Porchtime

The ladies drove my way this time around since our activities were on my side of town. Yay! No driving for this girl Since we had some time before our dinner reservation, we began, as we often do, by enjoying an adult beverage – just a few beers this time around. Even better, though, is that we got to do a little ‘porchtime’ before dinner.

It’s been rather chilly here in Ohio, but the weather had FINALLY cooperated and made its way into the 70s! Yay – no more being forced, as we have been all winter, to hibernate inside. I’m extremely blessed to have an old-timey front porch that’s ideal for sitting a spell – which is exactly what we did. Well, maybe. How long is a spell exactly?

Laughter, giggles and conversation ensued, followed by…you guessed it – a quick pic for posterity.

Dinner with the Girls at Cecil & Lime

Hmmm! Where to start here? I guess I’ll start with the fact that there were some very definite hits and misses this time around.

Christine received a recommendation to visit Cecil and Lime, a semi-upscale restaurant in nearby Springfield, Ohio. She called ahead and made reservations so we were all set for dinner.

Upon arrival, an attentive host seated us immediately at a lovely, private table in the back corner where we could converse without interruption. Even better, we had an unobstructed view of the gorgeous baby grand piano.

We ordered drinks from an affable waiter with a great personality. Teeny and I went with wine (white for her and red for me), Heidi with her expected Bloody Mary and Jules snagged herself a beer. The drinks were all fine, but Heidi’s Bloody Mary was pretty small – 6 ounces, maybe!

We perused the menu and of course, all items were a la carte, as they often are in more upscale dining establishments.

To start, Heidi decided to order a bruschetta appetizer. My picture game was off this time around, so I didn’t manage to snap a pic. Little slices of untoasted or extremely lightly toasted bread (without oil or garlic) were brought on a plate , along with some sort of tomato concoction. The bread isn’t what I’d have classified as ‘bruschetta’ bread and the tomatoes were SOOOOOO sweet they reminded all of us of stewed tomatoes. Although we did nibble a bit, none of us were thoroughly impressed. Certainly not like any bruschetta (real bruschetta) we’d ever eaten. Shouldn’t the bread be a bit crunchy? That’s the way I’ve always had it, so…I’m not sure WHAT we had.

Heidi and Christine went with a wedge salad and Jules chose a classic caeser. There were only 3 dressing choices, so Heidi and Teeny opted for the peppercorn, which they weren’t initially too thrilled about. They both ended up liking it just fine, though.

For the main course, Julie chose a tri-tip special, but didn’t order any sides. I’m not sure if she realized they were separate, but the tri-tip was served on a small white plate with 3 little pieces of the beef. Although Julie did like the taste, the plate looked exceptionally bare and unappetizing when it was served. But, she DID get exactly what she ordered.

On the other hand, Heidi didn’t get a main dish; instead she ordered a side of au gratin potatoes, which were actually quite tasty. Like Julie’s tri-tip, it was just another odd presentation for a nicer restaurant.

Christine got the prime rib and au gratin potatoes. She wasn’t too impressed upon the initial presentation of the plate, but taste-wise, it turned out okay for her.

I chose the chicken marsala and, weirdly enough, the au gratin potatoes. The other available sides just weren’t calling to me

Now, I’ve eaten chicken marsala numerous times in my life. I’ve made chicken marsala a few times, too. It’s a dish I’ve always generally enjoyed.

I’m not quite sure what was different about this particular chicken marsala, but it just was not appetizing at all. The other ladies tried it and they ALL felt the same. I think the word I’m looking for here is off-putting. I don’t know if there was too much marsala, too little marsala or something else. It was a nope, nope and a big ole’ nope from me, that’s for sure.

Julie is the only one who decided to give dessert a try. It was classified as a lemon meringue cake, served on a berry reduction of some sort. Jules was kind enough to share the cake with me, so…I got some yummy lemony goodness too.

For me, it almost served as a palate cleanser, after my strange-tasting chicken marsala! The cake tasted just fine, but did remind both of us of one of those frozen cakes you’d find at the supermarket.

What was also slightly disappointing was that we didn’t even get to hear that piano at any point while we were there. I’m sorry to say I definitely wouldn’t return for dinner and I’m pretty certain the other gals wouldn’t give it another shot either.

Girls’ Night at the Elks

So, after dinner (and in desperate need of a drink), we stopped by the Elks Lodge to celebrate a birthday. Our friend and Christine’s co-worker, Mike, had invited us to stop by. Christine introduced us to Mike last year when we spent one of our girls’ days fishing on his boat.

It was the first time at this particular Elks for the girls and I and let me tell you, it was a really nice spot. There were numerous buildings, a pool and around the back a beautiful patio right on the golf course. Seriously, I need to be a member here.

We met some fabulous new folks and enjoyed buckets of beer and shots. Oooooh…and speak of shots – these were some of the BEST shots I’ve literally ever had. The first one (which we had two of) was some sort of pink starburst concoction that just went down so smooth. The other one was, get ready for it, a pineapple upside down cake shot. Are you flippin’ kidding me? OMG! It was absolutely TO DIE FOR I WILL be figuring out what goes into making those things and when I find out, I will share them with you.

Great conversation with our new acquaintances, laughter and yes, even more pictures, ensued. The birthday boy even got to enjoy a little cake on his special day.

It turned out to be a great evening and perfect first girls’ day back since my heart attack. On the plus side, we’ve got at least 8 more ladies nights to look forward to in 2022.

Until next time, plan something with a friend, whether it’s an all day adventure or a quick lunch to catch up. Remember, life is short and tomorrow isn’t promised.

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