My family usually meets for dinner once a week at various restaurants around town. We have a core group of restaurants we like and we don't expand it very often. But last weekend, my Mom suggested that we meet at an old fashioned, cozy, mom and pop style café called Jonsey's. I haven't been in a restaurant like that in ions.
It doesn't have a fancy familiar sign that catches your attention when you drive by. In fact, the building would be quite easy to drive right past without even noticing it. But once you walk through the front door, the aroma of a good home cooked meal tickles your nostrils. The tables and booths look a little worn, but the tables aren't crammed together like they are in so many chain restaurants. Garland is hung by the cash register and Christmas gifts are attached to the walls. The clientele is seasoned and quite relaxed. I felt like I'd walked into Mel's Diner (from the old Alice sitcom).
The menu includes a little of everything—steaks, salads, platters (covered in gravy, cheese, or some other type of fattening sauce), soup, and lots of fried stuff. The food we ordered was good (I ordered a chicken caesar salad), the price wasn't bad either, but what I enjoyed most was breaking bread with those I love in a great atmosphere.
Sometimes I view meals as simply a necessary part of life. But the older I get, and the more time I spend with people over a good meal, the more I consider such times as some of the most important in life. It's a great time to remember days gone by, to get caught up with the current events in each other's lives, and to make new memories.
