You can't go to Dallas and not have a steak. It would be like going to Vegas and not pulling the lever just once on a slot machine (Laurel). Or like visiting Salt Lake City and not going to Temple Square. Or like going to California and not seeing a beach. Agreed?
So...a co-worker (Kama) and I were determined to find a decent steakhouse...at a decent price (you know the whole "expense management" concept). My philosophy is if I were in Dallas on my own expense, would I do it? I would definitely patron a recommended steakhouse. Sorry for digressing.
We drove around and finally stopped outside an establishment to ask locals for their recommendation. We were clear about our price range and were soon en route to the local steak house.
Hindsight is 20/20...these should have been our clues:
1) The parking lot was filled with Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Bentley type automobiles.
2) Optional valet parking.
3) Well-dressed men who opened the two large, heavy, solid wood doors for us.
4) Four well-dressed women waiting at a "podium" with a little reading lamp who asked if we had a reservation. 5) Personal conversation with the hostess about our travels as they located a suitable table for us.
6) The leather sofas in the waiting area.
I could go on. But I think that sets the tone.
Our waiter approached us and handed us a one-sided menu and proceeded to tell us the specials. I think I began sweating at about the time he got to the part where the lobster tail was "nicely" priced at $119.00. I think he mentioned a few more items after that...but I was in a state of shock. He asked if we were ready to order and we asked for a few minutes.
Kama and I just stared at each other. Wide-eyed. And with a slight grin on each of our faces...the kind when you know what you just heard is ridiculous and you're trying to figure out how to get yourself out of the predicament. We scanned the menu insisting there had to be something reasonably priced.
Side salad: $10
Baked potato: $14.50
Tempting.
We didn't dare drink our water. And the loaf of bread with butter on the side remained untouched.
The cheapest steak was $38 I believe. And that was only a 4oz piece of meat. What were we going to do?
My forehead was sweating...literally. We giggled out loud a couple of times. We ran through a few scenarios of how we could leave without making a scene. Kama came up with the brilliant plan of pretending to get an emergency phone call on her cell phone and having to rush out. What an original idea! We thought of how we could honestly approach our waiter and just excuse ourselves.
We knew none of these people. They would certainly never see us again. Why was this so hard?
Our waiter came by again and we asked for a few more minutes. I was hot and uncomfortable. And I was hungry. We had to make a decision. I teased Kama telling her I was going to pretend to go to the bathroom and then just leave. She said, "Don't you dare" in quite a serious tone that convinced me it wouldn't be funny.
We decided to be civil about the situation and I rehearsed how I could politely share with the waiter that we weren't expecting these kinds of prices and would need to excuse ourselves. I prepped myself for the next time he approached our table. But then the planets must have aligned for we found a perfect opportunity for our "civil" exit.
Our waiter turned his back and headed towards the kitchen while a large crowd entered the front doors and distracted all four women at the podium. I whispered "Let's go" in a commanding voice. We stood up and rushed out the door. And we proceeded with a "mall walk" all the way to our car. I had an absurd fear that our waiter would come running after us...so I locked the doors as soon as we got in. As we pulled out, a Jaguar took our parking space.
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Seriously, is it just me or would that have been a dilemma for you as well? Do I have issues or would you have struggled with that decision given similar circumstances? Can anyone help me understand why this was such a huge internal conflict for me?!? Why do I care what other people think when they don't know me and I'll never see them again?!?! I could have screamed while we ran out just to make it a better story. I'm so weird!!! :)
9 comments:
a.) I played the slots ONE TIME...ONE TIME...and I've repented..."white as snow", mister. "white as snow". LET IT GO!
b.) I giggled while reading this. I love that even though you would not have been paying for this, you still couldn't do it.
c.) I've spent $38 for 4 oz of meat before....didn't even bat an eye. sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. As my good friend Jane Austen would say, "It is only poverty which makes celebacy contemptable."
You're SO funny!!
Chicago Temple Trip some time before 1997. 7 or 8 couples going out to dinner. Seated at a nice restaurant, perusing menu--very quiet. Suddenly Adrienne Rees gasped very loudly. Her gasp was evidence of what all of us were thinking but were too chicken to say. Over a dozen people laughed all the way out of the restaurant. You needed an Adrienne Rees. I sure wasn't going to "spoil the fun" for everyone:-) Funny post! Now next time--get a clue.
Always ask for a menu before being seated. Always! 2 years ago my boss told me to eat at the ENEGMA in Dallas. The fish was $52, salad was $14, vegatable was $28 and something else I had brought the total to $108 w/o tip, for just me. I was only impressed with the expense, not the food. Live and learn, son. It is like walking past the first class cabin when you seat is 6E. You only do it once.
Well this is your first business trip that you have lots to laugh about for the rest of your life. Who knows, the steak may have been the best you'd ever and now you'll never know!
Take the advice from the "Tall Dad" he knows where of he speaks. And I sure enjoyed his fun comments! Well at least this was one interesting experience for you!
Okay . . . mine wasn't steak and not that expensive. We went to the Illinois Mennonite Relief Sale yesterday. Good food, good cause, but steep prices. As we were leaving, I thought I'd buy some cookies to bring home to my David. Homemade chocolate chip and the other kind was a special sugar cookie. The sign said, "Cookies - 50 Cents". They were packaged in bags. I thought . . . Wow! I could go for this. So, I picked a couple of packages and proceeded to give her a dollar. She kind of snickered and said, "They are 50 cents a cookie." I paid $5.00 for ten cookies! I just kept saying over and over . . . "It's for a good cause, It's for a good cause, It's for a good cause." Ouch!
I could totally see you in this situation and I would be totally running along side of you to get to the car . . . especially to LOCK the door. Ha!
I love it! I would have felt the same way as you did... but I hope that the cars in the parking lot would have tipped me off. So I say now, but really, who knows if I would've noticed?
I needed that laugh today!
"mall walk". That was a perfect description. So did you end up eating someplace else or was that enough drama/trauma for one evening?! Great story!
I was listening to the radio today and they said all flights out of DFW (Dallas-Ft. Worth) were closed due to flooding. Aren't you lucky you didn't have to go back?!
Haa haa haaa! I would have ordered the filet, enjoyed every bite, and asked for refills like I owned the place!
When it comes to red meat, i'll pay top dollar for good quality!
GIDDY UP!
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