From Thrillville to Yountville: Our 10th Wedding Anniversary

Our 10th wedding anniversary at The French Laundry
Cheers!
Celebrating at the French Laundry
On Tuesday, May 31, 2011, we celebrated a delicious decade of magical marriage at the world famous French Laundry up in Yountville, just north of Napa (where, ironically, we spent our very first anniversary, hosting my first Thrillville show at Copia, now closed but, like the Parkway, is rumored for a revival). Now, I am not a foodie, but Monica is, and this was Plan B (or Plan A.2) since we couldn't make it to the original destination for this date, Paris. We did go see the new Woody Allen flick Midnight in Paris (read my review here) later that night, but this was definitely the next best thing, and cheaper by a few bucks to boot. Also, this celebrated restaurant is much harder to get into than France, so just the fact we got a reservation was a sign from Above this  was meant to be. Before dinner we strolled around Yountville on a mini bar crawl, stopping at the swank bar at the spa resort Bardessona and then a classy place down the road called Redd. Cocktails were excellent at both spots, which was a good thing, since the French Laundry, amazingly, does not feature a full bar. We did polish off a bottle of their house champagne, along with both the regular and the vegetable tasting menu. Every single bite of every single item was perfectly delicious. It was a very elegant, entertaining, exquisite, and expensive experience, well worth it, especially since it was a dream come true for my beloved bride. We may not have Paris - yet - but we'll always have The French Laundry. And with that tab, it'll have us for a while, too. Cheers.
Monica: so happy to be at The French Laundry


 








The bar at Bardessona

Monica at Bardessona














At Redd
Cheers (Redd)








Ravishing at Redd

Showing off Monica's anniversary gift, a Sinatra-style pinkie ring
at Bardessona
This scene at the French Laundry says it all.
Monica in the French Laundry kitchen
















That day's menu, autographed by famed chef Thomas Keller
Will Viharo

WILL "THE THRILL" VIHARO is a freelance writer and the author of several "gonzo pulp" novels including "A Mermaid Drowns in the Midnight Lounge," "Freaks That Carry Your Luggage up to the Room," "Chumpy Walnut," "Lavender Blonde," "Down a Dark Alley," and the “Vic Valentine, Private Eye” series, the first of which, "Love Stories Are Too Violent For Me," has been optioned for a film by Christian Slater, reissued in 2013 by Gutter Books, which also published the new Vic Valentine novel "Hard-boiled Heart" in December, 2015.

Two science fiction novels, "It Came from Hangar 18" and "The Space Needler's Intergalactic Bar Guide," were written in collaboration with Scott Fulks, who added real science to Will's pulp.

Will's own imprint, Thrillville Press, has issued a three volume anthology series featuring all of his standalone novels called "The Thrillville Pulp Fiction Collection," along with another omnibus called "The Vic Valentine Classic Case Files," which include four novels from the 1990s, "Fate Is My Pimp," "Romance Takes a Rain Check," "I Lost My Heart in Hollywood," and "Diary of a Dick," plus a recent short story, "Brain Mistrust."

More recently published books include the Vic Valentine "Mental Case Files" trilogy comprised of "Vic Valentine: International Man of Misery," "Vic Valentine: Lounge Lizard For Hire," and "Vic Valentine: Space Cadet"; the original story collection "Vic Valentine, Private Eye: 14 Vignettes"; the erotic horror noir novella "Things I Do When I'm Awake"; and a collection of erotic horror noir stories, "VIHORROR! Cocktales of Sex and Death."

Additionally Will has had stories included in a variety of anthologies including "Fast Women and Neon Lights: Eighties-Inspired Neon Noir"; "Mixed Up!"; "Long Distance Drunks: A Tribute to Charles Bukowski"; "Deadlines: A Tribute to William Wallace"; "Dark Yonder: Tales and Tabs"; "Knucklehead Noir" and "Weird Winter Wonderland" (both Coffin Hop Press); and "Pop the Clutch: Thrilling Tales of Rockabilly, Monsters, and Hot Rod Horror."

Viharo's unique brand of "gonzo pulp fiction" combines elements of eroticism, noir, fantasy, and horror. For many years he has also been a professional film programmer/impresario and live music booker. He now lives in Seattle, WA with his wife and cats

https://www.thrillville.net
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Celebrating the 10 Best Years of my Life - and the Best Is Yet to Come