food and family

This weekend, my Mom-in-law (MIL), niece, Brother-in-law, and Sister-in-law-to-be (SIL2B) all drove down from New Jersey to visit us. I was really excited to see everyone because it had been quite a while since our last visit.

MIL and niece actually slept in our apartment. When Fluff awoke on Saturday morning to a house full of people, she ran around screaming with delight and jumping up and down. My dad will tell you that this is something I did as a little girl--I would jump up and down anytime I got excited, usually about something social, like having a friend sleepover or relatives coming into town to visit.

Doug's and my favorite restaurant used to be Longhorn Steakhouse. Whenever family would visit and want to take us out to eat, we'd go there. However, the last two times we've taken loved ones to Longhorn's we've been disappointed, and it's been somewhat of a restaurant-mare. For example, on our most recent (and final visit) to the location here in town, our initial waitress suggested that I add sugar or splenda to my "sweet" tea when I mentioned that it was bitter and over-brewed. (Did you catch that I referred to her as our "initial" waitress?)

As a result of things going south with Longhorn's, we've decided to focus on eating at our local favorites. They are somewhat more pricey, but owned and operated by families for a more personal atmosphere. Our number one spot in town to eat is Kotobuki on W. 21st Street in the Ghent section of Norfolk. It's a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar owned by a mother and daughter pair we've known for the past almost three years. I was pregnant with Fluff when I met them. They always ask about Fluff when we come into the restaurant without her. Upon my discharge from the hospital after having Squish, we went DIRECTLY to Kotobuki with my mom and dad for a celebratory  meal. It's just our place, so it's nice to share our family with theirs. Before we could introduce the owner/mother to Doug's family, she picked up on it.

In keeping with our "local favorite" tradition, we ate at d'Egg in downtown Norfolk for brunch on Sunday before going to see Squish in the hospital. The host actually described us as regulars this time, lol. I find it funny, because we barely visit sit down restaurants in an effort to be economical. When we do, I guess it's almost guaranteed that we will eat at either Kotobuki or d'Egg.