a pin-up, a chef, and a girl who needs to brush her hair

Try not to be jealous, but CK, TK and I met Spike from Top Chef: Chicago (season 4). You know, the season where Lisa inexplicably made it to the final three? But I’m sooo over that…

I guess it’s totally not shocking that we accosted casually bumped into Spike in DC because he just opened a restaurant on Capitol Hill: Good Stuff Eatery. (And boy is that some good stuff.) But I guess I never really thought I’d be lucky enough to see him, because that stuff doesn’t happen to my celebrity-adoring self. Instead, I see Jimmy Fallon a couple hundred times when in NYC, and that’s it. But now I’m just totally off-topic.

CK, TK and I went for a quick dinner at the well-reviewed Good Stuff Eatery. I was torn between wanting one of the wedge salads or just going for the gold and getting a toasted marshmallow milkshake and spike’s village fries. Instead, as a compromise with a desire to at least pretend to want to be healthy, I went for the Free Range Turkey Burger (chunky avocado & sprouts, Muenster cheese & ruby tomato on a Pennsylvania Dutch whole wheat bun) and Spike’s Village Fries (topped with fresh thyme, rosemary & cracked pepper). DELISH! It was all super yummy. We all housed our food in record time. Plus, with the additions of the fabulous dips at the dipping bar (my fave: old bay mayo, but there were also chipotle and sriracha mayos), it was the perfect comfort food.

But I have to admit, I was distracted. I saw Spike downstairs when I was waiting for the food, but being classic MJ, I was too embarrassed to take the picture. I get like this sometimes all the time. I totally don’t mind following suit, but I cannot be the instigator. Similar situations happen to me at concerts when my more-brave-than-me friends try and sneak up to the front, and I all but die of embarrassment… only to quickly follow and enjoy the upgrade.

ANYWAY (sheesh, sorry for being so long winded), the food was kick-ass, but I was distracted. And so, TK offered to take the picture on our way out, if Spike was still there. Well, I must have done something good, because Spike was still there. TK grabbed the camera, headed over to Spike, and asked if he could take a picture of CK and me with Spike. And then, the stars aligned, the clouds parted, my wheezing stopped (TMI?), and the next thing I knew, I was taking a picture with Spike. Who was, by the way, so chill and hip. I feel like a tool saying that, but it’s true.

TK managed to not sound like an idiot, asking Spike how he liked DC, where his next restaurant would be opening (it’s a franchise), and sounding, you know, normal. Not me. I kept saying, “Congratulations on the restaurant,” and “The food was awesome,” and other lame sentences. Still, Spike was awesome.*

And the picture of us? Well, I think that is pretty awesome too.

* I know you’re thinking this really isn’t a big deal. But you know what? It was to me. And this is my blog. So deal.