Judgement a troix

Oh man, I am loving this cool down we're having here in Southern California. The whole, getting out of the shower and not immediately being covered in sweat?? Two thumbs up!! It's the same this morning...there's actually a slight chill in the air. God bless it.

Anywho, last night Mike and I had Date Night. First of all, let me just say, YAY!!! We are one of those lucky couples who get to spend a lot of time together, and we actually enjoy each other's company. What a crazy idea! But yea, he and I had dinner at TGI Fridays in San Bernardino (Hospitality Lane location). Some of you may be saying, "That's not a romantic date Marga!!" And for you it might not be, but for us it is. TGI's was one of the places we could afford to eat at when we first started dating, so it kind of holds sentimental value. Cheesy, I know. But that's us. And now for the critique:

• Atmosphere: 2 Spatulas. I'm sure most of you out there have been to one of these places. It looks like the decorator vomited various kitschy, random crap all over the walls. Bells, whistles, wheels, traffic signs and about 10 million other things super glued to the walls. Yea. You get my point. Not exactly a classy joint, but like I said, that's not why we go. Can be a fun place with a group, especially during Happy Hour.
• Service: 1 1/2 Spatulas. TGI is not famous for it's service. And it's no shocker as to why. The waiting times, both to get a table, and then to actually be waited on, can get annoyingly long. When you do finally have your servers' attention, it's the bare minimum. I can relate to their situation. I worked in restaurants for years, but you know what, if I wanted to go somewhere and practically be ignored, I'd spend my days at the DMV. And let me tell you another thing...ladies, if you are working in a restaurant, serving food to people, put your boobs away. All the women working at this particular location were pretty much dressed like freaking street-walkers. I'm serious, the hostess had on a skirt-up-to-there and lacy fish-netty tights. Unprofessional. 
• Food: 2 1/2 Spatulas: Mike and I happen to enjoy the food there. And last night we went to "2 for $20" route. Which, is actually a good deal. For $20, you get a full-sized appetizer, 2 full entrees and a dessert to share. We had the Sesame Jack Chicken Strips, which are tasty. Little pieces of chicken breaded, fried and then topped with their Jack Daniel's glaze. We both had the same entree, the Petite Sirloin. It's a 6 oz. steak topped with an herb butter. You get your choice of 2 sides with the steak, and we chose veggies and fries. We ordered our steaks to a temperature of medium, and were both served well-done hockey pucks. The serrated edges on the steak knife worked hard last night. For our dessert, we had the Strawberry Shortcake, which is yummy. 3 generous scoops of vanilla ice-cream with a slice of poundcake, strawberry puree and whipped cream. Simple, but yummy.
• Overall Value: 2 Spatulas. Considering we only spend $30 for the meal, drinks, and tip for a 3-course meal (underwhelming as it was) this is a good value. Having been to TGI many times before, we knew there were even odds of it being a lackluster experience, but we took our chances. Call us sentimental fools. We still had a good time, and I didn't leave hungry, so there you go. Fun on a date, a casual lunch, or with a group. And pretty good value for your money.

So there you have it. We went to a decently priced place for dinner, had pretty much crap service, and passable food. But it was Date Night. Nothing could have smeared the good time we had. And that's because the company is more important than any of it. I'm sure if any of you think back to some of your fondest memories, the details that stick out won't be the food, or the impeccable service, it'll be the person(s) you were with. Am I saying that there is something more important out there than food??? Yup. That's what I'm saying. If you have someone you can have fun with regardless of the circumstances (pushing a car out of the snow, anyone??) then you can count yourself as blessed. It's a rare thing to find. 

Alright. I'm going to jump down off my love soapbox. It's just past 10:30 this Thursday morning, and I've already driven 40 miles, worked out, folded laundry, started more laundry, eaten a yummy bowl of oatmeal, and written a post. Go me! And go all of you too. Go out there and kick some Thursday ass people!