Sunday Brunch

Today, grandma surprised Natalia with tickets to go see Hamilton. To keep the surprise going, Mike and I pretended that we were taking Natalia to brunch in Boston. I always dreamed of going to musicals when I was a kid, and I saw my first musical in high school. Two boys asked me and a friend to go see The Phantom of the Opera. We didn’t really realize it was because one boy had a crush on me. I didn’t fancy the young suitor, but I did have a great time at the show. I know some folks really don’t enjoy musicals; maybe the emotions and story are too on the nose, with not a lot of subtlety, but I always enjoyed the spectacle of it all. I’m glad that Natalia gets to experience that same sense of wonder.

The tickets were far too expensive for Mike and I to go as well, so we enjoyed a tasty brunch at Stillwater (From the site’s “About Us” page: “At the helm of the kitchen is local gourmet junk food expert and Food Network’s Chopped Gold Medal Games Champion Chef Sarah Wade!”). Serving “elevated comfort food,” the restaurant was an easy choice for us. We had the delicious biscuits and butter (with whipped butter made with chicken drippings), and I had the Empanadas Rancheros. The empanadas had a crispy, flaky crust, and the chicken filling was seasoned well and tasty.

I haven’t been to brunch in a long time. It was fun, but there was sadly a woman who sat next to us who coughed throughout her breakfast. I mean, really, if you have a cough, shouldn’t you be staying at home? Why share that germiness with everyone else? It was a small reminder of how this pandemic has traumatized me -- every cough, sneeze, and sniffle is magnified in my mind. I’m sure I’ll be fine, and if I catch something, I’m fully boosted and vaccinated. This is my own risk-tolerance level, and I’m A-OK with the occasional meal out.