Normally, such a thing wouldn’t be worthy of a post, but these are not normal times.
Things are slowly opening up again locally, including bars and restaurants. Those are interesting, as they’re only allowed to operate at half-capacity. This means that half the place has carefully-spaced-apart tables, and the other half has tables and chairs stacked upon themselves, which cannot be used.
I’ve been very careful about going out–with a couple of necessary exceptions, I’ve gone out only when I had to, to the supermarket and such–but it’s been three-and-a-half months of my lousy cooking and frozen foods. I took a chance yesterday, and visited a local pub I’ve been to before. Sitting well away from anybody, I gave my order to a masked waitress: a draft Budweiser (this place doesn’t tend to have anything fancier) and a burger and fries.
The food at this place would never win any awards–but I gotta say, after three-and-a-half months of my lousy cooking and frozen foods, it was the absolute best burger and fries I’ve ever eaten. And an ice-cold draft Budweiser? So much better than the craft beer that’s in the cans in my fridge. It was a great evening, and something I’ve missed terribly. That’s probably why it all tasted so good.
Are things opening in your area? Have you been able to get out for a burger, fries, and a cold draft beer?
Bars, pubs, clubs, cellar doors, micro-breweries, distilleries and casinos
Capacity must not exceed 50 customers or one customer per 4 square metres (excluding staff) per existing separate seated food or drink area, whichever is the lesser. Venues may have multiple existing seated areas.
Bowlers on a bowling green are not be counted in the total number of persons on the premises. There can be no more than 20 bowlers on a bowling green at any one time.
Maximum of 20 people per individual group.
Customers consuming food or drink on the premises must provide their name and contact details, including a telephone number or email address.
Operators must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and keep a record of all people entering the premises.
and equivalent rules for Cafes, restaurants and food courts
Local breweries have done a great job responding to the pandemic. Pennsylvania lawmakers/police have cooperated and issued temporary permission for breweries to have outdoor consumption (ordinarily that would entail Liquor Control Board public hearings and $$$)
Since June 1st we’ve been going to breweries, bringing along our camp chairs and a growler, ordering food from whichever food truck is there that evening, getting our growler filled, and picnicking in the parking lot with nobody around us.
This makes me want to weep. I’m SO desperate to go to a restaurant. Or just sit outside a pub.
It hasn’t been announced yet, but the bets here are that we’ll start opening up social venues on the 5th July (UK - or at least, England, as the other home nations are opening more slowly).
Shops are now open, but I couldn’t give a stuff about them. I want to sip a negroni with a menu in my hand, dammit!
For months and months I’ve been eating only my own cooking. About a week ago, after seven straight days going into work, including some overtime most days, coming home from work hot, tired, exhausted, stressed and incredibly sick of my own cooking I stopped at a McDonald’s drive-thru (dining inside not yet a thing in my area).
Mmm… grease… salt…
Just having a change was a great thing. Not having to cook for once (and clean up afterwards) even better.
I’ve had takeout a little less than once a week during this whole thing, and I tell you what I am SO TIRED of carryout french fries. They’re so useless and gross. Most places that offer carryout have limited menus consisting of a sandwich and fries. The worst of course are the places that throw everything in a styrofoam box. Other places have tried to step up their games with fries in a separate box or even a bag. The best place has actually been Applebees who looked towards the French Fry Kings (McDonald’s) and put their fries in a cardboard container just like the Mac does.
But still, there’s nothing like fresh french fries on your plate. So I hope you really enjoyed those fries, Spoons. I’m sure it was a special moment
We went out for the second time on Sunday, meeting Seattle friends at a brew pub in Bellingham. I had 3 hazy IPAs (9% ABV), six hot wings in four flavours, and a Cobb salad. Oh, and some of the four sample glasses of the four beers that were paired with the wings.
Our restaurants are open up to 75% capacity, but it seems like there’s a rash of COVID-19 cases among restaurant staffs that are being reported, and the restaurants closing down temporarily. And that’s what’s being reported at more tony places… I don’t doubt that the same thing is happening at smaller mom & pop joints and at fast food places, but not reported.
As a result, I’m staying clear of restaurants for the foreseeable future. Which isn’t too bad- my wife and I are fine cooks. I’m just getting awfully tired of the constant planning, prep, cleanup, and dishes involved with cooking every meal at home.
FWIW, that burger, fries and beer sounds heavenly. Especially if you just showed up and ate it!
…NZer here. We opened up fully a few weeks ago, alert level 1, no community transmission, no social distancing required. Happy that I can go out and have a burger and fries whenever I want, but kind of can’t believe what’s happening in the rest of the world I really feel for you guys.
Right now it’s outside dining only and I haven’t been back yet. In a week or so, it’s supposed to be limited (50%?) indoor seating but I doubt we’ll be around for that either. I’m more inclined to go but my wife is paranoid about the whole thing so Lord only knows when the next time we’ll sit at a restaurant is.
We’ve had plenty of carry-out and delivery though so it’s not as though we’re just cooking at home; we’re just not eating out.
I’ve been going for takeout maybe every other day since this thing began, and my fiancee is a very good cook for the other meals, so I haven’t become sick of my own cooking.
But we went for the first time this weekend to a restaurant to eat. Illinois has only outdoor* dining until later this week, so we ended up for Sunday breakfast at a nearby restaurant using a roped-off and tented section of parking lot as as its dining area. Plus a few tables not under the tent or any umbrella that nobody wanted to sit at in the hot sun. The food was very good, but my itch to eat out just because I could was definitely scratched.
*Outdoors, plus tables just inside where the wall can be opened up for fresh air. Went to pick up takeout a couple of weeks ago and I puzzled for a couple of seconds to see people eating inside until I realized the glass wall was open.
Lots of restaurants are open for dine-in where I am, but I don’t think I have any friends who would be willing to go to one, so I haven’t. As long as it’s just me, take-out or cooking at home seems to make more sense.
It’s my hope that states reform their alcohol laws after this. I can go to a Mexican restaurant and order food and drink a margarita there, so why can’t i get it to go? Drunk driving can’t be the answer because they let me drink it at the restaurant and then drive home. If I get it to go, then I’ll drink it at home, or possibly illegally in the car, but I’ll still be more sober on the way home than if I drank the whole thing at the restaurant and then drove home.
I think this whole thing is exposing (especially in PA) the special interests that want to control alcohol with no rational reason.
Which brings up an unrelated complaint about open container laws (and relevant to the current debate about overarching police presence). I can get off work, go to a bar next door, drink two beers, and then drive home. No law violation. I’m not impaired and I am under .08.
However, if I stop at a convenience store, buy a six pack and drink the two beers on the way home, then I have committed a violation. Why? I have done nothing different to harm the driving public by my latter behavior than by my former. Again, if anything I am less than “not impaired” as my alcohol level will not reach two beers until I am in my driveway. Yet the law wants to punish the latter and not the former.
It makes no sense. And I object to any “ease of enforcement” argument as it gives the police more arbitrary power.
I really feel for you guys.
The food was very good, but my itch to eat out just because I could was definitely scratched.