tonight's free tasting!
+ a request for delights
Hi pals,
A quick one today as we’re both gearing up for a busy weekend and planning some activism initiatives for the community. If you know someone who’d benefit from being in the loop about in-person resistance opportunities, please pass this newsletter along; I’m more and more wary of using social media to communicate about these things.
TONIGHT’S FREE TASTING
Tomorrow’s class on orange wine sold out VERY quickly, so I figured we’d make tonight’s tasting a little consolation prize for those of you who were hoping to attend (I heard from many of you!). Come by tonight for a tasting of 3 of our favorite orange wines! It’s always from 5-7! It’s always free! The wines are always 10% off to purchase! And a reminder that free tastings are an open-house format, so you can come and go as you please.
LAST-MINUTE LOVERS @ DEAR ANNIE 2/13
Kinda obsessed with this one because this is exactly the kind of rescue moment I’d need if I had to plan a Valentine’s Day outing of any kind (I’m the kind of person who bought her wedding dress 3 days before her wedding).
.For those of you who are my fellow last-minute lovers, we offer you 1/2 price oysters and Champagne by the glass at Dear Annie on 2/13! Make a res via Resy! Act like it was on purpose! Or treat yourself + a pal! The world is your discounted bivalve! (We are le booked on 2/14 + 2/15 so hop on it!)
LOVE BITES @ REBEL REBEL 2/14
We’re leaning into the Nosferatu of it all and going full goth at the bar on Friday. Did you know there’s an Anchorage bird sanctuary that’ll name a mouse after your ex and feed it to a bird of prey? Just something to think about. (At the bar. We’ll help you pick the bird.) No tix required, but RSVP here so we can plan a few dark delights.
SPEAKING OF DELIGHTS
As we’re recalibrating for what will undoubtedly be four years of rough and uncharted waters, I’ve been thinking about the hospitality experiences that have provided me with a real escape, whether for a few hours over dinner or a few days at an inn (or a hunting lodge in northern Sweden, where an ice bucket of local cider was left near the sauna for us to enjoy after our long journey there, memorably).
I got in this business for many reasons, but I’ve stayed in it for fewer, and one of the most powerful is the desire to delight people—particularly adults, who are not easily moved to awe. I think I’ve achieved this a few times, but I’d like to continue finding new ways to provoke joy, as it’s an important resource in times of turmoil. So! I’d love for you to share with me one or two (or more, if you have them) hospitality experiences that made you feel transported/delighted/loved, big or small, professional or civilian, at a bar or restaurant or hotel or whatever. Bonus points for the cheeky moments that made you feel like a kid again.
ONE MORE THING
Apropos.
The most delightful hospitality moment I've ever had was at a conference in New Orleans where I volunteered to set up the registration booth for free registration myself. It was 6 AM and I was by myself unpacking boxes of lanyards, and a woman who worked at the hotel stoppes by and asked if I'd ever been to New Orleans before. I said no, she told me to wait there, and then came back 15 minutes later to give me a bag of fresh, warm, exuberantly sugared beignets. "Have a wonderful trip!" she told me, and went off for the rest of her day.