ON THE BAR: Lonely Hearts & Bloody Valentines
plus: the dear annie dinner club
Hello, friends!
As a lifelong industry vet, it’s my duty to look sideways at Valentine’s Day, second only to Mother’s Day in its high stakes reservation anxiety. While I’m mostly over my Elder Millennial/Gen X cusp-y tendencies to perform absolute repudiation of anything remotely associated with “commercial” displays of love (mostly because my partner insists on buying me flowers on February 14th, and I’ve been forced to admit that it is, actually, nice, ok? ugh), it remains a day that does cause dining room floor planners to sweat about how the hell they’re going to turn all of their tables into two-tops for one night. (Lucky for me, Dear Annie’s community table is what it is—perhaps we’ll encourage the development of some polycules this year.)
Regardless of however I might have softened toward this Hallmark Holiday (ugh), we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t try to queer things just a little (or a lot). So we have some cute, outside-the-box events for you to enjoy, whether you’re buying yourself flowers or literally proposing during dessert.
Unruly is for lovers.
XOXO,
Lauren
2/13: THE RETURN OF LONELY HEARTS SUPPER CLUB
Lonely Hearts was borne out of a post-pandemic desire for connection outside the realm of romance. I was jonesing for new faces, and I guessed other people were, too. I threw the first iteration—for uncoupled people looking either for platonic connection or mostly innocent flirtation—at Wild Child, expecting to have to facilitate icebreakers. I was instead mostly ignored (in a good way) as folks quickly fell into deep dialogue with one another. It was, honestly, a really beautiful experience. So, we’re doing it again, but we’re turning it up to eleven.
We were limited by what we could offer in our old Wild Child space, but the possibilities are a little more endless at Dear Annie. This is sort of a mashup with our Super Secret Supper Club, which we hosted at the end of 2024—so it’s both an opportunity to make some new friends AND drink some extremely serious shit. It’s an evening for the celebration of independence, interdependence, and the joys of culinary delights. Come alone or with someone you’d like to know better. In order to preserve the intimate nature of the gathering, space is extremely limited.
Tickets include a truly endless amount of gorgeous food, a welcome bubble, and a cute swag bag replete with treats. (Note that ticket prices include service.)
STAYING HOME? WE GOT YOU.
No interest in joining the masses in the dining rooms of Camberville? No sitter? No problem. The Dear Annie Dinner Club launches 2/10!
We’ve been scheming on this one for a while, and we finally got our feet under us. We’re partnering with Table22 (the same folks that manage Wild Child’s wine club for us) to bring a monthly Dear Annie dinner experience to you!
And February’s club does indeed include the coveted SEA DOG! In addition to this magical menu item, club members will receive:
The Best Onion Dip + Fox Family Potato Chips
A Big, Crunchy, Herby Salad (contains nuts)
Seasonal Macaron from our friends at Maca (contains nuts)
1 Petite Bouquet for the table
10% off weeknight dining at Dear Annie
10% off their first month of membership in Wild Child’s wine club
Delivery is FREE, and we’re offering memberships for households of 2 or 4 people. We’re taking care of the hard work; you just warm in the oven and assemble at home. It’s like a meal kit, but the fish is local, the produce is organic, you’re supporting a neighborhood restaurant AND you don’t have to wear pants! Everyone wins!
BE OUR BLOODY VALENTINE @ REBEL REBEL
Sure, it’s Valentine's Day, but it's also February. It's giving darkness, it's giving moody in the moonlight—it's giving gothic romance.
Embrace the darkness and spend the evening with us—sip on a luscious red wine, vibe to a brooding beat, and wear your goth best. Gals, pals, lovers and sylphs welcome. We'll have some treats in store, of course. No tix required, no reservations. Sultry goth garb highly encouraged (lean in, what else is there to do?).
JUST A FEW MORE THINGS!
Thursday 2/6: We’re hosting an exclusive class with Matt from SelectioNaturel/Gimo Tours, our partners for this May’s trip to Italy. Space on the trip is running out, so if you’re on the fence about whether to travel with us or not, this class is your chance to get a sneak peek and ask any questions you might have! And if you’re for some reason NOT coming with us, Matt is still one of the most knowledgable wine pros I’ve ever met, and his classes are an absolute must for the nerds among you. Hope to see you there!
Tuesday 2/11: Local author Zinnia Smith is hosting a very cute sonnet retreat at Wild Child. In this generative workshop, Zinnia will guide you through a series of readings and drafts to help boost your confidence in expressing the fullness of your feelings. Plus! Wine from us! Flowers from Lindsay at Lupine Flowers! A delight.
Thurs + Friday 2/13 + 2/14: Order a bottle and a bouquet at Wild Child! We’re hosting Wildfolk Studio’s Valentine’s Day bouquets the shop, and you can preorder for pickup on 2/13 or 2/14. We’ve known Caroline for many years, and she’s a fellow new mom who also happens to be an absolute sorceress with florals. Just trying to make life easy for you, you know?
Thursday 2/20: The Blindfold Class is back! Y’all just can’t get enough, so I’m gonna keep blindfolding you and making you smell things. I posted this 18 minutes ago and we’ve already sold some tickets, so hop on it!
Thursday 2/28: Wine + War: I’ve found myself talking a lot about how WWII influenced the wine world a lot lately, so I decided to teach a class about how the Roman Empire, the World Wars, and the Iron Curtain influence what and how we drink today. This is one of my favorite topics, and I hope you’ll join me.
ONE MORE THING
Good god this was a long one. Just a word of thanks for supporting us and for reading this far. It’s been a tough winter for our industry, but we’re surviving because of you. Everyone on our team pays their rent because of you. I can buy my kiddo new shoes because of you. I know we’re just a wine bar/shop and whatever, but when you choose to visit us, you choose to practice community care, and it really means a lot. So thanks. Please enjoy this little tune, which I’ve had on all morning. Hope you like it.