A Banquet on A Bluff!
It was a
glorious day! Picturesque mountains, a mellifluous breeze, and my wife's
melodious voice were invigorating. Our 37th anniversary deserved
this tranquil transformation from the hustle and bustle of the city. However, as
the breeze from the seas began to please, my wife’s gentle squeeze reminded me that
it was time to appease the appetite as well.
I enquired
about decent restaurants with scenic beauty to savor. The majority recommended
this dreamy diner on a bluff! I was pleased to know I didn’t need to be a
climber to reach this diner. It was no bluff that this diner on the bluff was beautiful
stuff! We were delicately greeted and elegantly seated.
The view was
enchanting, enhanced by the soft glow of tealights. As I was enjoying the
beautiful scenery at the eatery, I realized I should have been more
specific in my requests. I wanted not only a feast for the eyes but also for
our tummies! It had been a while, and there was no trace of the waitstaff! Were
they enjoying the scenery, too, I wondered! I was unsure if the tealights had
to go off for the waitress to take orders. I was glad it was not a candlelight
dinner! Our hopes saw the slight light as the waitress meandered with a new
tealight. We quickly voiced our choices and continued the nail-biting session.
Before we
forgot what we ordered, the waitress brought us drinks. It was Vodka! We explicitly
stated we preferred grains, but she got us fermented grains! She profusely
apologized but kept it going. At one point, I just wanted to take the vodka and
be done with it. Now, we had neither food nor mood. I was tempted to blow off
the tealights to speed up the service. As it became dark, there was no more
scenery to savor but to wait for the waitresses’ favor. This restaurant was
very appropriately named Hunger Station-not your feeding station.
Three people
brought our orders, rekindling our hopes. Placing all the plates and dishes on
our tiny tealight table was challenging. Our excitement was exploding in
anticipation. Visualizing our food was a chore! Not because it was plenty, but
because it was scanty! The dim light did not matter, as all the portions were spoonfuls!
I thought they might have dropped something on the floor while bringing it. I
looked back for any spillage. There was none. I wondered if they calculated our
BMIs using tealights and sized the portions accordingly. Or maybe their motto
is: "Enjoy the viewing, if not the chewing!" I gradually realized why
the reviews raved about the views and nothing about the chews.
The waitress
turned off the tealights and handed us the bill. Maybe she was checking to
ensure we didn’t get heartburn from the check, as the food was too scant to
cause any. The bill made me still, and my bank balance went down the hill. Should
I tip or, to save, just strip and dance? That was the dilemma. Looking at my
wife, I decided against later and trepidatiously tipped. Maybe their slogan was
"Hunger Station: Snack slightly, spend knightly!!"
My wife smiled
and offered the handy airline candy, which served as a shandy. As we returned
to our resort, we decided to stop en route to have the cake and eat it, too!
