Friday night. Nine-fifteen. The course at PopStroke Delray Beach lit up like a movie set, every green glowing that impossible shade of green.
It was a second date. Maybe a third, if you counted the coffee. She had never held a putter in her life and was, by the 4th hole, beating me by two strokes. She read breaks by instinct. She tilted her head, said "it goes left," and it went left. I was falling in love and losing badly, which I've found are often the same thing.
At the turn we stepped off to the patio and ordered. "What'll it be, ladies?" Southwest Chicken Salad. Two forks.
A southwest salad done properly. Crisp romaine. Cheddar jack and seasoned cotija cheese, a double act. Tortilla strips with real crunch. Green onion. Cilantro, bright and grassy. Corn. Pico. Guac, generous, unbothered. Then two dressings, because one would have been timid: a citrus vinaigrette, and an avocado lime ranch so cool and creamy I briefly forgot the score.
She did not forget the score.
On the 15th she faced a downhill putt with a double break, the kind that makes professionals sigh. She looked at it for one second. Tapped it. In.
I signed the scorecard as the loser and handed it to her. She kept it. That's how I knew there'd be a fourth date.
More salads & wraps
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the menu
Caesar Salad
Romaine, parmesan, crouton crumble, caesar dressing
$12
Quinoa Salad
Quinoa, avocado, carrots, roasted corn, red onion, cotija cheese, tomato, arugula, citrus vinaigrette and a balsamic glaze.
$15
West Coast Chicken Wrap
Crispy Chicken, romaine, pico de gallo, bacon, guacamole, topped with our housemade West Coast sauce in a tomato basil wrap. Served with a pickle spear.
$16