We parked in the ample parking lot but this arrangement then has guests entering the bar area. I walked in first during an exciting moment in a football game and was almost tackled. Alright, slight embellishment for the sake of climactic reading, but truly the bar patron felt bad and I was a little disoriented about how to enter the dining area.
Once seated and given menus we placed our drink orders. The Mr. asked for a Corona and I had a standard Cosmopolitan while our younger son had iced tea. The beverages arrived and the beer had not been opened. When we pointed this out to our server, she brought it back to the bar to remove the cap then placed it back on the table. It was a light version and no lime. Not a deal breaker and if the Mr. is not going to mention it, I don't say anything.
Before we order, I ask our young server what most people order and she seems confused for a second. I rephrase, "What is the most popular thing on the menu?" "Well, people really like our pizzas. We make great pizzas. Or if you want a wrap, our Mediterranean Wrap is really popular." I smile and thank her. In addition to our meals, we order an appetizer and the meal begins.
The Mr. has a salad. Pretty standard. We are aware something is going on between the two waitresses. Ours has been taking care of us, yet another woman also stops and checks on us. Is our server new? Not trustworthy?
The dining room is broken into sections. The one we are seated in just had a large party leave, a family of four and their is a couple fairly close to us. I can hear people in the far dining room as well. It is about 7:30 on a Saturday night.
We soon overhear a conversation between the servers. It seems the younger one stayed past her shift to help out because it got busy. Now, having this information we feel responsible in some way even though we know it is not our fault.
Our steamed pork dumplings arrive and I am happy to see, smell and taste these first bites of food.
They are delicious and though I would probably normally leave the salad on the plate, I find myself finishing it once I check with the family that they have no interest in the dressed lettuce. Yum.
Time for the main courses. The Mr. asked for his Chicken Marsala to be served with a side of spaghetti with sauce and that is exactly what he received. His only complaint was the amount of sauce - he prefers a generous ladle on top of coated pasta.
For our younger son, a crispy chicken Caesar salad is his go to and exactly what he went with at the Gold Fox.
I am not a huge fan of wraps and was not going to order pizza, but since the vibe I received from our server seemed to lean toward more casual pub grub as crowd favorites, I went with a classic burger topped with a fried egg, fries and slaw. Perfect. The fries were crisp without feeling greasy, the egg was soft and runny and I was feeling happily Fed Well.
The conversation was slow to start for the three of us as we do not spend enough time alone together. However, when our younger son found his topic (the Mr.'s 1967 Camaro and the condition of its current paint job) well, then the two of them were on a roll. I nodded and interjected at times, enjoying my burger minus the bun, dipping fries into yolk and just being in the moment.
Just before the check came, my younger son asked, "Why did we come here?" I didn't know if that was a bad sign, but I answered truthfully, "I'd been past here a million times and never ate here. I thought we could try it." I think he may have thought since I picked it as a destination it was going to be a 5 star dining experience rather than a casual place. The total bill was quite inexpensive.
The Mr. asked the server, "Did you stay just because of us?" She smiled and admitted, "Yes." Well, what would you have done? We added a few extra dollars to her tip.
The meal, as always was about more than the food. It was about creating time together for talking, connecting, feeling Fed Well and just being a family. Plus, after all, I won a bet and who doesn't love that?
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