My husband and I are huge fans of a family run local pizza place called Enrico's. When our daughters were still living at home, we used to pick the pizza up, bring it home, and everyone would eat it wherever it might fit in their Friday night schedule.
Tonight, as we headed out to get our Friday night pizza fix, I reflected on how things have changed. Now when we want pizza on a Friday night, we drive over together and eat at Enrico's.
Very small retail space, smoky with the hundreds of pizzas that are baked nightly, tables close together, first come first serve seating, parking a nightmare on a Friday night. But the pizza is just that wonderful that all those minor annoyances aren't even worth worrying about.
As the owner who works the cash register greeted us, the 3 grandparents who work in the kitchen waggled the fingers hello as we came in, and we looked around the restaurant and noticed many people we normally see there on Friday night, we realized that we have become "regulars".
We walked in, found a table, and because we are regulars, our drinks of choice showed up quickly. Depending on who our waitress is for the evening, determines whether or not they even bother to hand us menus.
It's become a ritual that is very relaxing. It gives my husband and me an opportunity to catch up with each other on what happened that day, discuss what the plans are for the weekend, and most importantly relax and unwind. Tonight, by the time we had eaten our house salads, I noticed a considerable lessening of tension in my husband (I was pretty relaxed already because I had the day off today). By the time we got our second beverages and were starting to eat our small pizza, life was good.
Small pleasures like Pizza Friday at Enrico's make me very happy.
Sounds like a great way to end the week. I love the idea of being a regular, it's such a small-town feeling.
ReplyDeleteyou are so right and that is why some many people are on medi they can't or won't find that breathing space in their life... it doesn't have to be a cram-a-month-of-sight-seeing into a long weekend... it can be as simple as sitting down together to eat or watch an old movie on TV
ReplyDeleteEnrico's pizza is so yummy! We have a similar tradition on Sundays at Max and Erma's. When we don't show up the next week they ask us if everything is okay. I love the idea of being a "regular"!
ReplyDelete