Throwing It Down Old School Style

Back in the late 70's the height of being treated to a nice meal as a 9 year old was all about going to the Colony Diner in Waterbury Connecticut.  Yes folks this foodie cut her teeth on  such culinary delights as fried clam strips, tapioca pudding and parker-house rolls.  As a kid I thought I had died and gone to heaven because we got to sit in a booth lined with mirrors that had  an actual mini  juke box bolted to the table and for a quarter I could play Donna Summer or John Denver depending on my mood of course. What a luxury for a young girl to peruse the trifold menu and ponder the many choices available to me as I tapped my foot to "On the Radio" basking in the glow of neon lights.
The good old days indeed.

This evening my sweet husband and I celebrated my birthday. All day we sent text messages back and forth throwing ideas as to where we should go.  Immediately the tone was set when I got this text message:

James: " Honey we should definitely go to Olive Garden...All you can eat soup and bread sticks?!" 

Me:  "ARE you SH&^ing me?"

Then I got off my high horse and remembered our cross country trip several years ago to Oregon by car and the fun times we had stuffing our faces with bread sticks and soup in Colorado.




My reply: "sure that would be fun"

Of course as soon as I wrote that I thought about the nightmare holiday shopping traffic around the mall and suggested an alternative:

Me: "What about that seafood place on rt 25 in Gorham...I forgot the name but it has the cheesy lobsters on the side..?"

James:  " I am in!"

For the remainder of my busy day I kept getting texts with links to the restaurant's website: Ocean Garden Photo Gallery

Then a few hours later this gem:4 Star Reviews!!

I was in hook line and sinker...no pun intended.

Got home at 5:40 and quickly changed into suitable attire for my big birthday pig-out fest.  I chose wisely, my size LARGER jeans in case my belly became so distended I needed the room.
I would thank myself later for the wise decision.

The restaurant was everything I hoped for, it hearkened back to my Colony diner days minus the 70's mirrors and table side juke boxes.

Ocean House Seafood Pie and Fries

The food was plentiful in a way I wish was available to me on long backpacking trips in the middle of no where.  James decided to go with the evening theme of being an absolute pig and ordered an appetizer of buffalo wings. 

Me: Really honey...did you notice the all you can eat soup and salad bar over yonder? No?
...Can I have one of your wings when they come?

Real Men Don't Use Wet Naps

James: I'll think about it, its your birthday after all.

After bellying up to a fresh no frills salad bar complete with... Dad you'll love this, cold baked beans, we got serious and ordered our meals.
 I chose the seafood pie and when it arrived went into a meditative state as I gorged on my favorite food groups: French Fries, Lemon, Butter, Cracker crumb topping and Lobster/Shrimp/Scallops OH MY!

James landed on the "Meat It's Whats for Dinner" special, Prime rib au jus... again Dad you would have loved this.
Plate came complete with the wet nap which  warmed my heart as another home school throw back to my Colony Diner days




Our waitress was an absolute DOLL. Drinks were never empty and she was incredibly down to earth as you would expect from a place like this.
For those of you who doubt the gluttony we are capable of or just wanted a photo finish proof here you go:

Keep Your Hands and Feet Away From the Birthday Girl

For our dessert she insisted we take it to go, "For Later",  she said..."Sure for later I thought...after I change into my sweat pants!"  Five minutes later we had a to go bag the size of Mooshead Lake and a check that made us think WTF why haven't we come here before, WHAT A BARGAIN!

When we got home we realized that she gave us a free slice of Cheesecake and AN ENTIRE BOTTLE OF WHIP CREAM because she didn't want it to melt on the car ride home:

Ginny Jockeys for Cheesecake Glory

Even though I turned 42 today, I was taken back to my 9th year and I felt like a little girl again. The fat pants definitely helped.