The One Where We Guest Bartend at Bistro 7 to Benefit Community Plates

Literally behind the stick at Bistro 7 while guest bartending

To say that we were both nervous about guest bartending at Bistro 7 would be a gross understatement.  What if someone ordered a cocktail we had never heard of, what if we put too much vodka, gin, or rum into the shaker?  The possibilities were endless, but our fears added up a bit when we got behind the bar.  Amanda, the bartender at Bistro 7, took us through where the bottles of white were, where the reds by bottle and glass where, where the vodkas were, where the rums were, where the premium liquor was, which glasses to use for soda, water, cocktails, wine, and beer, where the water tap was, how to pour the perfect pint, how to pour a glass of wine, how to fill out order tickets, where to put dirty dishes, where to find the napkins and utensils, where to find the spoons/soup spoons/forks/knives, and how to pick up the food at the kitchen window.  Woooooh.

Dan’s pouring out some wine (don’t worry, he’s going to put more in from another bottle)

But, all of our anxiety faded away when we saw our buddy and fellow food writer, Andrew Dominick (thanks for the photos) of Food Dudes and Hamlet Hub.  He was there with very kind and gracious Sally of Books, Ink.  They went easy on us, ordering some brews and a bunch of small plates to eat and some for Sally to take home.  Soon after, a bunch of our friends and fellow writers came by, too:  Renato and Alicia Ghio of rMedia/Local Food Rocks, Jordan Giles of Half Full Brewery and his girlfriend Jessie, Adeline Jessica of Hamlet Hub and her own media company (she’s guest bartending April 16) with her friend, our friend Maggie, reader (and new friend) Trish, Sal Bagliavio, Jordan, and Bryan Walsh of Bailey’s Backyard, Pam Dufour of Fairfield After Dark with her friend Dan, and of course Kevin and Jacinta Mullins of Community Plates.

Look at that perfect pint pour! Wow!

As the night went on, we got more comfortable behind the bar and really got into the swing of things.  We also had the chance to meet lots of great people who sat at the bar for food and drinks.  They lit up when they found out that we were doing this all to help out a charity that we cared about.  With the support of Bistro 7 and all the diners and drinkers that came out we were able to raise a nice chunk of change to help fund Community Plate’s hard work of rescuing food in Fairfield County:  $360 buckaroos.

This whole experience gave us a huge appreciation for what great friends we have and what a great community of writers that we’re surrounded by.  Also, it gave us an enormous respect for the inner-workings of a restaurant and especially a bar.

Thank you all!