“Are you going to write about this?” my previous husband asks me. No, truly, my friend.
“I don’t know. Can I write about this?” It’s an honest and fair question to ask the once-upon-a-time editor of The Bloom. He knows what my readers like as well as I do.
“I think you can,” he encourages me. “Sell it for what it is.”
So I take out my phone and snap a photo or two. The food photo is what you’d expect, not exceptional; there’s not a lot of mystery to a crunchy taco anyone can make at home. Sure, the meat portion is surprisingly generous, and the sides of sour cream, jarred salsa, and jalapeños are a pleasant surprise. But what do I write about other than that? I must have pondered it aloud.
“I think people will like it,” he continues. “You can’t beat a $1.50 taco, a good well drink, and a view without company.” It’s true. We are alone on the expansive patio of The Riviera Hills Restaurant and Lounge. It’s not that no one else is there; they are just inside enjoying the air conditioning and chatting, oh, about four clicks too loud–you can’t turn it down when it’s real people in a closed room.
Call it happy hour, call it Taco Wednesday, call it what you will, but every retired community member in the area is here right now. It would seem that Taco Wednesday is no secret to those who know.
Jonah braves his internal decibel meter to get us a second drink and another taco. Chatter and laughter sneak their way out of the open door, briefly interrupting the serenity we found.
Quiet. Not the church quiet I knew as a child when innocent whispers were deemed too loud. No, nature-quiet that comes from vistas spanning miles and miles into the horizon. Boats move like dots and blurbs, traveling slowly because of the space that separates me from them. One might call this a birds-eye view, I muse.
A warm breeze glides past my face, hitting the flagless flagpole. Tink tink tink sings the metal against the rope. Although tightly bound, it still ebbs and flows with the waves of the wind. It’s the only sound now ringing in my ears against the growing silence that I breathe in deeply.
Can one breathe in silence? Yes, I think so.
The pause, moment of stillness, is interrupted by Jonah’s two full hands bringing a second serving of tacos and replenished drinks. When I come back to reality, I realize I was in a trance. Or not, depending on how one looks at it.
Jonah sits down, remarking that there must be a party or social group meeting tonight, given the larger-than-normal crowd. I smile at a smoker walking an appropriate distance from us, taking their own break of sorts. Ahhh, if only smoking were good for us, because what a delight to have an excuse to break away from the crowded room for a moment to breathe deeply and soak in the view. All things healthy except for the tobacco, right?
My mind returns to the subject at hand, planning for the school year ahead, figuring out schedules and whose doing what for our mutual kids. Sure, it’s all grown-up things two mature divorced adults can do over the phone, but as I said before, we are still friends, and I had mentioned killing two birds with one stone: Meeting and getting in a potential Bloom review.
And here are my thoughts on my time here: No, there isn’t a full menu or even a bar menu on a Wednesday evening like there is on the weekend when crowds and live music drive out the normal stillness at the Riviera Hills Restaurant and Lounge.
It’s more like a one-man show: The bartender splits the time between pouring drinks and making tacos on demand, and somehow he seems to manage alright. It helps that his patrons are polite, and no one is there to get sh*t faced because this group learned those life lessons decades ago.
But I don’t know how you can beat a $1.50 taco with your choice of meat these days. And if you are a conscientious patron on the patio, such as not leaving a mark once you leave, the view is divine. It’s a chance to get away from it all and have five minutes to yourself when, in the middle of the week, one can easily get lost in the hustle and bustle of a typical workday.
Just like Lake County diamonds, it is just one more treasure and surprise Lake County has to offer. So here’s to Taco Wednesdays at the Riviera Hills Restaurant and Lounge. Cheers!
Riviera Hills Restaurant & Lounge
10200 Fairway Dr, Kelseyville, CA 95451
(707) 277-7575
