Branelle and I try to have lunch together every day if we're both free. I usually pick her up at her office and we head out. You know how they say that a couple's strengths and weaknesses should complement one another? Well, if there's one thing that Nel and I both suck at it's deciding where to eat! We have no trouble deciding what to eat when we get somewhere, but selecting a place is not either of our strong suits.
Today I picked up Nel and we went through the same old song and dance:
"Where do you want to eat?"
"I don't know, what do you feel like?"
"I'm not picky, anything's fine with me."
"Well there's BBQ, or Mexican, or sandwiches…."
"You're just naming types of foods - that doesn't help at all!"
"Well, I don't feel like Chinese."
"Great, that narrows it down to about 2,000 restaurants in Clear Lake."
Anyway, you get the idea. Today Nel finally suggested Mediterraneo Market & Café, a little place right across the street from NASA. We eat there from time to time - Nel likes it more than I do but it's OK….usually. Today we got a true European dining experience.
I like a lot of places in Europe, but I think most Americans who have only visited once or twice and only stay in the touristy places have a rather romanticized view of the continent to be honest. It's kind of like visiting LA but staying at the Beverly Hills Hilton and never getting past Rodeo Drive: You'd never realize that most of the city is a dirty, overcrowded, racial powder keg.
Dining in Europe can be especially annoying in some places. The food might be great, but if you're expecting the same service or pace of your local Olive Garden, you're going to be in for a shock. Today we got that "little taste of Europe" right here in our own back yard. To be fair, the two Greek waitresses that I am used to seeing weren't there today. We had a Russian lady who eventually brought our drinks and took our orders. She wasn't particularly pleasant, but not rude (Euro). Everything seemed normal until we realized that it was taking much longer than normal to get our food (Euro). We weren't in a hurry, so no problem. Unfortunately, when our food finally did arrive it wasn't what we ordered (Euro). Nel always orders the same thing here, the Gyros Plate - basically lamb and beef with some weird sauce. I panicked when she took my order and asked for a Cheeseburger - not usually their best dish. What Nel got was some grilled chicken breast and a salad and I actually got my cheeseburger…on a little plate with nothing else. I had told her "no vegetables" and she took it to the extreme and left off the fries as well (Euro). She bolted before we even had a chance to say a word (Euro) so we decided to just eat it and make the best of it. Nel's chicken was actually really good (I tried a piece) but I didn't have anything on my burger. I wanted to ask for some ketchup, but I waited and waited and the lady never came back (Euro). Nel was done eating and I still hadn't started so I gave up and just ate it dry. It was actually a very good burger…or would have been with ketchup anyway. After eating food we didn't order (Euro) and running out of drinks long before we finished without even the slightest hint at a chance for a refill (Euro) we went up to the counter to pay.
We're pretty easy going. I don't ask much at a restaurant, but it would be nice to at least get to eat what you actually ordered and to not have to worry about saving soda so you don't run out. Anyway, we might just remove Mediterraneo from our options list. We've done it before to a fantastic little local restaurant called Italian Café because they constantly don't have the items on the menu that we like and then are rude about it every time, as if you should be lucky if they EVER have Tortellini in a Rose Cream Sauce. After two consecutive visits where the Italian chick behind the counter snapped at me when I asked why they didn't have any Tortellini, we just wrote it off. The two places have one thing in common: They are both owned and run by Europeans. It's probably just a coincidence. There are plenty of other European owned and operated restaurants in the area (Frenchie's - Villa Capri - Angelo's to name a few) where the service is outstanding!
Oh well, if you want a truly authentic European experience right here in Texas, Mediterraneo Market & Café has plenty of seats available.
No comments:
Post a Comment