GETTING OLD IS HARD TO DO

Dining out is now becoming a matter of criterion that has to be met for me to have a good meal. The categories include: Taste, originality (too much is bad), price, service, (Asking me if everything is alright too many times, interrupting my conversation is a real killer), size of tables and noise level all play into the final analysis as to whether or not I like the place. Portions are not so important as I get older!

There are two things I like to avoid in a restaurant: whinny little brats that scream, cry or carry on, and large groups. The large groups NEED to laugh out loud, making sure that everyone hears them. Unfortunately, it is usually a woman in the group who does that.



The other night, I was in a quaint little restaurant, going on someone’s recommendation. Two things happened, 1) I had the blandest dish on the menu, while TLW (The Little Woman) had a truly delicious dish, and B) a gaggle of women, about 5 sat and made such a racket that it was distracting. Although the restaurant was very inviting, the ability to control the din makes it unlikely I will ever go there again.

At this particular restaurant, TLW asked me how my food was, and I told her I was not happy. She immediately stuck her fork in and ‘tested’ my observation! Scooping up as much as a fork could hold.



“Hmmm, taste like there is some prosciutto in it!” said TLW.

“No, no prosciutto, if there was it would have had some taste.”

In goes her fork once more, scooping and piling.

“Hmmm, maybe not.”

“But it sure is bland!”

Out comes her fork once more, it is starting to look like a shovel, and tests it again.

“You want to taste A rigatoni?”

I have discovered that fancy doesn’t always guarantee good, that sometimes the ownership trips on their service and high pricing. Every now and then, I go to Port Jefferson, and walk along the shopping area and will stop for a little clams or shrimp, from a crowded, noisy counter with a few tables, paper napkins and everyone in shorts or dressed casually. The best food, the best atmosphere and times are usually had in places like those. I don’t want that when I pay over $120 for a meal for two however! In other words, the price I pay has a direct correlation to the ambiance.
Going into a Nathan’s for a hot dog or a clam bar for some clams, and Mamma Lombardi’s for a fancy meal all have their place in my moods. A diner is nice in some circumstances, like when I crave a charbroiled cooked hamburger, or a nice tuna on toasted rye, but all have expectations and usually live up to it.

So after all these years of dining in one establishment or another, I am becoming a pain-in-the ass! Getting old is hard to do