather vivid experience. It's spooky how certain music can do that. The lead singer had to be in his late 20's, was wearing a pair of acid wash skin tight jeans, no shirt and a leather vest. His voice sounded not unlike Dan Fogerty but he also ripped out the other leads equally well. Turns out he's from Torino, Italy. Who would have thunk it? Anyway, Jenny was at it with the camera so maybe she got a shot or two that can be shared at a later date if she gets to uploading them soon. It was a really good time and I'm not even paying for it too badly, which is a very good thing.