It's a Sunday - we're running errands up in Skokie and Evanston, we stop for lunch at:
1) Steak 'n' Shake - not a place I frequent often, but I was happy to go, since my monthly cravings for red meat and grease have hit. I have to say, I was happily surprised by the family atmosphere, the diversity, and the good value of freshly cooked food (albeit steakburgers and fries) coupled with the "kid eats free with a purchase of $9). Not bad. Forks and knifes, waitstaff, families of all colors, teenagers, some guys who look like they have a band, all having post-church, pre-Super-Bowl meals together, in a clean, well-lit environment.
2) Speaking of families, there was a lovely family sitting behind us - grandmother, 2 mothers, 4 kids. The kids were so happy and so cute. Thank goodness T has a sense of humor about how emotional I am around this time. I saw one of the little girls running over to her grandmother, all smiles, and I melted. Literally. There were tears in my eyes.
3) To top off our 'nutritious meal' I had a hot fudge sundae. It was free. And the hot fudge was so good - I didn't really want the ice cream - just the fudge. Of course it was all at the bottom of the dish, and the soup spoon I was given didn't fit in that part of the dish. So I used the butter knife to get the fudge. It was completely shameless, but - I needed that chocolate.
Of course now my brain feels like a raisin, with all the sodium coursing in my veins, so I'm drinking liters of water and off to the gym to sweat out the salt.
