Vodka Gimlet

-Well, I have to say, this is day 2 of the blog, and it has got the memories flowing. I've been compared to an elephant, and a steel trap, when it comes to memory, so I am feeling a bit proud. In keeping with this stream of consciousness, I'm going to go with the first Hillcrest memory that popped into my head this morning. Caveat: We are way out of order, in chronology. This relates to a regular customer couple that dined at the Hillcrest. For a bit of context, I eventually worked my way out of the kitchen, onto the floor, where my illustrious 14 year career as a server began. I am proud to say it started here, in roughly 1990, slinging hot plates of turkey dinners, Swiss steak, and leg of lamb to the elderly, enfeebled, and just plain cheap hungry slobs.
-Vodka Gimlet. To you and me, this is a cocktail. Typically, a shot and a half of vodka over the rocks, topped off with a decent splash of that bar staple, Rose's Lime Juice. Possibly garnished with a wedge of lime. Well, at the Hillcrest, the phrase Vodka Gimlet meant a person, actually a couple, had arrived. It even got shortened to "Vodka Gim".
-For instance, during a shift, Dick, or Lou, would come back into the dishroom, where I would be smoking cigs and hanging out, and simply say, "Hey, Vodka Gim". That simple phrase meant several things, and set several other things in motion.
1. A couple was at "their" table. For the life of me, I can't remember table numbers, but they were always on a four-top on the smoking side, right in the middle, next to the bus stand on the West side of the building.
2. The man was a late 40's, heavy set, George Wendt-ish type fellow. His wife was roughly the same age. She chain smoked cigarettes like nobody's business, and sipped a single cocktail or glass of wine throughout dinner. I never learned their names, honestly...it was always "Vodka Gimlet" and "Vodka Gimlet's wife". I'm sure restaurant folk can relate to this from their own experience. Obviously, it takes a somewhat unique drink, or habit, to coin a nickname. Nobody ever came up to me and said, "Beer is sitting at his table".
3. Shortly after the word was sent to me that Vodka Gim had arrived, I'm sure someone alerted the bar to get cracking. This guy wanted his drink at the table when he sat down. 2 shots of Vodka, a (full) shot of Rose's, no lime, two olives.
-That first one was down before his coat was hung up. Number two and three quickly followed, and then it was time to order. I would say when number 4 was served, they had been in the building about 25 minutes. This guy was a pro.
-If memory serves, they were roughly on a twice a week schedule. They were really nice people, and I usually took care of them. I seem to recall an automatic 7 dollar tip from them. This was above average, considering the ease of workload as a table, and the prices (more on the prices later).
-I sincerely hope they both changed their ways at some point. I can't help but think that 15 years later there is a good chance they would both be in bad shape if they didn't.