Page 8 of The Dating Prohibition

The following evening, the first guests began to arrive at the restaurant, each of them exploring the features of the establishment

and marveling at the selections made for fixtures and decor. Shonda welcomed people at the door and introduced herself, while

Lani played hostess, checking in the guests and then guiding them to their reserved tables.

“Hi there, welcome to PALATE,” Kendra greeted guests taking seats at the bar. She was clad in all black, the requested uniform

for everyone working with the team, and was behind the bar to make specialty cocktails while Logan handled wine pours and

their standard house cocktails. “How are y’all doing tonight?”

“We’re excited to be here! We’ve been waiting for this place to open,” a woman replied, smiling brightly as she craned her

neck to take in the space. “It’s gorgeous in here!”

“Isn’t it? My brother and his wife are the owners, and I’ve been admiring all of the different touches they’ve made to really

make this place sparkle.”

“Oh, are you one of the owners, then?” the woman asked Logan.

He smiled. “I am. Logan Porter, nice to meet you.” He shook hands with her and the man sitting beside her.

“I’m Jeanette and this is my husband, Larry. We live around the corner.”

“Well, thank you for joining us for our grand opening.”

“Jeanette’s been watching this place like a hawk. We’re so glad to see another Black-owned business in the neighborhood.”

Larry leaned forward. “And something back in the kitchen smells delicious!”

Kendra beamed. “Well, here are some menus for you to take a look at. In the meantime, would you like still, sparkling, or

tap water?” She slid menus in leather covers to each of them. “These blue ones are for food, and the black menus are our cocktails.

There are some specials for opening day listed in each.”

“Excellent, thank you. Sparkling water please.”

Kendra nodded and turned to enter the bottle of sparkling water into her register terminal before grabbing two glasses and

a bottle of chilled S.Pellegrino. “Would either of you care for ice? Lemon?”

“We’ll take both.”

Kendra grabbed a glass and scooped ice into it, repeating the same with the next. She twisted the lid off the bottle and poured

it into both glasses. She used tongs to grab a couple of lemon wedges, which she placed on a saucer on the counter. “Let me

know when you’re ready to order another beverage or some food.”

They nodded their thanks and proceeded to review the menu, making little remarks here and there about different items being

featured.

Tickets began to flow, and Kendra started making cocktails.

Her audience at the bar oooed and ahhhed at the torched marshmallows on the old-fashioneds and the wine floaters on top of another cocktail.

One of the servers carried a tray of freshly shucked oysters with a small ramekin of dry ice in the center to create a fog effect.

People around the dining room pointed and practically broke their necks to see what else Shonda and the team were cooking up in the kitchen.

Every few minutes another dish would come out—there was fresh pasta with clams, a truffle risotto, a spiced grilled chicken

over saffron rice, a bread tray with different toppings and a pile of toasted baguette slices. Kendra was trying to keep her

mouth from watering, but over the course of the last several days, she’d had the pleasure of sampling everything that the

cooks practiced. Shonda curated the hell out of that menu.

Parents, aunts and uncles, and cousins began to arrive. True to his word, Scott from the wine distributor arrived with his

wife. The indoor and outdoor tables were all accounted for, and the servers stayed on top of their tables.

BJ was behind the bar on the other side of Logan. He’d been tasked with running the glass washer and polishing the steaming

glasses as they came out. His hair was pulled back from his face, and his black collared shirt clung to his body. Kendra averted

her eyes as he turned to look in her direction, moving to take Jeannette and Larry’s orders before rushing back to the kitchen

to grab an order for another patron at the bar.

“How’s it going out there?” Shonda called. She stood behind a stainless steel prep table adding garnishes to different dishes

and making sure that presentation was perfect before anything left the kitchen. Her two cooks moved in unison, aprons tied

around the waists of their chef’s coats, sweat beading their brows.

“It’s packed out there, but everything is moving smoothly, and people seem excited and happy with the food.

” She gave a thumbs-up to the cooks. “Y’all are killin’ it!

” Kendra turned to Shonda. “Do you want me to expedite for a bit so that you can greet some of the tables? We’ve had some turnover since you were greeting at the door. Logan can handle the bar for a few.”

Shonda handed two dishes to Kendra for the bar patrons and nodded. “That would be great! Can you drop those off for me? I’m

going to freshen up my lipstick and dress these two plates for table six, and then I’ll come grab you to swap.”

