Mother's Day is this Sunday. Earlier this week, I got the bright idea that I should plan ahead and ask Kim what she would like to do to celebrate. Thinking ahead about this sort of thing is actually quite an accomplishment for me. I must admit that I was quite proud of myself.
When I asked the question, I was secretly hoping that Kim would say that what she really would like to do is sit and watch final round coverage of The Player's Championship with me. No such luck. Instead, she wanted to go out to eat. She asked for a late brunch on Sunday, preferably somewhere with outside seating and mussels on the menu. Unfortunately, that eliminated Pudgie's.
In addition to meeting Kim's criteria, I wanted to find a place that would be relatively comfortable for the kids. This is supposed to be a celebration, after all. I don't need any grumpy children spoiling the mood.
You may think that it wouldn't be that hard to find the right place. If so, you must not live in Howard County. We have lousy dining options out here. For most of the time we've lived here, "fine dining" in Howard County consisted of TGI Friday's, Bertucci's, The Olive Garden, and Bob Evans. In the past few years, we've had a couple of new entrants to the fray. They're real restaurants, with creative chefs and food that's actually pretty darn good. But, they're located in small strip malls and their outdoor dining areas provide unencumbered views of parking lots. That's not really what I had in mind.
After an hour of searching the web, reviewing my favorite local foodie blog (www.howchow.blogspot.com), making phone calls, and attempting to make reservations through Open Table, I had gotten nowhere. So, I gave up on the brunch idea and switched to dinner. After another hour, I had to give up on that, too. It was time for bed and I was tired. So much for advance planning. There was going to be no going out for Mother's Day.
Don't despair entirely, though. We're going out for dinner on Friday night to celebrate. I found a new place for us to try in Frederick. It has outside dining and mussels on the menu (although only as an appetizer). Hopefully, Kim will enjoy it. If not, I'll make it up to her with take-out pizza on Sunday.