food: Chef Michel Richard at Medium Rare

“This is my friend Michel.” …cut to Brian quietly freaking out.

So, yeah, that happened. I already posted the photo to every. single. place. imaginable… but it also needed to be here.

I figured it to be the usual epic brunch at Medium Rare, with their bottomless drink options, sometimes we can go for hours–and end up staying to have dinner. One of the owners, Mark Bucher is an acquaintance, mostly because I’m a years-long regular there, but he’s becoming a friend, he’s good people. We usually trade jokes back and forth on twitter and he usually lets me know when he’ll be at the Cleveland Park location the same time I will.

A video posted by Brian Gray (@urbanbohemian) on Feb 22, 2015 at 8:19am PST

So Kim and I are at the bar enjoying the carafe of mimosas Mark “sent over”, some new friends Sarah and JP arrived and Sarah and I went over to say hi to Mark who was having brunch with someone who, I initially thought was his father (who I’d only seen once or twice). He casually says, “This is my friend Michel.” and we kept chatting. If it were a TV show, you could have place a 5-second timer over my head hitting zero at the same moment I realized I’d just been introduced to Chef Michel Richard. While internally freaking out, I think I managed to utter, “It’s an honor to meet you.” and continue the conversation. Thank goodness for the mimosas!

Then there was the time @urbanbohemian and I met chef michel richard at @MediumRareDC!!! #foodie #foodnerd

— Sarah Burris (@SarahBurris) February 22, 2015

It’s a food geek thing, I know, and I’ve had chef sightings in DC before, but to be able to speak to an idol of mine and get a (really nice, actually!) picture taken with them was something else. And it made the day a little more magical considering there were still ridiculous amounts of snow, ice and standing water outside.

When I grow up (read: become cool – if ever), I want to be just like @urbanbohemian. #inebriati

— Samantha (@Yogitastic) February 22, 2015

Come have brunch with me sometime, you never know what might happen!