Kendra nodded. “You got it.” She turned on her heel, balancing a bowl of she-crab soup and a steaming plate of honey-and-miso-glazed

Chilean sea bass with garlic fried rice and roasted asparagus. “Mmm, that sinangag smells just like our Lola’s!”

Shonda beamed. “I’ll be sure to save you some!”

“Please do!” Kendra dropped off the food to wide-eyed customers who immediately dug in, savoring each bite. She checked the

tickets and made two of her s’mores old-fashioneds before turning to Logan. “I’m gonna relieve Shonda for a bit so she can

greet tables. You good?”

“Aren’t I always?” he quipped, his face lighting up in a mischievous grin.

“You know what...” Kendra shook her finger at her big brother, laughing. “Something is wrong with you.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I got it. And BJ can pour wines while I take care of the specialty drinks.” He gestured toward his right.

BJ was deep in conversation with a woman dining solo at the bar. Whatever she said made him roar with laughter.

Kendra watched with curiosity as he leaned forward and whispered something to the woman who looked like she was ready to risk it all.

Something twisted in Kendra’s gut as the woman bit her lip before taking a sip of her Pink 75—one of Kendra’s specials.

It was her take on a classic French 75 with gin, lemon, and sparkling wine, but instead of regular simple syrup, she made one with rhubarb, which gave the drink its pink coloring—even the foam from the shaken egg whites took on a barely blush tone.

“Hey, sis, you ready?” Shonda called.

Kendra turned and nodded. “Yep! Heading back now.” Get it together, girl. You have absolutely no right to feel a way.

She proceeded back to the kitchen and spent the next hour expediting orders to the cooks, inspecting plates to clean off any

smudges, and adding final seasonings and garnishes. Service ran smoothly, and plates bussed from tables came back empty. The

cooks began to clean their stations as last calls for dessert were made throughout the dining room.

Kendra fist-bumped each of them. “Y’all did your thing tonight! You should be really proud of yourselves. There are going

to be a ton of repeat customers!”

Logan peeked into the kitchen and beckoned for Kendra to come out to the front.

“Hey, I’ll be right back.” The cooks nodded, and she joined her brother. “Everything okay?”

“Oh yeah! We just had some guests getting ready to leave who asked to speak with you.” Logan’s sneaky expression made Kendra

frown.

“Huh? Who?”

“Over at table 8.”

Kendra’s eyes traveled to the table, where a couple she didn’t recognized waved to her. “What do they want with me?” she asked

through her teeth as she smiled and waved in response.

“Just go over there,” Logan insisted, nudging her over in their direction.

“Fine,” she sighed, fixing her face as she moved into the dining room. “Hi, folks.” She smiled brightly. “I’m Kendra, Logan’s

sister. I heard you wanted to speak with me?”

The woman nodded, her gorgeous 4C curls were shaped into a beautiful bob that fell to one side with the other side tapered. “We tried a few of your cocktails, and I absolutely loved your take on an espresso martini—I hadn’t had one with chai syrup added before!”

Kendra beamed. “Well, I can’t take credit for it. I’m not the first to make one, but I’m hoping my take on it goes over well.”

“I would definitely order that again! And my husband had your special Manhattan with the red wine floater.”

He nodded. “We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves though. I’m Duke and this is my wife, Kelly. And yes, the drink was

just right.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and relaxed back in his chair, an easy smile curving his lips.

Kendra smiled, shaking each of their hands. “It’s so lovely to meet the both of you, and thank you—I’m so glad the drinks

were to your liking!”

“They definitely were, but that’s not the only reason we were hoping to talk to you,” Duke gestured to an empty seat at the

table nearest theirs. Many patrons had already started to head out once the last call was announced.

Kendra frowned slightly. “Oh?” She pulled over a chair and sat tentatively.

Duke bobbed his head and gestured toward the bar. “I’ve known your brother for a while and we have talked about a couple of

different business projects that he has earmarked for the future. When we complimented him for the cocktails, he mentioned

that these were yours and that you were looking to get a business off the ground?”

Kendra looked quizzically from Logan to Duke, her stomach flip-flopping with nerves. Her brother remained by the bar observing

their exchange. “Yes, I am. It’s a Prohibition-style lounge with a hidden supper-club dining experience in the back.”