3 Alarm Anniversary or Always Take the Booze With You

Believe it or not it was five years ago that ol' Rosamond and I met and became partners in crime. We have never really celebrated our long standing kinship, but thought that FIVE had a respectable enough ring to put a little effort into a night out. Now, as you well know, I never really need a reason to go out for a cheeky pint, but having a legitimate reason to get all gussied up adds a level of dignity to boozery I so rarely enjoy.

Rosamond has often spoken of a fine dining restaurant The Salmon House on the Hill, and recommended we go there to celebrate in style. Wonderful. Truly, I adore salmon and for years I have heard of The Salmon House's remarkable menu and ambiance.

Rosamond made reservations for 8pm, whilst I polished, primped, and thoroughly plucked in preparation for our BIG NIGHT OUT!

The drive to West Vancouver was a bit tiresome, as there was a forest fire in Stanley Park. We were delayed only slightly, and en route I happened to find a NIN CD in the back of Rosamond's Saturn Ion. It was going to be a very special night indeed!

The Salmon House was nice enough. However, it did feel a bit like a one stop west coast tourist stop. Tour busses, and well-to-do German and Japanese folk dining in a Coast Salish-y decorated restaurant. Not a local restaurant aiming at repeat customers. Still very nice, but not quite "fab" if you know what I mean. And the bread was a disappointment.

Well, to make a long story even better...we finally get down to our Mains. I take three bites of a lovely slow poached wild salmon and...the bleeding fire alarm goes off! Seriously! I look over at the kitchen, which is behind glass, and the entire room has been replaced with thick black smoke. There was a polite "What do we do?"moment which quietly passed across the restaurant, and then we all got up and made our way out doors.

Now many of you, to whom I have already told this story, have expressed greatest concern for the safety of my unfinished bottle of wine. Sadly, it was lost in the fire. I selflessly abandoned my carafe of Gerwurstraminer in order to help a lovely Japanese couple to the nearest EXIT. They were grateful. I was devastated. Adding salt to the wound was the profoundly French woman, with her bottle of Shiraz grasped confidently in one hand, glass in the other, exclaiming "Mon Dieu" as the flames rose higher and higher. She rather reminded me of Nero fiddling away while Rome burnt to the ground. She probably thought that this was the Symphony of Fire. I am not bitter.

Photo A

So, at around 11pm we were finally able to leave the parking lot. Oh did I forget to mention? Right. Well, we had decided to wait for the fire trucks to arrive so we didn't contribute to the mass exodus and block the fire trucks from arriving. Of course then we were stuck IN the parking lot because a fire hose (from one of the FIVE FIRE TRUCKS) was layling on the ground behind the car. As you can clearly see in Photo A.

Here's a better look at the excitement. Photo B.
Rosamond, looking pensive in Photo B, and I decided we were not going to be undone by a mere fire, and made our way down the mountain to the Cactus Club. Tried and True. With single malt at the ready. Happy and finally drunk...this anniversary will certainly not be forgotten.

Here's to many more Rosy my dear!
Love,
your Divine Miss. Creant