4:45 p.m. Mountain Standard
4:46 p.m. We enter Claire's Cafe and Art Gallery, "Simply Wonderful Food." 16140 North Oracle Road.
We are greeted by Claire who warmly asks us to "Make ourselves at home."
We seat ourselves in our usual booth. Within 60 seconds, we are greeted by Rachel, a plumpish, dimpled, fair-haired waitress. We want comfort food, we say, it has been a long Saturday cutting studs and washing clothes. We have appetites.
She suggests the "Early Bird Dinner Menu."
4:48 p.m. We order a pair of bottomless diet cokes (we're watching our weight).
4:50 p.m. Our cokes are delivered. Stan orders the "Delicious Homemade Meat Loaf, with fresh mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh vegetables, roll and butter for $7.95"
4:52 p.m. Kathleen has now made her final decision. Remarkably similar to Stan's. She orders the "Hot Roast Beef." It also comes with fresh mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh vegetables, roll and butter. It also costs $7.95.
4:58 p.m. Steaming-hot white plates of comfort food arrive, directly from the open kitchen. Stan gets his three man-slabs of meat-loaf. His rippled mashed potatoes have been squeezed elegantly around a cherry tomato and butterhead lettuce greeting. But the star of the show is the julienne vegetable medley, colorful, twisting slivers of red and green peppers, onions, bright orange carrots and deep purple cabbage all lightly-sauted in non-transfat oil. Kathleen's thinly-sliced beef is accompanied by the same sides. We are delighted with the presentation, and say so.
4:59 p.m. The wheat rolls arrive late, with apologies and an explanation that they just came out of the oven.
5:03 p.m. Rachel refills Stan's Diet Coke.
5:16 p.m. We have devoured our Early Bird Specials. Stan leaves nothing but the cherry tomato and lettuce decoration. Kathleen, the same, except she has found a twist of gristle to posit discreetly on the edge of her plate. All talk of bringing home leftovers has ceased.
5:18 p.m. Rachel places our bill on our table. It is $21.11. Stan, who has just received a fresh batch of Ole and Lena jokes from his Minneapolis sister-in-law, asks Rachel if she knows the difference between a Norwegian and a canoe? She doesn't."Well, once in a while a canoe will tip."
Rachel rolls her eyes.
5:20 p.m. We rise to leave. Claire greets us again, compliments Kathleen on her earrings and asks us to come back soon. Kathleen compliments Claire on the food presentation. Stan softly burps a traditional Norwegian compliment to indicate the meat loaf was to his liking.
5:21 p.m. We are in the parking lot. It is 62 degrees and the sun is setting. We feel wonderful. Sated. We are totally mystified by our relatives who report never finding satisfaction in this wonderful little roadhouse cafe.
5:30 p.m. We head to Home Depot to celebrate Valentine's Week. Stan buys Kathleen a new level.
