8.24.2007

Adventures at Terroni

Last Friday night was the weirdest night everrrrr, in the history of dinner at Terroni. Tenma, moJO (Joanne), and I had just left a meeting at the Cadillac lounge and decided to indulge in a dinner at … yes.. Terroni. Yes, *again*.





So we call up Matt and Jesar to join us. We get to Terroni sometime after 7 and as expected on a Friday there is a huge lineup. This time it’s wrapped across the front to the left so the last people in line (us) can see the people eating in the window – which turns out to be Natalie Galazka of Revolver Films, “Hi Natalie”.

Anyway, there’s something fishy about this line-up. It’s longer than usual, not entirely surprising, but it turns out it hasn’t moved at all for like a while… why? Because Terroni’s computer system is down. Whoa. Just imagine the craziness right? Our heart goes out to beloved Terroni staff. But we still want to get in there.
Eventually the line manages to move a bit and after talking to Andrew, our old faithful Terroni link behind the bar, we get a few seats at the bar so we can atleast have a drink while we wait for the table. The wait feels like forever because we’re all starving and getting a little hangry.

Finally we get the table and it’s totally the best one in the house (you know the first big table when you come in, just below the bar, one side is the long bench seat? That one). In my opinion it’s the best because you can see a lot of the restaurant action including who’s coming in, who’s leaving, you’re close to the bar staff so you can yell out to them, and the waiters all come to and from the kitchen right past you so you get to say hi to all of them too.

K, so we’ve ordered food, and we’re sharing our table with 3 strangers on the other end. Waitress who’s name I can’t remember brings the strangers their apps and totally drops one of the plates which miraculoulsy lands perfectly making all noise , but no mess. Phew#1!

So later we’re talking and whatever when *smack* just like that Jesar elbows the same waitresses (accidentally of course) and her food dishes almost go flying. But she maintains control! Phew #2! Jesar apologizes. She turns to us and says – “don’t worry, I knew it would come in threes, so at least it’s almost over”. We laugh, and forget about it instantly and are soon eating our food which has just arrived.

But before you know it Bang! – the lights shut off, the music turns off; the power has gone out. At Terroni! At Terroni on a Friday night! At Terroni on a Friday night and the power is actually out on the whole Queen Street strip! WTF!

After a moment of nervous confusion the restaurant erupts in clapping and cheers and it seems everyone thinks this is fun and cool, except for of course the Terroni staff. The thoughts that were racing through our heads were “holy shit – do you think it’s like a huge north eastern black out like 2003?”. I know now it wasn’t, but sitting there with the lights out that felt like an exciting possiblity. And we were *so* lucky our food had just arrived. (we heard another waitress tell the strangers next to us they couldn’t get their food or something due to the power being out!)

So we’re sitting in the dark, Terroni staff had come around with little tea candles, (so cute!) when we hear “oh my god somebody call 9-11”.
The next thing we know people are crowded around in the waiting in line aisle by the door because someone has passed out in line and hit their head on the floor!

The energy was so strange that night. So. Strange. That Tenma and I decided we needed to document it because noone would believe this crazy story.

Here it is.



See it. Believe it.

A while later the lights came back on and it was like the whole thing never happened. so glad we took that picture.

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