Green at the 'Leaf
Laura and I had dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants this evening, Hopleaf. It's a Belgian place, with a bar out front specializing in Belgian and Belgian-style beers. It's always packed, and if you don't show up early you can wait an hour and a half for a table.
We showed up early and were rewarded with a quiet, secluded table on the balcony overlooking the main dining room. Laura had a bottle of Chimay Red and I a pint of Bell's Two-Hearted Ale while we perused the menu. Laura was there for the moules frites, Hopleaf's speciality. I ordered the duck reuben. It was amazing.
This is not a story about our wonderful evening, or our wonderful meal. This is the story of the poor rich kids in their twenties (three girls and a boy) who were seated at the table next to ours shortly after we ordered, and how we winced at every loud interaction they had with our rather curt mutual waitress.
"Can I start you off with some drinks?"
"Do you have Michelob Ultra?"
"Uh, no. We have a wide variety of Belgian ales and other fine beers. Can I offer you some suggestions?"
"What do you have that's light?"
"We have several good India pale ales, wheats, and weisses."
"No, I mean light beer."
"What do you like?"
"How about a vanilla vodka?"
"We don't have vanilla vodka."
"Do you have berry vodka?"
"We have six hundred beers. And vodka."
Most of them ended up drinking what looked like Diet Coke. I didn't actually hear them order because I had crawled so far under the table. Unfortunately, I had emerged again by the time one woman's Belgian steak frites arrived and she asked for A1 Sauce.
I'm sure we were all that young and inexperienced at one time, but ouch. I fear the only lesson learned tonight was never to come back to Hopleaf because the beer selection sucks and the steak tastes like steak.
alcohol | beer | belgian ale | chicago | dining | food | spirits | vodka
