It was a somewhat vulgar term for the pre-opening of a restaurant, my pal Steve pointed out.
“You’re right!” I replied. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
If you’ve never been to the “soft opening” of a restaurant before, the experience can largely be encapsulated in a single sweetly sad moment at the recent preview of a new restaurant we attended with our friends, Steve and Ashley:
A young waitress brought one of our cocktails to the table. The drink was too full, she was nervous, and green tequila-infused juice splashed over the rim of the glass all over her hands and the table as she awkwardly set the cocktail down and apologetically scuttled away.
“What sort of food do they serve?” Leslie had asked as we drove toward Glendale. More
skinny girls & mayonnaise 