Yesterday a friend of mine invited me to lunch with her and a couple of her girlfriends who were visiting her at her home on the Delaware Bay in Lewes. Her name is Judy. Judy was also my classmate in high school, Class of 1959. One of her visiting friends was also my classmate from high school. Her name is also Judy. Yes, “Judy, Judy” a la Cary Grant or Tony Curtis doing his impression of Cary Grant in the movie “Some Like it Hot.” I didn’t do that joke yesterday.
The second “Judy” was also my childhood friend from grade school. She and her family lived just up the street from me on Washington Avenue in Downingtown, PA. We went to grade school together then high school. After graduating from high school in 1959 we lost touch for many years but we renewed our friendship a few years ago.
The third member of our lunch party was Esther. I only met her a few months ago through the first Judy. Esther and her recently deceased husband were longtime friends of Judy and her husband Jack. I probably shouldn’t get too more involved in explaining these relationships in this blog because even I’m getting confused now.
The point I wanted to make was yesterday’s lunch excursion is just another reason why I love my retirement so much and why I like living in southern Delaware. When Judy called to ask if I was available for lunch I said
“Absolutely!” I didn’t have to worry about getting a day off from work. Actually, it was lucky I wasn’t scheduled for work yesterday. I was able to make a spontaneous decision and go to lunch with the ladies.
Judy asked me where I wanted to go. I suggested Agave, a new Mexican restaurant in Lewes that has been getting good reviews. Since I work at a nearby bed and breakfast, I’m often asked by the guests of the hotel for places to eat. I feel more comfortable and confident suggesting restaurants at which I have eaten myself. Agave was one of those restaurants at which I haven’t eaten as of yet. I was really curious about Agave since I heard that Laura Bush (wife of our former president) ate there last year during a visit to a couple of her friends in Lewes. In fact, the first “Judy” was there when Laura Bush made her impromptu visit last summer.
Well, I wasn’t disappointed. While the interior of the restaurant itself is very small, the service was excellent as well as the food. If I had any complaint at all, it would be the same one the first Judy had, it’s too noisy. The restaurant has tile floors and a very small interior. The sound of patrons talking tends to bounce off the walls and floor. We did quite a bit of shouting in order to hear one another. The restaurant isn't conducive to intimate conversations. Any conversation you have will be heard by the other patrons of the restaurant.
As I said before, the food was good. Although this is a Mexican food restaurant, the food isn’t the typical Tex-Mex concoctions. Everything was fresh and original. The servings were large so no one went hungry. I had Chicken Quesadilla. While not as good as the Chicken Quesadilla I get at the Brickside Grille in Exton, Pennsylvania, it was still good. I especially like the cheese filling. I wasn’t as pleased with the salsa though. I have a partiality to fresh made salsa but I find most Mexican restaurants serve up a tomato sauce based salsa which I don’t find appetizing at all. But that’s just me.
The second Judy had a wonderful Mango salad which she generously shared with everyone (yes, it was that big.) The salad consisted of fresh Mangos, pine nuts, and some kind of cheese mixture (probably cottage cheese) on a bed of Romaine lettuce. What really made the salad tasty was fresh crumbled bacon on top. This was the first time in any restaurant in Delaware that I have ever been served freshly cooked bacon. The other times I’ve been served cold bacon that obviously had been cooked hours or even days before. Either that or the bacon wasn’t cooked. I’ve since been told that if I want cooked bacon I have to ask for “crispy bacon.” Oh, okay. Apparently if one doesn’t ask for “crispy bacon” one is served cold, raw, rubbery bacon. Now I know.
After lunch I took my friends for a tour of the bed and breakfast where I worked, which was located nearby. Lewes is a quaint, New England type of town with many lovely little shops and fine dining. I was glad I had the opportunity to take my friends to where I worked and introduce them to some of my co-workers. In fact, as we were exiting one of the VIP suites, we ran into my boss and the owner of the bed and breakfast. I am proud to say this was the perfect opportunity to impress my boss with my recently acquired etiquette training. I introduced my friends to him as
“I would like to introduce TO YOU Mr. ………” Note I didn’t say
“I would like to introduce YOU TO Mr……..” I never knew there was a difference but apparently there is. After I made the introductions he seemed please, my friends were pleased and I was pleased.
My friends and I ventured out into the 30 MPH gusting winds and headed for our respective cars. Thus we ended a delightful mid day interlude for us four retirees. With their wind blown hair do’s the ladies headed out for more shopping. Me, with the short hair, my hat on so as not to blow out of place what few remaining hairs I have on my scalp, I headed for home and a nap. I’m still working off that five hour round trip to Pennsylvania.
