Is there a more inexact science than getting a recommendation about a restaurant?

I’m just asking, because it’s been my experience, especially lately, that venturing into the unknown when it comes to eating out is taking a bit of a risk.

Here’s what happened: Saturday night, LaDonna and I went to dinner with some friends. None of us were in a mood to go anywhere particular, so LaDonna and I suggested a restaurant near where we happened to be that some other friends had raved about (not gonna tell the restaurant or even what part of town we were in. Suffice it to say we were in Knoxville. That’s as far as I’ll go). This particular place was supposed to have great food at very reasonable prices.

Ahem. Well… Let’s just say that’s not what we found.

The food was ordinary at best. LaDonna’s dish, according to her, tasted burned. Mine was nothing special, simply adequate. Our dinner companions were not impressed, either. And the prices? Well, let’s just say that they were higher than one would expect of a restaurant serving this particular type of cuisine.

Needless to say, we will not be going back.

The folks that suggested this place are some of our best friends, and I’m sure that would never intentionally steer us wrong. Maybe the place was just having a bad night. Or maybe we have different tastes than our friends.

Which brings us to the latest installment of Rants and Raves:

Rants

  • Restaurant Recommendations. If everyone just liked food the way that I like it, this wouldn’t be a problem. 🙂
  • Diets. Right now, I’m on a variation of the Atkins diet, and it really isn’t going that bad. Down a few pounds and my clothes fit a lot better. But it’s bad because, honestly, I like to eat.
  • Slogging through the undeleted and unfiled email in my inbox. I am obsessed with reading email as soon as I get it. But I hate filing it so I put it off. Eventually it gets to the point to where I can’t stand it anymore so I force myself to clean it up. Does anyone else do this?
  • South Carolina 35, Alabama 21. To quote another famous Alabamian, that’s all I have to say about that.

Raves

  • My son’s football team. The Carter Hornets Hoppers are on a roll (can’t remember just how many they have won in a row, but it’s several). One more win next Tuesday will put them in the playoffs for sure. Go Hornets!
  • My new photo lab. After several bad mistakes from my previous lab, I have switched to a new vendor and they are fabulous. I’ll have to tell you more about them in a future post.
  • Flipboard. An app for the Ipad, Flipboard allows you to take content from various websites and repackage it magazine style. You get to see your content displayed like you do in your favorite magazine and even get to turn pages in a similar way. It really is a neat concept and you have to see it to understand it. Check it out if you have a chance.