Holiday Party  2007

Part III

Location: LallaPalooza Restaurant-Bar. Monterey, CA

Time Frame: 12/15 Saturday night 5-11 pm.

Food: Restaurant Menu. (From paella to hanger steak.)

Entertainment: Nothing in particular

Number of people: about 60-80

(Company hosting party was Alan's employer)

This is the third time Alan and I have attended this company's holiday party in Monterey, at this exact same venue. Out of all the parties we have attended this holiday season, this one felt the most familiar and cozy. We were pretty sure we knew what to expect when we arrived, and we were prepared to have fun with our friends. 

The food was OK overall: the appetizers included raw oysters and other fried goodies. Alan had the hanger steak, which was excellent. I had the seafood paella, which was OK. The desserts were nothing sensational, but after all the holiday eating I have done so far I wasn't too worried about the dessert platter. I will, however, point out that the cheese cake may or may not have been a little rancid, as this was a topic of conversation towards the end of the evening.

The drink situation was very disappointing. You could buy any drink you liked, since Lallapalooza is a bar. But this is one of those places where you need to know what to order. I didn't know any better and I ordered a lemon drop. Ohh well. The two wines you could choose from with dinner were free, at least initially. They tasted like the residue of fermented sour grape drink, but the merlot was a little less revolting than the shiraz. I found out the hard way that you only got one glass of this "wine" with dinner. When I asked for seconds of the merlot, I was charged 12 dollars. My jaw almost dropped off my face. 

There wasn't really much in terms of entertainment, but I don't think it was necessary anyway. People actually talked and made jokes and had fun enjoying each other's company. After we left the restaurant, we hung out with a small group of people from the party at a nearby bar.  

We arrived home tired and happy. We enjoyed every second of this holiday party. Monterey is a beautiful place full of interesting people, and I can't wait to go back and visit.