Where would you like to eat dinner?

Square 1 and her hubby had trouble deciding where to eat dinner the other night.

Kate and I had a similar night several years ago:

We're headed home from work and Kate is very hungry, with that hypoglycemic hunger where rational thought is starting to slip away. I can say that because I get the same way.

She can't decide what she's in the mood for. I suggest fast food since sooner would be better. No. We drive to one of the neighborhood standbys and put our name on the list. We get seated but wait. And wait. And wait. Nothing but water, not even a lousy cracker.

We get up and walk out. How about B&B? No, it'll be too crowded.

So we drive downtown and park, another 15 minutes occupied. Walk to a good place there. Too busy. Across the street to the seafood place. Too noisy.

Finally we're going past a boarded-up building under renovation. There's an opening in the scaffold and a sign advertising a restaurant. We walk in. It's a new restaurant in an elegant old bank. Beautiful. Look at the menu. Steaks. I explain to the hostess that we're starving, literally ready to faint.

She seats us and introduces the sommelier. I cut short his speil and say we really need some food RIGHT NOW. Quickly a basket of bread and butter appears. He's our savior. We listen to his recommendation and order wine along with appetizers, but again stress speed.

Wine and appetizers quickly arrive as well, both delicious. The waiter has meanwhile taken our order for steaks. They're heavenly, dry aged for 21 days in the restaurant's own facility. Then dessert, I don't remember what but it was fabulous as well.

It was a great, memorable meal in a romantic setting.

So what was planned to take 1/2 hour and cost $20 ended up taking four hours and setting us back close to $200. Ah, the days of two incomes...