Sunday brunch

We thought we were going out to lunch.  I had gone online and looked at the menu and knew exactly what I was going to order:  Butternut Squash & Spinach Ravioli.  I was really looking forward to them!  I love squash and ravioli, and together... mmmmmmm! 

Tomato, tomahtoh...  We are frugal.  Or cheap.  At times.  So, remember when I said we'd hire a baby sitter and go see my photograph hanging in the restaurant gallery?  Well, Lew wasn't on board with the whole babysitter cost thing.  We have hired a sitter only 2 times in the past 5 years, 7 months, 2 weeks and 6 days.  If you factor in free grandparent babysitting, we have probably gotten to go out another dozen times alone over the summers and holiday visits home.   

So, I decided if I was going to see my exhibit, I was either going to have to go alone or we could all go for lunch.  I don't like bringing the kids to fancy restaurants for dinner because other diners aren't going out to see my kids, you know?  It could be the only time some couple has been out childless in the past 12 months and I surely don't want to have my kid being fidgety in his seat while they are trying to enjoy an anniversary dinner out.  But, lunch, I was OK with.  Or, with many of our restaurants here... I'll let them come along if we can sit outside.  Wiggly kids outside by the ocean shouldn't bother anyone.  And, if any of my relatives are thinking, "Why doesn't she just tell him to stay in his seat?"  I offer my kids to you for 2-3 days so you can see how it is taking them out in public when you have processing issues. 

And, besides, the butternut squash and spinach ravioli had a nice lunch price!

Here we are before getting seated... checking ourselves out on the wall!  That is a 20x30 canvas from Costco.  They are very nice for the price. 

We decided to go on Sunday instead of Saturday because on Saturdays, we go swimming and by the time we get home, they crash for a nap and we wouldn't be able to get back out before dinner hour.  No one thought they would have a Brunch menu that was not mentioned on their website.

No ravioli.

Look what I had to suffer through:

French toast with rosemary potatoes, fresh fruit (which Gretchen snarfed up) and possibly the best blueberry muffin ever.  The kids are fussy.  No, I did not order them the soup of the day!  But, one item was a "turkey and jack cheese sandwich" and I asked the waitress if they would make that deconstructed for us.  So, they made cheese sandwiches and left the turkey on the side for the kids.  Perfect!  Of course, my kids don't eat cheese sandwiches... but Lew & I can tell you... these were amazing!!!  Foolish fussy kids.

Gretchen was over the moon to get a Shirley Temple and Carl downed 2 full glasses of milk throughout the meal. The green cup has crayons in it.  So, kids aren't completely foreign to this place.  They did have a kid's menu, too.

Lew had a turkey sandwich with avocado and sprouts and lots of other yummy stuff...

I had the camera along to take a few snapshots of the exhibit.  Of course I was going to shoot our lunches, too.  I wish I had turned Lew's cup a little more so you could read "Summer 2011" on the back of it.  20/20 hindsight.

She is so excited because I told her she could have orange wedges in her kindergarten lunches. 

After they finished eating, Carl reached into his pocket and pulled out his own camera.  I didn't know he brought it.  And, boy, Gretchen was mad she wasn't allowed to bring hers!

If the flash wasn't so bright, you could read the "Summer 2011" on my ice tea glass.

Next, they ran back over to the wall where their picture was hanging.  I thought he was snapping a shot of it, but he was taking some of Gretchen - here she is standing by a shot of rooftops in Amsterdam.  (other club members travel a lot farther than I do!)

And, no photo shoot is complete without a Self Portrait.  Someday, I'll pull up his hundreds of these shots.  They are a riot!!

I snapped only one shot on my way out.  I realized I missed a wall afterwards.  Oops.  Maybe I'll go back alone on Saturday and get that butternut squash ravioli.  If it is 1/10th as good as the French toast and cheese sandwiches, it'll be worth it. 

One of the stores nearby had a Homemade Ice Cream sign out front, so if you are going to go off your diet for brunch, you really should top it off with ice cream.  The lady gave us several sample spoons and then seemed genuinely surprised when we ordered 3 cups.  Did she think we went in to snack and leave?   Lew got Raspberry Chip and I had Pumpkin.  Both were delicious.  Gretchen got something that was perfect for a 5 year old girl called Unicorn Dream.  It was pink cotton candy ice cream with pastel colored marshmallows in it and rainbow sprinkles on top!  They actually had no vanilla and Carl wouldn't try the only plain looking one "Cheesecake".  He said "No thank you."  He doesn't like sweets. 

Carl took this shot of Lew ordering ice cream in the shop.

Daddy carried her to the car because those shoes are cute, but painful.  No picture.  Sorry.  We were parked pretty close and by the time I got Carl across the street, they were at the car. 

So, even with no ravioli for me, Gretchen basically eating fruit and a Shirley Temple for lunch and Carl getting up out of his seat to hug Lew a lot (the manipulation is astounding... he gets up, you tell him to sit back down and since he can think on his feet... he says, "I just want to give you a hug, Daddy"), I don't think any other diners were offended.  We had a good Sunday Brunch out downtown together.  Pricey, but cheaper than hiring a sitter and going out for dinner. 

And I got to see my photograph hanging in the exhibit!