Ellie Mae Clampett goes to town

Just in from a truly delightful dinner out with 2 old girlfriends. Emily, Courtney, and I comprise 75% of the "Fab Four." Leigh is the missing 25% and she is still in KY...so we were very sad to be Leigh-less, but we carried on best we could.

Anyways, the self-proclaimed "Fabulous Four" originated in high school, though we have been friends since the 6th grade. Oh, the inside jokes that we possess....they're endless, they are. One of us could start a laughing riot by merely saying the word, "Cheetah!" or "Moreland Park scariness!" or "treehouse crashing down!" or "1 McDonalds birthday cake and 4 forks!" or by naming some poor lad's initials. (BTW, "Cheetah" was a game I made up when we turned 16. Driver gets car up to 55 mph on the Owensboro By-pass, passenger sticks head out window and feels the full effect of a cheetah running at full speed. No, our parents didn't hear about this for years after or else we'd still be grounded.)

So, we dined at a rather "fancy" restaurant tonight. I'll preface this by saying that a big night out for Michael & myself is at Carrabba's or Amerigo's (remember that detail for a little later in the post). Those are mighty fine dining establishments and we like the food there. Let me also preface this dining experience by saying I ate my first true green salad at age 24. The Fab 4 has always been fully aware of my food likes/dislikes/fears/anxieties/pleasures, so I know they were prepared to be entertained by my perusal of the menu at City House Restaurant.

But, I get ahead of myself. First, let me say that a sighting of the Fab 4 is about as rare as spotting the Loch Ness Monster or Big Foot. We just don't get together as often as we ought to. So, when I walked into City House, the girls spotted my latest hairdo and wasted no time in saying I had the same haircut as Suri Cruise.

(Note to self: make hair appt with Hannah tomorrow).

Next, our waiter approached the table with a menu in which I could pronounce no more than 4 items/ingredients on the entire page. He began to explain the specials.

Ever heard of "Sweetbread?" That was the first appetizer he mentions. Well, I do like sweets and I do like bread, so I thought this was some sort of "Cinnabon" concoction.

Um, NO IT'S NOT. Sweetbread is basically a pig's pancreas. Encrusted with something. Sauteed in something else.

Another good one: Montasio Cheese Frico. Now, that's basically fried cheese sticks. Yum.

I could go on & on. He would tell us the fancy name of something and I would respond with a strange look and ask for "layman's terms." We fessed up about half-way through the menu description, in which I was getting the impression that he was going above & beyond his call of duty (i.e. he's used to more sophisticated diners), that we felt a little country bumpkinish/Ellie Mae Clampett about it all. Jokingly, I said, "Do you have some pasta with red sauce?" to which he replied, "Have you ever been to Amerigos?"

OK then.

I recovered from all that and ate my "Pizza Margherita" (aka cheese pizza) and Grits. Yes, I had pizza & grits (Courtney did too!) for dinner. Emily is by far the Fab 4 member with the most sophisticated palate, so she quite enjoyed her quail and okra.

The night continued on with lots of laughter and old stories...

It ended with some dessert. (Duh!)

I got to use my fancy "E-Z Tip Calculator" as well. (That's a whole blog post in & of itself.)

And of course, what meeting of old friends is ever complete without the ever-present promise of "We have to get together again SOON! Oh yes, once a quarter. Absolutely. On my life, starting right now. We are going to get dinner every single quarter of every single year from here on out...." Or something like that.

And you know what? I really hope we do. It's not lip service with this group.

They make me proud to be from Owensboro, KY. They made that school bus just a little safer for me in the 6th grade. High school cheerleading was a little less "mean girls." They danced at my wedding reception. Chicago for our 30th birthdays was unforgettable. Emily & I ran the Country Music 1/2 marathon together and Courtney was there to cheer us on. They were there when John was born, when Maddy was born (Courtney was driving me around town when I was in labor!!!), when Will was born. There are many more chapters to be written, you know!

In light of all that, dinner every quarter seems a little sparse!

Wow. That got kind of sentimental didn't it?!?