Requisite celebrity sightings 2

Last night, a luxurious meander of cocktails and small plates. We began on the balcony at Barolo, with dirty martinis, Stoli Citron gimlets, a delicate zucchini puree soup and beautifully tender grilled octopus with gaeta olives, potatoes and pear tomatoes. There was a party in the garden terrace below, featuring pitchers of white sangria and an eclectic crowd. The staff were overly diligent with the water service, but the night was off to a delightful start.

We continued through Soho, stopping for a /drop of the bag, change of the shirt/ and then hit Raoul's. It was a night of incorrect first impressions - there were people hovering rather than sitting on the only two available bar stools, so we hovered behind them, and then a woman pushed past us to the bar, coming dangerously close to taking one of the stools. I narrowed my eyes and promptly sat on it, facing away from the bar, claiming the seat. As things thinned out, she sat to our left and turned out to be a sweet girl (unfortunately named Jewell). She also introduced us to Norm, a seventy-something regular drinking tea at the bar. Lovely!

East Coast Guy stepped away for a moment and I placed my hand on his bar stool to retain possession. I received an immediate hit from a tall, former quarterback type, asking for the seat, congratulating me on my excellent choice of beverage (he liked it so much he ordered two) and offering the equivalent of "come here often?" level conversation. His date arrived and they stood behind us while they waited for their table, perfect for our shameless eavesdropping. They discussed the art over the bar, he stepped out to call his daughter, and we met his date, the lovely Jane from Indiana, in his absence. She was so thoughtful with Norm that we had to like her. All this led to a lively conversation, and we parted as friends when their table was ready. We ate a delicious side order of spinach and a yummy banana bread pudding with caramel cream and caramel sauce, and then called it a night.

But not before running into Joanna Going (Inventing the Abbotts) and husband Dylan Walsh, of Nip/Tuck fame. ECG knows her through the theatrical wing of his family, so we chatted briefly and got a full round of introductions while they waited for their table.