Flattop Grill (Dinner)

Time at restaurant: 7:00-8:00 PM

Style of food: Mangolian Grill (pick your own carbs/veggies/protein and sauces, not common in the South)

Company: GF.

Synopsis: Got there about 7. Ordered Thai Sticky Wings. My meal consisted of brown rice, many vegetables, eggs and tofu, chicken, kalamari, philipino sausage, and pork. Chosen sauces were peanut sauce, horseradish tofu, and pad thai sauce. I like to pack it in thick, and when it's a flat price for one bowl--why not? The cooking line was backed up when we got there, which was strange considering the restaurant was fairly empty. However, our food was cooked fairly quickly and service was by all means decent. NBA game played on television.

The highs: They played "My Back Pages" by the Byrds when I was getting my meal together. Waiter gave us wet wipes when we were finished with the wings (very convenient!!!). I saw a beer-gutted middle aged biker dude who had his entire arm covered in tattoos. I see that a lot in Indiana. GF and I discussed Needful Things, the book I finished last night (see review below). My cunning plan of ordering a diet coke after initially ordering a water worked out, as I got a free diet coke out of the situation.

The lows: Guy in a fleece-hipster shirt obviously checked out GF. I gave him a dirty look. I hate the NBA, so the game was a negative. While my cunning plan worked out, I was disappointed in myself for giving into my crippling soda addiction in the first place, so that was a double-edged sword that I luckily did not suffer from in a financial sense. At a table two down from us there was a high school couple listening to music on the girl's iphone. They listened to music the entire time. I hate the concept of sharing headphones, as it subjects one person to another's opinion on music taste. The other person has to agree the song is good otherwise he is going to cause unnecessary tension and complicate things. It's too much pressure on that one person. Also, the guy had a "shit-eating" grin on his face. I had read of "shit-eating" grins in various forms of literature, but this was the first time I had actually seen one in person. And it was clearly "shit-eating". This is a first. Actually, that could be considered a positive. Conversation with GF was energetic at first, but then got dull near the end of the meal.

Overall thoughts: Food was tasty, conversation was lukewarm, environment was a net positive, service adequate. GF said she loved this restaurant, which is good because I like it too. Overall a fairly average experience.

Would I eat there again? Of course, probably within the next month.

Rating: 2.75 out of 5.