So our good friend, let’s call him Rob, came into town for a visit a few weekends ago. And because Rob is a bit of a gourmand, we took him to our favorite restaurant in town–let’s call it Z. Nertz. The three of us had an amazing meal and some fantastic wines. Really, it’s one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to, and it’s right here in my hometown. Yay! Before the amuse bouche was even on the table, Rob was making plans to return monthly just to dine at this great restaurant. And I thought we were the big draw encouraging us to come visit. Ha.

During the course of our 4-hour-long dinner, we got a chance to talk to the sommelier–a third-degree sommelier, to be precise–a highly educated expert on wines. Mr. Sommelier, who could clearly tell that Rob knew far more about wine than my husband and I do, directed the majority of his attention toward our friend. This was fine, because we were pretty sure Rob was going to pick up the check, like he tends to do. In any event, over the course of our 4-hour dining experience, we had several conversations with the sommelier. And I noticed something interesting happening. Rob started to get a goofy little grin on his face. His eyes lit up. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the sommelier’s lips as they pronounced many an obscure wine term. He bought every wine the sommelier suggested with nary a blink. It was official: Rob had a mancrush. 

Really, it was adorable. The sommelier kept bringing wines he recommended we try with each course, and with each new wine he gave us an erudite-sounding explication of the wine’s provenance. (It wasn’t just that I didn’t understand the explanations; I didn’t even recognize all the words he used, and I’m not a generally ignorant person.) But Rob just gobbled it all up. He was in heaven, and it wasn’t just the fabulous meal–it was the company…of course, the excellent company of which I speak was not the company of myself and my husband–his longtime friends–but rather his newest, bestest friend, the sommelier. Yes, the mancrush was on.

I believe this was the first time I had actually witnessed the birth and developement of a mancrush all in one sitting. It was immensely entertaining–in fact, the entertainment portion of the evening was as delectable as the food and wine. Thank you, Rob, for a truly wonderful experience. I can’t wait to dine with you again at your mancrush’s restaurant. I just hope he feels the same way about you as you do about him.

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