Summary

In Chapter 17 Russell manages to book a reservation at an exclusive, underground restaurant that requires a referral to get the phone number. He invites Washington and his wife to join him and Corrine. When explaining to Corrine the concept of the restaurant she remarks that it seems incredibly pretentious.

They meet the Lees outside of the unmarked door to the restaurant. They sit down for dinner and agree to not talk about the upcoming primary election between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Russell orders the house cocktail for the table, which irritates Corrine, who hates being ordered for. The cocktails and the first course arrive while the couples discuss tasting menus and the disadvantages of reading reviews before experiencing something.

The first course is live shrimp, which disgusts the women. The conversation turns to the book deal with Phillip Kohout, which Washington’s...