It Was A Murder Mystery Night

Murder Mystery Dinner

This was definitely a night I’ll never forget.

Let me start by saying, a friend and I decided to go to a murder mystery dinner since we had never been to one before.  I love trying things I’ve never experienced before so I was all for it.

The first thing that threw us off guard was the location of this place.  We didn’t really pay much attention to it until after we purchased the tickets.  The cross streets threw us off a little because neither of us could figure out what was in that location other than old buildings in the “rough” part of town.

Come to find out, we were right!  Omg.  I’ll never know how they can get people to come to this location in the first place other than the fact that these people don’t all know about this part of town—until they get there and it’s too late by the time they realize it.

Homeless shelter.

There’s a homeless shelter across the street one way and there’s a park across the street the other way where the drunks and crack-heads mingle.  It’s definitely a part of town I wouldn’t think to go to for a dinner theater.

On the night of the dinner, the amazing part was when I pulled into the parking lot behind the building where the dinner was held and saw the cars and people all fancied up in suits, ties, and dresses—but look directly across the street and you see a complete contrast.  WHAT?!  Two different worlds side-by-side.

Don’t get me wrong—I’m not opposed to the homeless shelter—and the drunks and crack-heads have a right to mingle where they want to.  I just didn’t expect to pay so much for a dinner ticket to a play in this area in an abandoned building turned into a dinner room that looked like a big warehouse of a bingo hall.

When we arrived there, we all waited in line to get our picture taken in 1950’s-style accessories they dolled us up into since it was a 50’s-themed play.  But they weren’t going to charge us 50’s-themed prices for the pictures though!!  They seriously were selling the photos for $20 a piece after the show was over.  I could have had someone take a picture for me with my digital camera for free!

And don’t get me started on the food!

I don’t have a clue almighty what in the world I was eating.  (Anything you see in quotes is strictly because I still don’t know if you can even call it that!)

  • Let’s start with the “bread basket”—a loaf of generic bread sliced down the middle.  Seriously?!   Did we really just pay for this?!

  • Let’s move on to the “second course”—the “salad & dressing.”  First of all, the dressing was in packets.  Packets, I say!  Where am I??????  To top it off, my favorite dressing only came in fat-free and the other two options didn’t look so appealing.  So I grabbed the fat-free Ranch and toppled it onto my salad.  Let’s just say the entire thing tasted like grass with water.  So I only ate one bite and I pushed it to the side.  Done.
  • By now I’m scared to see what the “main entrée” looks like.  A person came to “take our order” at our table.  I ordered “chicken parmigiana.”  CAN YOU SEE THE SLOP THEY BROUGHT OUT ON A PLATE TO MY TABLE!!  No way!  I can make a dinner plate at home better than that!  It tasted just like it looked, too.
Me
The bread and salad I couldn’t bring myself to finish.

During this whole time, the “play” was going on.  I was completely lost as to what was happening at all.  We could barely hear them talking on the microphones.

This was an interactive “dinner theater.”  Each table was a team of 10 people.  I refused to be our team captain because I was so baffled as to where we were in the first place!  Someone else volunteered.

We were supposed to get up and ask questions and discuss the play with the other diners and the actors to find out “who dunnit.”  We could “bribe” the “actors” with fake money, too, for more information.

I didn’t get up to interact with anyone since I didn’t know what to ask anyway because I could barely hear anything that was going on or keep up with it all.  Come to find out—one clue was that the “killer” did not even know they were the “killer.”

My friend and I only stayed for two hours because we just couldn’t take it anymore.  We had no idea how long this play was going to last—so, needless to say, we never did find out who the “killer” was since we left early.  AND WE LEFT HUNGRY!!!

My friend and I did have some good laughs throughout the entire thing though because we just couldn’t believe the entire experience we just encountered from beginning to end.  All we could do was look at each other and laugh.  Let the good times roll!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, give a murder mystery dinner a try if you’ve never been to one before—especially if you like the interaction of trying to find out “who dunnit.”  You may come across a pretty decent one—and, if not, just laugh your way through it like we did.  At least it gets you out of the house.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  You never know what life is going to throw at you next, so try to find the humor in it all.

