where everybody knows our name

What are you doing this summer? If you're not summering in the South of France, may I suggest a worthy alternative? I propose that, if you haven't already, you become a regular at a local, non-chain restaurant. I don't mean "regular" as in you get the same thing every time you go and would probably recognize the girl who takes your order if you saw her in the checkout line at the grocery store. I mean regular like, when you've already eaten everything on the menu, you can talk the chef into letting you eat what the guys in the kitchen are eating. And regular like, when your imagination for cocktails is sorely lacking, the genius behind the bar will give you something you've never tasted before that involves a homemade gastrique and goes well with lamb. (Our genius' name is Bobby, and he has a blog.) Somehow, Blaine and I have managed to become this kind of regular at Beaver's and it has been worth every calorie.