Richard’s father scrunches his nose.“My son invested in thatSpitJackplace, so I figured I should at least invest in something decent.Have a family name to uphold.”He grins.“I’m glad you approve.”
“Wait, you invested in this place?”I look around again.“It looks like the food is amazing.”
“You can decide for yourself shortly,” Richard says, indicating a seat and sitting down himself.
“But the matter has already been decided by very refined palates,” his father says.“Only my restaurant has a Michelin star.”
Richard rolls his eyes.
His dad’s chuckling, so it seems to be in good fun.As I glance over the menu, I notice it’s quite short.“You know, it’s been an observation of mine that the shorter the menu, the better the food.”
“Oh?”Richard and his father exchange some kind of glance.
“Quite,” I say.“I call it the Cheesecake Factory effect.”
Richard’s father crinkles his nose.“The CheesecakeFactory?”
“It’s a restaurant in the United States, and it has excellent cheesecake, as you might expect, but the menu is otherwise five or six pages long.TGIFridays and several other places in America have done the same thing, like being able to make alot of thingsmakes them fancy.But in my experience, if what you make is very,verygood, you don’t need a plethora of options.”
His dad’s beaming now.“So Everett’s menu of just four items...”His father tapers off.
“The SpitJack menu is hardly long,” Richard says, looking a little ruffled.
“But one page is not the same as four items.”His father looks so smug, it makes me laugh.
Both men stare at me.
“I’m sorry, but it’s like I’m watching a carbon copy.”I can’t help my smile.“When you two bicker, it’s like hearing the same song in stereo.”
“I like her,” his father says, turning toward me.“You should call me Mark.”
“Mark,” I say.“Well, I’m glad we’re finally getting dinner, Mark.”
“As am I,” he says.“Did you know that in the past five years, my son has mentioned a woman to me four times, and three of those times, it was you?”
My cheeks heat again.“Well, either your son is very shy?—”
“Or very discerning,” Mark says.“And I think it’s the latter.He had a very bad experience with his first marriage, and he’s been overly cautious ever since.But the fact that he’s still so keen on you, after months and months, is very, very promising.”
A waiter shows up then, holding a massive platter.“I brought two of each starter, as you requested.”He’s smiling.
“Let us take a look then,” Mark says.“And of course, the lady has first choice.”
The waiter sets the tray down on a stand, and then he points.“This is the Seared Wexford scallops, with celeriac, and a light coral sauce.I think you’ll find it’s a very satisfying way to start a meal.”He shifts his hand over.“Here we have the Garryhinch mushroom parfait, served on a toasted brioche slice, with beetroot and crisps.”They look much better than they sound, at least.“And my personal favorite is the Tuskar crab, grapefruit, and radish salad.It looks almost basic, but the flavor will explode in your mouth, and it’s light and fresh.”He spins the tray a bit.“And the last option is the chef’s favorite—a chicken tortellini with Pedro Jimenez sauce.It’s a rich, dark, and sweet reduction that will leave you wishing you’d taken both the plates for yourself and skipped the entree.”He beams.
“Oh, wow,” I say.“I think Ihaveto try the tortellini then, but I’m willing to share with Richard if you’d like it too.”
“I’ll take the crab and the mushroom,” Mark says.
“Dad’s obsessed with mushrooms.It’s the reason they keep that mushroom fluff on the menu,” Richard says.“But I’ll take the other tortellini.”He leans closer.“I’ll always share with you, but in this case, I’d hate to get a fork in the hand.I’ve had the tortellini before, and I could see it happening.”
“I’ll take the scallops too, then,” I say.“If you’re twisting my arm.”
There’s no twisting, but once we start eating, things with Mark and Richard only improve.The food reallyisgood, and that always helps.And on top of that, Mark’s not nearly as bad as I thought he would be.Sure, he’s a strong personality, but so am I.So is Richard.I like people like I like cheese: strong, aged, and unique, and he’s all three.Plus, it feels like he’s predisposed to like me.
In fact, after some amazing wild venison, and a few bites of Richard’s perfectly seared hake, which isn’t fishy atall, I’m ready to declare the lunch an absolute success.And that’s before the same waiter brings another enormous tray covered with desserts.
“For our grand finale,” he says, “we have a blood orange vanilla rice pudding, a hazelnut delice,” which looks like a regular flourless chocolate cake with a strawberry on top, and a fluffy blob next to it, not that I’m complaining, “an apple mousse in a puff pastry, with salted caramel ice cream made by Everett himself, and a selection of Irish cheeses.”He inclines his head.“The errant French cheese was left off, per your request.”