RELATED ARTICLES:
I Love Dinner And A Play

Emerald Kale Salad

Kale Salad

Emerald Kale Salad with roasted peanut vinaigrette dressing.

What a lovely presentation Houston’s did of a kale salad.  I noticed something on the menu I had never seen before—and, of course, I had to try it.

A girlfriend and I decided to split this salad—she wasn’t very hungry and I wasn’t sure how well I’d like it since I’d never had it before.  I should have known anything that comes from Houston’s is delicious.  This was some nice lovely light eating while out catching up on some girl time.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, doll up a beautiful kale salad to look like a mini mountain then munch away on the crunchy goodness of it.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  Who knew kale could be so tasty good once you fancy it up a bit?

RELATED ARTICLES:
A Smile At Houston’s
Houston’s Veggie Burger
Good Eatin’ At Houston’s

More Fun Times At That Newfound Diner

French Toast at the diner

French Toast made with thick sourdough bread dipped in a secret batter, topped with butter, powdered sugar, and maple syrup.

How can you not love three thick pieces of buttery goodness French toast?

Ranch Wrap made with fried chicken, avocado, bacon, tomato, ranch dressing, Jack & cheddar cheese, and a spring mix wrapped in a garlic-herb tortilla.

Wrapped Up made with egg whites, turkey, avocado, mushrooms, and Jack cheese wrapped in a spinach tortilla; served with salsa and fresh fruit.

Fried Chicken Salad made with fried chicken, chopped romaine, tomatoes, Jack & cheddar cheese, onions, cucumbers, bacon, egg, croutons, and ranch dressing; served with a muffin.

Chicken Salad Sandwich made with chicken salad, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese on a croissant; served with fries.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, keep going to your favorite diner till you’ve tried everything on their menu at least once.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  There’s nothing wrong with having found a new little diner as your second home.

RELATED ARTICLES:
This Chicken Ranch Wrap Here
I Found A New Little Diner!
My Rule Of Thumb

A Smile At Houston's

French Fries at Houston's

Hand-Cut French Fries with honey Dijon and ketchup.

Here was the highlight of my day today—FOOD at Houston’s!  I started off with a fabulous appetizer of none other than fries.  These put a smile on my face all on their own.

Club Salad at Houston's

Club Salad made with crispy chicken, smokehouse bacon,  avocado, egg, and tomato with buttermilk garlic dressing.

Five minutes later, there’s my club salad looking lovely as always.  Naturally, I always have to ask for an extra side of dressing.  The amount of dressing they put on the salad just doesn’t cut it for me.  I need it loaded with a blanket of that creamy goodness.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, eat fabulously at a place whose food always puts a smile on your face.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  It’s the little things in life that can make your day.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Emerald Kale Salad
Good Eatin’ At Houston’s
Double-Up The Fries?
Houston’s Veggie Burger

Triple Salad

Fried Chicken Salad

Fried Chicken Salad with lettuce topped with strips of fried chicken, tomatoes, cheese, green onion, and homemade croutons with Ranch dressing.

I was on a salad kick the last 3 days at the diner.  And even though I got them all to-go each day, these were rare moments that I did NOT set the car up like a dining table for the drive home.

I figured it’d be a big mess if I dared try eating a salad while driving.  Plus you can’t really smell a salad wafting through a car like you would, say, a hamburger.  So the temptation wasn’t as great.

Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad with lettuce topped with grilled chicken, bleu cheese, tomato, bacon, red onion, cheddar cheese, and hard-boiled eggs with Ranch dressing.

And every time I called my order in ahead of time, they would ask if I wanted the ‘lunch’ or ‘dinner’ portion.  Why is this even a question???  HELLO, it’s ME!  You knew who I was when I said my name.

