Dinner Date

It was tough this week since I came down with a bit of a cold. I wondered if it was possible to go to Macaroni Grill on Saturday night feeling fine and waking up Sunday morning with those "funny feelings" so suddenly. 'Course if you're trying to avoid germs during a swine flu epidemic, a crowded restaurant is not the best idea.

As we sat at the bar waiting for a table, we ordered their "best" house Chianti and a glass of sparkling water with a twist of lemon for me. As I watched the bartender squeeze that raw lemon with his bare hands into my raw water, I wondered at the risk of infection that he could have passed to me in that unsanitary movement. My concerns may have been valid.

The dinner was great, and WOULD have been extremely economical. All that singular MacGrill rosemary bread dipped in olive oil, their new olive sampler on the side gratis, the signature Pour-Your-Own bottle of Chianti parked on your table (we had two glasses each). Then some terrific calamari--a new dish---and our pasta favs. All that came to $28! BUT, those two glasses of Chianti at the BAR were an additional $22!! That goes to show you what pride in not wanting to look like a tightwad will cost you. I think I MAY have found out how MacGrill makes a profit.