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The Dining Divas

By Lisa Kampeter

2015 already was brighter with Divas Brunch

2014 was not a fun year for me. The Big C was a big pain for the majority of the year. As I focused on one day at a time during my fight, I was always glad to have something nice to look forward to each month. Something to take my mind off my struggle. Something that I knew would make me happy. And those “somethings” are the Dining Divas.

As we kicked off the New Year with our annual Divas brunch, I reflected back to last year and how much of a difference this group of ladies has made in my life, especially this past year. It was a Dining Divas night on the day I found out I had cancer. The comfort I felt as I dined with these women that night was amazing. Recently, as I drove past Mission Taco, the restaurant we were at that night, I remembered it fondly instead of as a place of resentment. I’m ready to return.

I recalled the special blessing they all did over me at another Diva outing on the night that I shaved my head. Another momentous night in my journey, but again, it was so comforting to have their support and prayers. And knowing all along that no matter what I was going through, this group had my back.

And they still do.

How wonderful it was to see so many smiling faces as we met up at The Shack off Big Bend. The Considerate Diva arrived early to get our large group on the waiting list. The Shack does not take reservations. One day, I’m going to ask why. I just don’t understand what is wrong with rewarding those who are planners with a table. A Bloody Mary helped the hour wait go by for her. At $8 a pop, fortunately she sipped it. I’m told that typically the wait isn’t that long. We just had a large group.

The holidays were good to most everyone. Everyone seemed so happy and cheery. The weather made the trip to The Shack annoying for the Illinois Divas, but they were still in good spirits. The Annual Diva showed up with her usual sarcasm that had us all laughing. The Family Divas made us all envious as they spoke of their upcoming trip to the Dominican Republic for a wedding, especially with the snow falling outside and cold, blowing wind. The Guilty Diva found so many reasons to apologize for just about anything. One of us can always count on getting a call from her to say she’s sorry after we dine.

The Experienced Waitress Diva’s pet peeve got the best of her that day. It really annoys her when servers don’t know which customer gets what dish. As she said, it seemed like they were auctioning off our meals since they had no clue who ordered what. For the price we paid for breakfast, she felt like the waiters should be better trained.

We could have left our mark and written on the walls. The Shack’s rustic-looking environment welcomes graffiti, and the personal customer messages were tasteful. It’s not like you’d find in a bathroom wall, say, at a local drinking establishment. I wondered whose job it was to monitor the walls. That would be an entertaining job. And checking out all the coffee mugs and their different sayings is entertaining as well while you wait for your food.

The Big Crunch, described as Texas French toast, tasted just like how the Home Cooking Diva makes it. It comes encrusted with corn flakes, except those that ordered it didn’t notice any corn flakes on them. They were still tasty.

The Blueberry Pancakes were practically blueberries with a touch of pancakes. You really have to love blueberries for this one. The Breakfast Tacos with chorizo and steak were wonderful and just the right amount. The Rarely Picky Diva ordered the Meg Ryan, which is basically “pick your own”. Except for the unwanted blisters she got from the extremely hot plate she was handed, she was glad she ordered what she wanted, regardless of how boring it was. Her pancake was the size of a personal pizza!

The Daughter Diva took the waitress’ recommendation and ordered the Kitchen Sink, just about a little bit of every breakfast item available. This skillet dish included eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, peppers, onions, and cheese. Even her husband loved her leftovers. The Philly Skillet consisted of a bed of hash browns topped with shaved rib eye, mushrooms, peppers, and onions and was smothered in Shack cheese (delicious, non-paste like real cheese sauce). The Experience Shack Diva ordered hers with her eggs over easy, as was recommended on her first visit. The warm yolk mixed with all the goodies underneath made the skillet extra good. Stick with this one, and skip the Corn Beef Skillet. It was a disappointment.

Although some of the meals were just mediocre, overall The Shack was above average. And it may have had something to do with another reason we had to celebrate. It was the first time the group had been together since I’d given up my Single Diva status to be the Engaged Diva. What fun it was to show off the ring, to talk about the wedding, and to dream about the future. 2015 is already looking brighter.

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