Isn’t dinner bigger?  DINNER, PLEASE!!  Let’s wake up over there, people!!!  In what world do I want the smaller size?

Chef Salad

Chef Salad with lettuce topped with turkey, egg, cheese, green onion, tomatoes, and homemade croutons with Ranch dressing.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, try out different salad varieties at your favorite restaurant—and make sure it’s the dinner-sized portion.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  Dinner sizes are bigger than lunch sizes—enough said.  Now back to meat and potatoes.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Cherry Tomato Salad
Your Car Is Not A Dining Table
Costco Pizza Is Crazy Good
Grilled Cheese Drivin’
Still Loving The Diner

Postin' Up Shop At The Cracker Barrel

What can I say?  I love food.  This is sad proof I was eating at the Cracker Barrel on almost a daily basis (and these are only from some of my visits).  I was on a roll—breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I’m smart enough to know that when I’m on a first-name basis with the entire crew that it’s time to start reeling it back in.  You know you’re hangin’ out way too much when you know the dishwasher’s name who stays in the ‘back-of-the-house’ and never comes out to see the light of day.

I was also too afraid to count how much money in total I spent from all my visits—so I opted not to.  Why do I want to feel the pangs of knowing I could have purchased a new car at this point?  I try my best to not over-do it, but in the end I just love food too much.  And I love life too much not to enjoy it!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, move into the local Cracker Barrel (or one of your favorite homestyle eateries) and get to know the crew.

Enjoy the scrumptious cell-phone-quality pics.  Wish you could have been there!  What are some of your daily favorite eateries?

Take-Away Life Lesson:  Bring an overnight bag and just spend the night on the Cracker Barrel porch.

RELATED ARTICLES:
I Think I’ve Made Enough Trips To Cheddar’s
IHOPin’ Around

Good Eatin' At Houston's

Chicken Tenders with honey dijon sauce, Hand-Cut French Fries, Red Beans & Rice, and Garlic Cheese Toast.

Club Salad with crispy chicken, smokehouse bacon, avocado, egg, & tomato with buttermilk garlic dressing; Garlic Cheese Toast; and Tortilla Soup.

Best Pork Chop double-cut and grilled with Hand-Cut French Fries.

Hand Filleted Fresh Salmon grilled over hardwood with Asparagus and Hand-Cut French Fries.

I can honestly say I have tried everything on the menu at least once at Houston’s and I have never had a bad meal.  Everything just tastes so good!—with the exception of the couscous.  A girlfriend and I tried the couscous years ago and it was the nastiest stuff we had ever tasted.  Maybe it was just how they chose to make it at the time but, suffice it to say, I never ordered it again to this very day.

And I made the mistake of thinking ALL couscous everywhere in the world tasted this way and would avoid it like the plague—but that is not the case, people.  That’s just how traumatized I was at the time.  But maybe they make it different now—of course, I wouldn’t know because I never ordered it again.

But other than the couscous, all the food is great!  The service can be sub-par at times, but the excellent food is what keeps me coming back.  Just find a favorite server you like and always request that server to wait on you.  That’s what I do.

They also have some items that are not on the menu that you would never know about unless you’ve been a regular customer for years (like back when these things used to be on the menu).  But I have the inside scoop, y’all.  The chicken tenders made their way off the menu years ago, but they actually still serve them by request!  Spread the word.  Holla, holla!  One of my faves.  Just ask the server what else they serve that’s not on the menu.  Any good server will tell you.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, Google the nearest Houston’s restaurant and treat yourself to some fabulous food.

If you can’t find anyone to go with you, go out by yourself.  I always do.  Eat directly at the bar if nothing else.  That’s what I do sometimes, though I usually eat in a booth in the dining room.  It’s what I deserve.  It’s not as weird as you would think it would be.  Trust me.

Take-Away Life Lesson:  Do not need to be afraid of couscous.  Not all couscous tastes the same.  Lesson learned.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Emerald Kale Salad
Double-Up The Fries?
Houston’s Veggie Burger
A Smile At Houston’s