Soft Opening

Yesterday night I went to my friend Linh's "soft opening" of her new restaurant "Annie's Corner" (she changed her name to Annie specifically for this purpose...). To be completely honest, I was expecting a very low-end place, with tiny stools, chipped formica tables, and high-impact florescent lights. I arrived to a very pleasant surprise; it was a renovated French building, decked out in maroon and white, with original artwork (painted by my friend Lien's mother), built-in oak wine racks, and a very handsome bar.
Being the interior design buff that I am, I was very impressed with the place. Linh invited about 20 friends to the unofficial opening, where she proceeded to serve us a variety of small portions from the tentative menu. The food was amazing, and the constant supply of wine didn't hurt either... (it has been a while since I enjoyed some nice wine, as it is rather hard to come by over here). Linh was insistent that her friends receive free meals for the first month of business, so I shall definitely be returning when it officially opens in 2 weeks (although the place is so snazzy that there is no way I can go in there without paying, might have to slip some money under a napkin so it will be discovered after my departure).
The opening was definitely the highlight of my week so far (since rehearsing dances with 3rd graders and administering final exams is not the most exciting thing to be doing all week). Anneliese and Carlo are leaving to explore Southern Viet Nam tomorrow, so tonight we are going out for a bit of a farewell dinner (rather, a farewell Bit Tet on the street). As for my motorbike, haven't crashed yet, so rest easy.