I was in on it.  Good friend and fellow Weekly Volcano scribe Kris Blondin had someone she wanted to set up with the now-single (yay!) Bandito Betty.  The key was to not tell Bandito we were setting her up, and to simply manipulate the male interaction as if by accident. They would meet in a controlled group situation, engage in small talk, and - if interested - possibly exchange numbers, get married and have babies.

You'd think that would be the wisest, and possibly easiest way to set up a friend with a potential love interest, right?  Nope. Not with Bandito Betty.  That girl's not stupid.

"I have to go to Pour at Four and drink three drinks for the column," I pleaded. 

"Yeah, right," Bandito replied. 

Hmmmm, now that I recall her tone of voice I can confidently assume she knew the situation ahead of time.  And by "The Situation", I don't mean Michael from Jersey Shore who is now cast on season 11 of Dancing With The Stars.

Drink One: Cow Catcher (bartender's choice) - This wine is now one of my favorites.  Pour at Four owner Mark Merrill did me right when he picked out this first drink straight from Dumas Station Winery.  I savored every sip as I kicked Bandito Betty under the bar and nodded toward what I hoped would be her potential fiancé.  I gave her the ol' eyebrow raise as if to say, "So, you wanna hit that?"  No idea what she meant when she replied with an eyeroll.

Drink Two: Catena Winery Malbec (most popular drink within last hour) - Malbec!  If people were allowed to mate with fermented grapes, I would set my eyes on scoring with a Malbec.  Kris tells me it's one of the hottest varietals these days, but I couldn't verify that statement since I have yet to see a Malbec naked.

Drink Three: Moscato D'Asti from Codorniu, Spain (my choice) - It was at this point when Bandito Betty smirked, telling me she knew what Kris and I were up to.  Dammit.  Apparently Kris had already told Bandito about this guy a couple months ago when we were out at the beach for our annual girls' weekend, so when we "accidentally" met him at Pour at Four, it came as no surprise to our dear Bandito. 

Oh well, maybe next time. 

Any volunteers? - Steph DeRosa

Pour at Four-A Wine Bar

3814 N. 26th St, Tacoma
253.761.8015