Saturday I went to meet up with NorthernStar. We played a little pool at Backstage and then walked across the street to 3 Doors Down for some grub.
Towards the end of the evening as I’d been commenting on the cute guys at pool and talking a lot about men – I looked up from where we were sitting at the bar and did a double, triple take at what I thought was a testicle.
Yes, a testicle sitting atop one of the bottles.
Of course, it wasn’t a nut sack. Obviously.
But even reason couldn’t trick my eyes into seeing something different. So I squinted, tilted my head, blinked to clear the rum and coke from my brain. But sudden flashbacks of Jordy’s junk in a bottle kept tripping up my thoughts and for all of a heartbeat, logic and reason were swamped by years of abstinence, hormone therapy, horniness and rum.
It was a fast and fleeting thought, for all the slow-motion time it took me to realize – not half a set of balls, but a walnut decorated the lid of one of the bottles.
I’d never seen anything like it? What kind of drink would have a walnut, an actual 3-d walnut so realistic that from a distance it looked like someone’s balls?
We asked the bartender, Matthew, and he graciously brought the bottle over and let us check it out.
He was chatty, and gregarious. Flirty even and charming.
Quickly pouring testers for both NorthernStar and myself he explained to us the magnificence of “Nocello”. A nutty liqueur from Italy that damn near curled my toes.
Seriously. It was smooth and warm, a combination of hazelnut and walnut – well everything nutty that is delicious, with a hint of roasted almond and oak. Amazing.
But the night didn’t end there – I flirted with Matthew and delighted in the conversation as he wooed and entertained us at the bar, offering tasters and challenging wits with a shall game of bar glasses and hijinks.
I’m a huge fan of 3 Doors Down, having discovered it back when I was married (like a thousand years ago) and still remember most of the amazing items on their rotating menu. If you get a chance, I highly recommend the Vodka Penne, Caesar salad, or steamer clams in sauce. The tiramisu is to die for and when they have it, rarely, the scallops sautéed in peaches. Amazing.
But a treasure you won’t see on the menu, is the service. Especially in the bar, where handsome bartenders are charming and delectable, smooth and nutty and warm… just like their delicious imported Italian Nocello.
