Last night we picked up our good friends Yancy & Cory for dinner. They were at a conference on another side of town and are scheduled to head out of the ATL this morning, so this was our last chance for some hang out time. We fired up the old GPS to find a fun place to eat…we are in Atlanta after all and what did we find?
NOTHING.
Oh, there were plenty of hamburger joints and taco stands. But none of those “adventures in dining” I like to experience. There was only one restaurant I’d never been to before, Bugaboo Steakhouse. I’d seen it and it seemed kinda cute—like a Canadian lodge.
Yancy wasn’t too enthused, “It’s not like the Rainforest Cafe, is it?” I didn’t think it was that thematic, so we tried it. How can you go wrong with steak and potatoes, right?
Well, as soon as we walked in Lydia curled into a ball on my shoulder. We saw a giant…uhm…for lack of a better word, Canadian Mountie Ventriloquist Puppet. We also saw a giant turkey, a stuffed owl and enough taxidermy to keep a…uhm, well, taxidermist in business.
Apparently, Lydia does not like dead animals mounted to walls.
She’s sobbing as I drop her into the high chair and when I finally succumb and allow her to sit in a booster seat next to me, the SQUIRRELS ON THE WALL START MOVING.
Who puts MOVING PARTS in a DEAD ANIMAL?
Oh my lord. It was the twilight zone. Lydia was terrified and kept saying, “Mommymommymommymommymommy!”
Les and I took her into the bathroom on 2 separate occasions to calm her down (maybe a little discipline, too) and pray with her. We even recited our “d” verse, “Do NOT be afraid!”
Finally, Les told her the magic words, “they’re not real” and she realized the squirrels inches from our heads were like her mechanical Charmie dog that barks and (semi-)walks around the house. By the end of the meal she would laugh when the squirrels came on. So all is well in Lydia-land.
And to Yancy, I’m sorry. It was freakishly like the Rainforest Cafe. We’ll do better next time.
Seriously, mechanical taxidermy.
*shudder*
Indiana Keetha says
Oh my goodness!!!
I HOPE after all that the food was good!
Deanne says
And I bet the whole time you were thinking “I’m sooo blogging about this!”.
annie says
Yikes! Reminds me of a place I took amanda once, there were big animal heads all over the walls and she said to the waitress, “Why do you have dead animals over my table?” It was a little embarrassing. She was four.
I’m glad Lydia finally enjoyed it.
pinkmommy says
Oh my word, I don’t blame her! Dead animals hanging on walls freak me out, but moving would just do me in! And I know they aren’t real! The Princess, on the other hand, always wants to touch them. Nasty!
Staci says
Awww…I like Bugaboo!
Adventures In Babywearing says
Oh, that is too funny! Or scary. Not sure!
Steph
Kat says
That’s my little vegetarian!
Chel says
Ok, first off, I love the Rainforest Cafe. Come on, it’s a theme with food! 🙂
And you have a friend named Yancy? Every time I write s short story, I want to use that name.
Dori says
Well at least now I know where NOT to eat when I’m in that area
AmyG says
Poor, poor Lydia!! I’m glad that she finally calmed down for you. How was the food?
bee says
Um… yuck!
I think I’d have a hard time eating any sort of meat there.
themommykelly says
Oh my goodness. That must have been one nightmare of an experience. I would have had to walk out. Seriously. McD’s here I come! No frickin talking squirrels there!
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