What good is a suit? Part VI

There were so many delicious things to look at one the menu, how on earth would we narrow it down to just a few selections? Our Waiter returned and asked if we had any questions regarding the menu, we asked a few just to pretend, I was surprised to see foie gras on the menu, considering the City of Chicago banned it a few months ago, but alas we didn’t order it, too rich for our tummy’s. The Boyfriend asked if items from the prix frie menu were available separately, they were!

He ordered: a selection of Midwestern cheeses; a mixed seasonal green salad; and a poached salmon.

I ordered: a peeky toe and cucumber cocktail; and a New York strip steak.

As we were looking around the dining room we were suddenly afraid that it was going to be great big plates and itty bitty portions, we were already making plans to stop for dinner after dinner if need be!

The Boyfriend decided it was time to "check out the bathroom" as he stood up someone quickly approached him and asked if they could be of assistance. He was quickly and quietly personally escorted to the restroom. At the same time, someone quickly approached the table and grabbed his napkin, I was about to start shouting "Hey, he's not done with that yet," but I realized he was folding it and putting it back in it's proper place.

I sat there looking at the reflection in the mirror next to me trying to eavesdrop on the conversations around me, but damn it, everyone was talking too quietly. This was nothing like Old Country Buffet in regards to drama, that's for sure. When The Boyfriend returned I asked how it was, he said the bathrooms were just ok, nothing fancy. Geez, for the prices they're charging I expected total glamour.

Since we had an "early" dinner reservation we came hungry, we were hungry when we walked in the door and wanted something to munch on quickly. We figured that there would at least be a breadbasket we could devour, boy were we wrong, it wasn’t a basket at all. The Bread came not in a basket but on a tray served by one of the waiters, the choices were rye, baguette, wheat, roll and a calamata olive bread. He constantly toured the dining room dropping of pieces of bread on plates in his wake, he reminded me of one of those old time girls that sold cigarettes, the only thing he was missing was the strap to hold his tray and a lighter!

Shortly thereafter The Waiter approached the table and laid out our silverware.....oh I see they don't trust you with all of it at once. The appetizers were delivered shortly after, my crab cocktail and The Boyfriends “selection of Midwestern cheeses.” The delivery of the food was quite qn event, His cheeses were delivered on a cooled slab of marble and served with walnut bread, 5 nice chunks (oh sorry, slices - we're trying to be classy), the selections went from mildest to most intense. There was a goats milk and a cheddar but the best was a blue cheese terrine with walnuts. My crab cocktail was chunks of peeky toe crab surrounded by cucumbers and a light dusting of balsamic vinegar, so light you could barely taste it. The Boyfriends salad arrived shortly after. Mixed greens on top of shredded beets and topped off with shaved hearts of palm and parmesan cheese.

About this time I was in need of the facilities, as I stood up someone approached me and asked if they could be of assistance, and I was given a direct tour to the restroom (I figured it was because they didn’t want me just wandering around the dining room bothering the other patrons). Apparently after I left someone swooped over to the table, replaced my chair and refolded my napkin back to its original design. When I returned to the table a gentleman was there to help me push my chair back in.

About that same time Waiter arrived and asked if we needed another cocktail – well ours were empty so of course we were in need of another cocktail!