Pennywise but POUND FOOLISH!

We had a wonderful Christmas filled with great times with both sides of the family. For that, we are thankful. For the 12 hour ride to NC and back, we're just thankful we made it. Sometimes I wish we could just push Georgia and South Carolina out of the way and be home. Whew. We're thankful to be home, sleeping in our queen sized bed instead of 2 twins! Ha!
During our brief trip to NC, we planned several visits and lunches and dinners with family. We had a great lunch with my mother's brother, and we looked forward to a huge visit with 22 of us on my father's side the following day. In fact, we had planned the lunch and made reservations for the 22 of us before Christmas to make sure it would all happen. My aunt and her children and their spouses and children all traveled 2 hours to be with us. While they were making their trek to Raleigh, we received an email that our lunch destination had to close due to an emergency situation: the main water main had broken and was being repaired. They had no water service and had told all of the servers and cooks to stay home. We quickly formulated a plan to eat somewhere else.
We've always loved Midtown Bar and 115. They said they could accommodate all 22 of us in their back room. Perfect. I called back to see if they have a Children's Menu. The person who answered the phone said that they do not but that the children could order a burger. I went online to discover that the burgers are gourmet $10 burgers that my children won't eat. They like little think burgers, not big adult burgers. So, I asked DH to run by Chick Fil A where I bought chicken nuggets with the intention of buying sides like chips or french fries or fruit at the restaurant. I was not trying to cheat the restaurant; they had 15 paying adults plus the sides for the children. It was our family Christmas lunch; revenue was guaranteed!
The server immediately told me I would have to hide the bag and use plates. I told her that would be fine. I figured they'd have plates for the side dishes anyway. We had two long tables of 11. Apparently an assistant manager came to my father and told him that the restaurant was going to charge $5 PER PLATE for the children to eat the nuggets in their restaurant. My father quietly explained that he was not going to pay $30-35 for children to have a plate and that we would have to leave if the manager chose to force the issue. Believe it or not, the manager would not waive the plate fee. The manager allowed TWENTY TWO PEOPLE to walk out of an empty restaurant at 12:30pm on the Wednesday after Christmas. There were maybe 2 or 3 other small tables. They had set up our tables with water and linens and they LET US LEAVE. IN fact, they basically ASKED us to leave!!!! All over $30!!!!! So, Midtown Bar and 115 lost a huge lunch tab on a day the restaurant was DEAD over $30. And that, my friends, is pennywise and pound foolish! As you can imagine, this dear struggling restaurant will never see Mama Henley's face again. There are too many good places to eat that are more than willing to accommodate their diners. Good luck, Midtown!

Fat Friday

It's the weekend! In my mind, today feels more like Wednesday since school began on Wednesday and has had me confused ever since. But all hail the weekend! It is upon us!!! Perhaps you have never been to Martha's Vineyard and are planning a trip there. It is one beautiful place!! One of our favorite restaurants there is called Alchemy. It is located right in Edgartown on the old cobblestone Main Street near the waterfront. Perhaps President Obama will visit while he is in the Vineyard for the next 10 days.

Last September we went to Martha's Vineyard for Darling Husband's 40th birthday. What a fun time we had! Our first night we went to dinner at Alchemy with our dear friends. This quiet restaurant quickly became a loud restaurant when our crowd descended upon it! Thankfully it was the Off Season, and those at the restaurant didn't seem to mind. At least that's what we told ourselves!

Everything at Alchemy is delicious. Their entrees have a wonderful French influence. I enjoyed tuna tartare and a salad. Others feasted on scallops and the Asparagus and Jonah Crab Salad. I have to admit that I have no idea what the men ate, but everyone did leave happy! The French bistro-style restaurant is a fun place to eat while in Martha's Vineyard. We have found that all of the restaurants tend to be a bit on the pricey side due to having to have food shipped to the island, but Alchemy was quite delightful!