It's always fun to get something for free. It's especially so when the something free comes completely unexpected.
Yesterday we travelled to San Francisco for the Superbowl. We met up with Anthony and Amanda at Rogue Ales Public House in North Beach.
I'm not exactly what you would call a football fan. I didn't even know who was playing in the Superbowl until 3 o'clock and, even then, I referred to the teams as the "red team" and the "yellow team" all afternoon.
(I am, however, a big Superbowl commercial fan. I loved, loved, loved the Pepsi Refresh Anthem with Bob Dylan and Will.i.am.)
So, we sat in Rogue for four hours, ordering appetizers and garden burgers and lots of Rogue ale. We had nachos, artichoke dip, Irish fries, and bowls of Beer Cheese soup. I don't even want to think about the number of calories we consumed. Even when we were completely stuffed in the last quarter, we ordered just one more big plate of fries. And polished the whole thing off.
We had a fabulous time--Amanda and I chatted while Will and Anthony watched the game. Will spent a good portion of the second half of the game out of his seat, either cheering a good play or cursing a referee's bad call (both with much enthusiasm and dramatic arm gesturing).
At the end of the evening, when the Steelers had won the 43rd Superbowl and we were sufficiently stuffed and tipsy, the Rogue staff informed us that we had been selected as their Economic Bailout Party. Apparently, Rogue is running a promotion--one that we knew nothing about--where one party each night is selected to be "bailed out." Rogue bailed us out of our bill! Everything we had ordered, from the piles of fries to the pints of beer, were on the house.
They snapped our photo and sent us on our way, our wallets (and our bellies!) a tiny bit fatter than anticipated.
Fabulous! I love such wonderful surprises.
By the way, I know one of the actors in that Pepsi commercial. I thought it was great too, but I might be biased.
Posted by: Stacey | February 02, 2009 at 01:13 PM
ooh, that is wonderful.
And I love that commercial. Thanks for sharing! I'm a big fan of Will.i.am.
Posted by: Leah | February 02, 2009 at 01:35 PM
Very cool!
Posted by: Alison | February 02, 2009 at 01:50 PM
That was so much fun, and it was such a great surprise to be the lucky bail out party.
Posted by: amanda | February 02, 2009 at 01:56 PM
Wow! That's so awesome! Must have made it all taste that much better, huh?
Also: mmmmmmmmm beer cheese soup!
Posted by: Erica | February 02, 2009 at 02:06 PM
freebies are the best lol esp.on superbowl..
Posted by: andhari | February 02, 2009 at 07:39 PM
Could your Super Bowl have been any better? Congrats!
Posted by: PomJob | February 03, 2009 at 06:18 AM
Ha! And your husband is like my husband, so the best part was probably how happy it made Will and the pleasant BART ride home as a result. Thanks, Rogue!
Posted by: Jen | February 03, 2009 at 07:16 AM
Oh, that's awesome that you were chosen to be bailed out. I wanted the red team and my favorite commercial was the talking flowers.
Posted by: lesli | February 04, 2009 at 02:14 PM