Lesson Learned

Just in case you were under the mistaken impression that I was perfect (and hadn't had time to discuss this error in judgement with any of my friends) I am going to share this cautionary tale with you:

One Sunday morning, my boyfriend and I were kid-less and decided to go out to an elegant brunch to celebrate our temporary freedom.

It was a gorgeous warm morning with slight fog that a light breeze was whisking away. What better place than the beach? And of course, if we were going to the beach for an elegant brunch, we felt that the famous Don Cesar hotel was the place to be. They supposedly had marvellous (though rather expensive) brunches. What they're really famous for (and all we can recommend, as you will see) is their architecture and views.

Without a care in the world, we arrived there, stood in line, and when we finally got to the front, the maitre d' looked at us and said "What time are your reservations for?"

We both looked at each other in subtly disguised panic. We each suddenly realized that although we had meant to make the reservations, each of us must have forgotten. So, simultaneously my boyfriend said (very rightly) "no" and I said "yes"! It surprised me that my boyfriend is usually the scoundrel, and here *I* was, lying through my teeth. I justified it to him by pointing out later that 3/4 of the dining room was empty.

Ah yes. This is not a proud moment in my life, but you will see that I was paid back richly.

"What time?" asked the maitre d', narrowing in on me. "10 o'clock," I said promptly, hoping that I was even close to what actual time it was. He got our names and ran up and down the list, twice, without finding it. Of course that was to be expected, but we could hardly tell him that. "Don't worry," mouthed a girl next to him. "We'll get you in!" Well, that looked promising! And yes, within moments we were whisked to a nice table for two.

The food was good, but it wasn't great. For a great buffet at the same price, I'd highly recommend The Renaissance Vinoy Resort instead which is also a gorgeous old landmark here. Still, we enjoyed the meal, wandered about the historic hotel a bit, and went home.

I thought it was somewhat odd that I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day, but being female and always happy to lose weight, I considered it a boon. Until nightfall.

As we know, at nightfall vampires come out and other unholy things rise, and so did my buffet. I found that there is nothing more wonderful than your own bathroom when you're paying homage to The Porcelain God. And I worshipped there in solitude for a very long time.

My boyfriend was sick as well, but nothing in comparison to the person who had lied about the reservations.

Obviously it was food poisoning. There were tons of things in creamy sauces, including seafood, which were left out at room temperature and not properly nestled in vast beds of ice. Then again, the creamy pasta sauce was kept hidden under the table until the chef brought it out at the last minute, so that may have been the source. But I'm not eager to go back again and figure out just which one was the culprit.

So, let it be a lesson to you all: Don't be gate crashers. That is, unless you are up to hanging out with the expert, here. I plan on crashing a Nazi Kegger next. Are you in?