It's Saturday and we are going to dinner tonight with friends.
Now because I have celiac I must download the menu beforehand and if I have questions I call and ask the chef. Pain in the ass? Sure but better than doing it at the table and having the server have to take time to run back and ask a busy man/woman questions etc. I have had chefs thank me for this many, many times, which shocked me.
Now because I have celiac I must download the menu beforehand and if I have questions I call and ask the chef. Pain in the ass? Sure but better than doing it at the table and having the server have to take time to run back and ask a busy man/woman questions etc. I have had chefs thank me for this many, many times, which shocked me.
There is nothing on this menu I can eat that I even like. So I called asked some questions. I would just prefer to do this salad instead of a side as an entre. They said I could do that and add chicken or steak. Problem solved. No one at the table has to feel like they picked the wrong restaurant or feel uncomfortable or piss off the wait staff. Paul and Becky probably don't even remember if I ever told them that I had celiac. When we did BBQ's together and wineries it never really came up. There was a pork tenderloin on this menu and a petite filet that cost as much as my car, but the pork dish came with all this shit I hate and why pay $28 for just a tiny piece of pork. The menu also said no substitutions which I understand the reason behind that. They take a lot of time and energy to get a recipe right with the correct flavor profiles they don't need me screwing up their food. So because I am having a salad, in girl math that means I can have creme brulee or any other dessert without flour or gluten. I saw a flourless chocolate torte that may be mine too. Yipee for me. After wine and dinner then I can have a cappuccino and dessert.
Since leaving our home in Virginia our dog has been very clingy as I have mentioned. We pick up our keys and she runs to the door and out the door to the car. We've been taking her everywhere but she can't go with us tonight. And it's going to kill us when she gives us those sad eyes and we have to push her back in the door. This will be the first time left alone since leaving in late August. It must be done. If we were going to Paul and Becky's place we'd bring Izzy because Paul loves her. He dog sat for us a couple of times and kept telling us she may go missing some time. I know the minute Izzy sees him she will run to him with her tail going 100mph.
After doing and looking for all the things we wanted to "discover" and explore on Fun Day Friday, we drove to the restaurant. Paul asked us so he booked this place. We knew it was the same distance from his home and ours because he told us. So we're meeting in the middle I guess you'd say. But was it street parking, was it parking in a garage? It was also in an area we've not been to yet. So before we went home we decided to find this place while it is daylight.
It is in an enormous upscale plaza. Parking galore.
(I can't wait to come to shop here, even window shopping!)
Now tonight when Rick has to drive in the dark which of late is a bit of an issue with oncoming lights it won't be a strain looking for the place, how to get in, and where to park. When it was suggested I got the ole, "Oh please we don't need to do that Margaret." After we did it he said, "Good call."
He does make me laugh.
Compared to my glass of water on Joyce's deck, this will and should be fun for us. We are excited to wear nice clothes and clothes without paint stains on them.
9 comments:
If anything important comes up, I generally have to do a drive by. I have had occasions, especially at night, when I couldn't see and the gps was blaring at me to turn left, turn left, ok now make a u-turn. Hahaha. I think it is wonderful that you are able to meet up with friends. This is starting to sound like home.
I use google street view to do that. I can get a good idea of how to get in and out of a place. And with street view, you can sit there and look at it for a minute and get a real good feel for the area.
Scouting out new places before you need to go there takes the stress out of a day, doesn't it.
I always do a drive by for a new place. I hate surprises.
So nice that you have friends to hang out with and how smart of you to menu check before hand. Hope you had a great time.
Barbara, yes I've had a few of those experiences with the GPS! Had a fun evening.
Mike, we tried that. great minds think alike. We saw it looked like a plaza of sorts but it was showing us a lenscrafters. We were only 1 mile from where we were going so checking it out while out was easy.
Jean, I thought so. And last evening when we were heading there Rick said driving there was easier so he didn't have to worry about turning left? turning right? what lane should I be in before the gps tells you and it's too late. Great evening all around.
Patti, it worked for us. It was so damn nice to see them. As I stated Paul lived next door and we really liked he and his girlfriend. Last night we laughed and they told stories and it was just a fabulous night of great food, wine and friends. We needed this!
My parents do that a lot now (drive to see where something is in advance). My mom refuses to use the map app on her phone which I think is crazy, it makes life so much easier.
I'm sure the chef appreciates the heads up. That's a thoughtful gesture to everyone involved on your part. Hope you had a good time in your going-out clothes!
I thought I was using my noodle 40-50 years ago when I do a preview of the drive to a destination. A couple of times, having no chance to do the preview thing, I ended up circling and circling along a 2-3 mile route. One neighborhood in the Los Angeles area always had me circling, even after dealing with it for a couple of years. On a business trip to the Boston area, I circled the hotel three times trying to figure out how to get to it. Frustration sets in when I can see my destination but fail to ken a way to it!
You are a thoughtful cookie, Margaret, to make your "problem" your own. I love that you take responsibility for doing your homework on menus and recipes. Our son-in-law is a very picky eater; but, one would never know it. He puts something on his plate and never says a word. It took me a few years to figure out that he never took leafy salads (or any other kind, really) because I am pretty oblivious.
Julie, my mom is the same way. She has all these things on her phone and uses none of them. But needs help. :-)
Abby, It was fabulous, even wearing heels. :-)
Cop Car, Oh when I traveled for work a lot I had those same issues and sadly it was before GPS on a phone or in your rental car. All I had was mapquest and paper maps.
As for thoughtful. Not really. I don't like all the attention it brings and holding others up. You know those people at the table asking all the questions and being a pain in the ass. I just didn't want to look like that so it is selfish a bit too.
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