Romantic Dinner for Two... I'll stay home.

I am a bit isolated these days, as I don't have a car, and most of my friends work. So when my husband suggests we go out for dinner, you can bet I get real excited to go out amongst people, and have a real date with my beloved spouse. However, two weeks ago, we decided to splurge a little, and instead of the usual pizza joint/ bar, we went to one of those upscale seafood chains for a romantic dinner. The food is usually good, and it's not the kind of place where you expect to be seated in the midst of a family with little kids. We entered the restaurant at 6PM, and a child hostess greeted us with a dry, "how many?" Obviously we were the only two, and the restaurant was near empty, but the bar was well attended. She dropped the menus and then hurriedly seated us at a table... right next to the kitchen. I'm not real fussy about most things, and I should have said no, but not wanting to be thought of as a crankypus, I accepted the undesirable table. As I expected, the kitchen door opened and shut frequently, as the college aged waitstaff flew in and out, probably not expecting the "earlybirds." We ordered our cocktails, and because the bar was hopping, it was a bit of a wait. Suddenly, as I began to have a quiet conversation with my husband, an entourage of the waitstaff congregated  against the wall in front of our table. As loud as a college sorority, the annoying chatter of personal happenings began. I learned instantly who was having a bad day, who thought who was a bitch, who wasn't coming in that day, who was hung over from the previous night.... it just continued ad nauseum. The waiter came over with the usual smugness and feigned enthusiasm that the place is known for, and announced the obvious," here is oil and freshly prepared pesto to go with your bread." I smiled, thinking, " thanks, Mr. Obvious, I bet you think we don't even know what the hell pesto is, us being FOPs and all." But I held my tongue. The appetizer and dinner came out quickly, the food was OK, except, I don't believe a tablespoon of soggy corn with a token dot of red pepper deserves a label of steamed vegetable. No matter, the fish was good, and we were only interrupted several times. The waiter felt the need to pour my wine from the carafe into my glass, and ask several times, "how is everything?" at the most inopportune time. "Patience", I thought,"the inexperienced kids are just trying to make a living." Dinner was over within the span of 20 minutes, with (I'm guessing) about an $80 pricetag. We got to have a real conversation at home. The following week, my husband asked if I wanted to go out for dinner, and since I know he does this for me, I said, "no let's just order a pizza for delivery." We had our cocktails as we waited, and the delivery person apologized for the wait, even though he came exactly when his phone person said he would. It was hot, delicious, and afforded us two great meals. For a little more than $20 (I like to tip the delivery guys well, as my son used to do this work in highschool) we had a nice romantic dinner, right in our own kitchen, by candlelight. There were no interruptions, great leftovers, and no rush. For my money, take-out at home is just a better idea. Maybe this week, it will be sushi!