Birthday Dinner

Friends here alerted us that there is a grill restaurant here that gives a complete free dinner of choice to a person on his or her birthday. We seldom eat out but figured that we would try it. It was an “interesting” meal and a memorable event.

I asked the hostess to please seat us at a table, rather than a booth and she did - a table for 6. We sat in the middle and had an overlooking view of the beach and ocean through a massive expanse of windows. We had just arrived and as we were sitting down, the strong wind came up and the rain poured down and the sea and surf looked very angry. Then, magically, all stopped and a huge and vivid rainbow appeared over the ocean, reaching right into the sea. Then! A second rainbow showed itself. They lasted for the longest time I have ever experienced and many other diners left their seats to rush out on the balcony to photograph them with telephones. It was wonderful to see such a spectacular rainbow event over the ocean. 

After making our selections from the menu, the waitress (they call them “servers” I noticed) asked us if we would like anything to drink and we ordered coffee. When it came, she left the table so quickly we didn’t have a chance to ask for creamers, which weren’t delivered. I caught her as she passed by, and asked for them. She returned - after a while - with four little creamers. Then she tripped away before I could ask her for spoons so we could stir in our sweeteners and creamers. I caught her again in a while, and ask her for spoons to stir. "Oh! OK!" And - get this - she returned with one spoon - a large round bowl soup spoon. I looked at the Mister and smiled, as she disappeared quickly. We shared our spoon.

Then the salads were delivered with a nice looking tiny loaf of bread with each. There was no butter served. I had to catch her eye again and ask for butter. I asked for real butter, not a spread, please. She replied, “real butter?” I said, “Yes, real butter,” and later on she brought us little frozen squares of real butter. FROZEN like a rock! Are you getting a picture here, folks?

The salad was very fine, the bread was very fine, and the coffee was getting very cold. Later, and I might say quite a bit later, our main course was served. I asked to have our coffee warmed up. We started eating, me with my crab cakes and he with his rib eye steak, medium. The crab cakes were wonderful and very tasty, The steak was inedible. When she returned with the coffee pot she asked how the dinners were. We told her the steak was tough and stringy. She left. Just like that. She left. In a bit, a grill cook, who could even have been the manager, came out to see the steak and ask about it. After convincing him it was inedible, he took it away and brought another - only a bit more tender but the Mister got the middle part cut out and it was OK. Meanwhile, the waitress asked me for my driver’s license to show to the manager so my meal would not be charged to our bill. Do you know, can you believe, that when she returned with the bill and my cake in a box, as I had requested, she forgot she still hadn’t returned my license. I asked for its return and it was in her apron pocket! Surprise! Surprise!

This was a real learning experience for her, wasn’t it? The check was for two coffees $5.00 and one meal $19.99, and tax. There was a stamped suggested gratuity on the bill giving the amounts to leave the waitress (oops! server) at 18%, 20% and 25%. We left $5.00, and were glad to give her something, because she sure didn’t know how to do her job and seemed to be innocent of her mistakes or should I say inadequate skills at this occupation. 

I can only laugh it off and found the humor of the evening - 2 1/2 hours for a simple meal at a so-called “popular” place to eat with an overlooking view of the ocean. 

The memory of the beautiful rainbows on my 78th birthday will always be with us. It was a very nice evening after all. The cake was delicious for our lunch treat today.

Both of the pictures below were posted online by our local weatherman.

Dustin Matthews took this great shot of a double rainbow after the hail and rain in Pawleys Island. We were 22 miles north of Pawleys Island at the restaurant.

This shot was taken by Fred Gibson, a Snowbird from Kincardine, Ontario. 
He had to be nearby where we were. It looks as if the 2nd rainbow hadn't yet appeared.