Therapy

Main Entry: ther·a·py
Pronunciation: \ˈther-ə-pē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ther·a·pies
Etymology: New Latin therapia, from Greek therapeia, from therapeuein
Date: circa 1846
: therapeutic treatment especially of bodily, mental, or behavioral disorder
The above definition according to my highly esteemed Webster (as in dictionary)

So people have only been getting therapy since 1846...well I don't feel so bad now for it taking me so long to get to ours. If you're not familiar with Therapy (capital "T") it has been a trendy martini bar open in Charlotte since 1993; yet somehow I just never quite got there until now. I was worried it would be overrated, too expensive, full of obnoxious sex and the city wannabes. And I was partially right - but fortunately the crowd was older than I anticipated, and much more fashionable than I gave them credit for. The service (thanks Rebecca!) was fantastic - just right level of personal touch, never hovering or absent for too long. For ambiance when you want a nice, busy place to have a drink but you don't have to yell to hear each other - Wednesday night at Therapy is definitely the place.

So Mandy and I determine that we will go straight away after work to have a proper martini in our first bar that really claims the Martini made it famous. We choose public transit - I really like that free trolley (wish it came to my house) and got a nice little walk in as well. We spent the time at the trolley stop talking about Twilight. Evidently I am the only woman on the planet who has no idea it is coming out on Thursday night and is threatening to be the biggest blockbuster since The Dark Batman (I know gentlemen, I just lost cool points on that one but I don't know what it's called and I have no intentions of seeing it). So Mandy proceeds to tell me it's about vampires with consciences and very hot sex lives (or is that what you'd call it since they are technically dead?). I admit, I am intrigued. But more so because it was a book first. Of course, I rarely buy books and at this rate, trying to get it at the library would be like getting the next Harry Potter book when it comes out. So I give up. Maybe in a few years I'll sit down at home with a martini and read it.

But back to Therapy. The menu is completely overwhelming - half price martinis on Wednesday nights and there are at least 30 to choose from. We debate for a few minutes on whether or not we will get something fun and fancy or stick to our puritan roots and go for the Gin and the Vodka. Mandy's hopes are dashed when she learns that the classic martini really is made with Gin (I knew this all along, but as a good friend will not rub it in...) so she gets some sort of "Demons Within"martini - Pepper Vodka and more hot stuff - sort of like a bloody Mary all grown up in a stemmed glass. I liked the look but didn't taste (Mandy has a cold and I don't want it). I finally decide on the "Don't Stop" martini - gin, vermouth, lemon twist (admittedly I skipped the fruit) - and wow, it was good and it didn't stop...

Once our morals were loosened up a little, her Demons unleashed and me talking incessantly about inappropriate things, we really started to take in the concept of Therapy. Mandy and I have known each other for, let's just say over 10 years!, and I pretty much thought we had told each other everything about the other person. Wrong. Did you know Mandy likes a ... I wouldn't really write that here. Plus there's nothing to stop her from blogging away about all the secrets I divulged either!

Regardless, it was a scintillating 3 hours of conversation, commiserating, and meeting a new friend in Rebecca the fantastic server that Mandy hopes will be our new "Silver Friend." And suddenly I realize I cannot drive my car (legally or rationally) and I have to call my, gasp, husband to come pick me up. Graciously he gets out of bed (it's HOW late?) and drives downtown to collect me...ashamed and apologizing profusely.

Thus ends Martini Night 2 at Therapy. We are going to take a short break and dry out and reconvene after Thanksgiving. Despite the fact I tried to avoid it, I now have a horrible cold, which takes all the fun out of martinis...