The Open Channel
Chapter 1: Baltimore -- September
Angel Café had grown during the past fifteen years, grown to the point where even its proprietor, Stephen Carmichael, had to concentrate long and hard to recall the offbeat little eatery it had once been. The restaurant had originally inhabited one small row home in Baltimore's Federal Hill. Ten years ago, however, Stephen had bought the film-processing store next door, acquired a liquor license, and guided his eclectic coffeehouse into the world of fine dining.
Elegance had come along with expansion. Angel memorabilia still highlighted the five small dining rooms, but now it nestled amid far more opulent trappings. Rich, velvet draperies framed leaded glass windowpanes. Antiques gleamed, inviting diners to forget the hubbub of the twenty-first century for an hour or two. As always, the delicate china place settings did not match each other. Now, however, they rested on thick ecru table linens, bathed in the soft glow of ivory tapers.
"Exquisite," the critics raved. "Charming," the customers gushed. "Exhausting," Stephen would have added, had anybody asked. The restauran ... read full excerpt from: The Open Channel ebook
