I did a bad, bad thing. But as every story should, lets start from very the beginning. A very good place to start (oh Maria and those lyrical Von Trapps). My Friday night definitely justifies my horrid transgression on Saturday so here we go….
The Canton neighborhood in Baltimore City is pretty awesome. It’s low-key and laid back and all the bars and restaurants are fairly spread out and sprinkled among the residential streets (except for Canton square but let’s not get technical) . Whenever a new bar or restaurant opens it’s a pretty big deal, especially when that bar/restaurant brings something new to the neighborhood that none of the others have to offer.
Enter Saigon Today. Owned and operated by two sisters, Hoa & Susu Ha, this restaurant has all the makings of something special. These two ladies own my favorite nail salon in the city too (Athena’s Nails & Spa) so when I got word they were going to be our newest addition to the Canton restaurant scene I was totes-stoked! Naturally when Susu so kindly extended an invite to me and Dave to their soft opening I was super pumped to check it out and RSVP’s for their first night of tastings on Friday evening.
The food was heavenly, the drinks were STRONG and the company was fabulous as it always is with our friends L & A who were able to snag some spots for the same tasting time too. Although Dave had intended to call it an early night, he suggested we have one more drink so after saying our goodbye’s to Susu we made our way to O’Donnell Pub. Drinks were ordered and we parked ourselves at one of the outdoor tables. One drink turned in two, then two to three, then three to four. Deciding that it was about bedtime for Dave (he was set to leave for a rugby tourney in NJ at 5am the next morn) we started making our way back home. L thought it would be brilliant to stop into JP’s, an old-Baltimore corner bar that you have to ring a buzzer in order to be let in. And so we went. Three rotations of the Bruno Mars hit, “Treasure,” and who-knows-how-many shots of After Shock and Peppermint Schnapps later we decided it was time to be on our way, much to the delight of our fellow barflies.
JP’s Fun fact: a schnapps of the bartender’s choosing is served on-the-house each time the O’s hit a hommer — she was a real sweetie and so graciously let us choose between Peachtree and Peppermint.
Dave poured himself into the house and I stayed out to chat with L on the stoop for a bit longer. When I finally made it in and was able to convince Dave after numerous attempts that the guest room was not a bathroom and that no, he could not throw up in there, it was well after 1am. Less than four short hours later Dave managed to drag himself out of bed and walked out the door. Still in his state of inebriation he left the house and hopped in a buddy’s car without the team jerseys. I received a comical phone call about an hour and a half later asking if I could make the 3-hour trip to drop them off at the field, “but you don’t have to stay, you can leave right after and drive back to Baltimore.” HA. HA. HA. no.
Here is where my inappropriateness ensues.
The day after big drinking always leaves me with a craving list that any pregnant woman would envy. On Saturday morning my list consisted of the following:
- Chocolate cake (I’m talking 7-layer cake here people)
- Diet A&W (my hangover crack)
- Milk
- Ice Cream
- Kraft Mac & Cheese (the really gross kind with the powdered cheese)
- Watermelon
- Cheese
The fact that my grocery list consists of so much dairy is truly frightening but at the time it was not only ingenious but each item was an absolutely mandatory purchase. Motivating myself to dress and slap on a bra so as not to startle any fellow Cantonites was near impossible but in the end I managed to find a way. Thirty minutes and $75 later I came home with this (oh, and let’s not forget the bag of Tostito’s, it’s there, lurking on the counter)….
I will not apologize for my gluttony. Ain’t no shame in my game. In the end it turned out to be a nice little Saturday. Home alone, snuggling my children on the couch while watching some terrible Netflix and gorging on cherries and Kraft Mac. No trips to Home Depot or Bed Bath & Beyond, I certainly didn’t have enough time for all that as I so clearly had way to much grocery product to devour. All I will leave you with is this, the meme that perfectly sums up the after-effects of my hoggish (yeah, that’s a real word) consumption for the day……
yup. and only after that stark reality did I realize, for a reason completely unbeknownst to me, that I had forgotten the ice cream.
*Update: When taking in an order from my Capital Seaboard driver on Monday morning he told me, “I lost some weight.” This could be a compliment, especially after the amount of food I’d wolfed down on Saturday, or he’s blatantly telling me I’m a fatty. Thank you my little Hispanic friend?