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I’ve learned a lot about the Dining Divas in the 15 plus years I’ve been getting together with the group for dinner once a month. I’ve also learned a lot about myself in those 15, thanks to the ladies. But one thing I learned a long time ago, way before I met these girls, is that sometimes in certain situations, it’s just best if you keep your comments

to yourself, and you don’t say anything at all.

Rarely in all these years have the Dining Divas been so disappointed with the choice of the restaurant of the month that the majority of the group would say that they’d never go back. Unfortunately, that happened at the most recent Dining Divas. And the group was disappointed for many valid reasons, but also for many “not so valid” reasons.

Reason #1 not to go back to the “restaurant to never be named later.” The Dining Divas claim to like to try “different” things, but that’s not really true. If it’s too out of the ordinary, most will be disappointed.

For example, this place specialized in “pickled” items. So, most items on the menu had some sort of pickled twist to it (vegetables, appetizers, etc.). But when we order deviled eggs, this group wants deviled eggs. Not deviled eggs with whites that were pickled.

When we order a basket of breads, and enough to share with the group, we want bread, not biscuits loaded with peppercorn. We want to be able to distinguish between cornbread and focaccia.   And even though it was a “basket of plenty,” its peculiarity kept most at bay.

Reason #2 not to go back. After 15 years of doing this, you’d think we’d realize that you’re going to pay more for city restaurants. And just because it’s smaller plates, that doesn’t mean the prices match too. It’s not our first or even fifth time that we’ve been to a “small plate”-style restaurant, and every time, I hear the complaints about the pricing.

What I had to laugh about was the comment I heard about the chicken. A few Divas tried a fried chicken dish and enjoyed it. But when I overheard the group comparing it to Old Standard, a restaurant we’d been to a few years ago, they talked about how good Old Standard’s was (it’s no longer around). I only remember hearing the complaints about the pricing of that place…and yet this night, the remarks were positive. So, another reason to not go back, pricing.

Probably the biggest reason why we won’t go back to this restaurant, reason #3, is the group itself. We can be embarrassing and loud. The restaurant was mostly empty, except for two other tables. I had a flashback to a Diva restaurant from our past when I wanted to crawl under the table when one of the Divas outwardly voiced her dislike of the items on a menu. Well this night, I wanted to crawl under the table every time the Boisterous Diva complained about her food to us.   Normally not one to complain, but more likely to love everything she orders, when her comments could be heard by the wait staff across the room I wanted to hide.

Embarrassing! And it’s not unusual for us to get loud with laughter and conversations, but sometimes our mouths can perhaps be offensive to other patrons. This night, we may have gotten a couple well-deserved “looks.”

Even with these reasons not to return to the no-named restaurant, I laughed so much that night and truly enjoyed my night out, just like almost every other evening with the ladies. It doesn’t matter about the food or what we’re talking about. It’s time well spent even if we are a little embarrassing and overly gregarious.

I’d pay a little more for that any day!

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