Ravenous

Tonight, after a weekend of dinners, the table full of gracious patrons dining over sixteen courses-one, I'm tired, and two, I'm so hungy.  I want to go to dinner too...  My partner is at Aviary and I thought, geez, maybe I could snatch the walk-in table at Next and then head over to Aviary for a non-alcoholic cocktail-if they have those.  Then I thought it's not likely that I'd be able to snag it and taking the bus all the way down there to walk back to the bus coated in chilly rain just didn't do it for me.  Then I thought maybe I could go to ING.  Looked up a table for one on Open Table and no luck.  I suppose it all works out the way it is supposed to because I really need to save my money but I also love to calibrate my palate and dinning at such places certainly sets it straight.  Being a young chef (not that I'm young), but young chef in the sense that I have just been back in the kitchen now full-time for a little more than a year, it's important.  It's as to being an English major and having a reading list.  As a chef or cook there a just certain places that one should absolutely dine and then file in their memory bank the olfactory and taste.  Instead I've asked my niece to make a burger for me.  Four nights ago she made the best burger I have ever tasted.  But I forgot to get ground beef at the store today!