We decided this year that we would celebrate Mother's Day on Saturday instead of Sunday. It was partly by default (reservations at fancy restaurants are always hard to get on holiday's) and partly by decision. I have found that by celebrating a bit early, the actual day can be a bit more relaxing. I don't have to rush around trying to get myself and two little girls ready. Now I would just have to rush around and get us all ready the day before...
We chose Fogon del Leñador in Chicureo for a long and leisurely lunch with our Gringo friends and their two girls. We had all heard great things about the restaurant and it's laid back atmosphere and were eager to try it. In fact, B and I had made reservations a few months ago for a Sunday evening, but about an hour before we were to leave, they phoned and told us they had run out of meat and were closing early. A steak place that ran out of meat. That was a first for me. We thought we should be safe this time though. It was a holiday weekend, one in which they were booked solid on Sunday, so we figured they should still have some meat on Saturday at lunchtime.
And they had meat. In every shape, size, weight and animal. I think we tried a sampling of them all and threw in a few empanadas, french fries, a touch of salad and some bread all during our 4 hour lunch (yep, four hours). How did your kids not go crazy sitting in a restaurant for four hours, you ask? How did you not go crazy trying to keep 4 kids ages 5 and under sitting still for four hours in a restaurant? Because if there is one thing that Chile does perfectly, it is entertain your children while you enjoy your food and wine. Thoughtfully, they provided this just around the corner from our outdoor table...
And they supplied three child minders to boot (see the woman in the red vest in the picture with Stinkerbell below - she is one of them). They played in the sandbox with our kids, helped them slide, kept them from climbing too high and even painted their faces. All for free. All while we were sitting around sipping our wine, nibbling on our lunch and having a full conversation! What a great idea! What more could you ask for on Mother's Day?
With our Mother's Day celebration behind us we were a bit lazy on Sunday. But we find we can only be cooped up inside for so long, doing nothing like sloths, before we get an itch to just get out. Spur of the moment on Sunday night we decided that it would probably be the best time to head out to the new Hard Rock Cafe that just opened up at the new mall. Any time you open a new restaurant it usually takes months for the crowds to thin out and the novelty to wear off. Put that restaurant in the hottest new mall to hit South America and it will take even longer. The only time we figured we wouldn't hit a long wait time would be when everyone else was home enjoying their family time...and if Mother's Day isn't a family day I don't know what is.
And it paid off. We walked in and the place was almost empty. We were shown to our table right away though it took us awhile to get there. The girls couldn't help but stop every few feet and gaze at all of the paraphenalia on the walls. And the clothes from the performers had them entranced.
We did make it to our seats, only to have this happen...
Every 10 seconds. Hard to get food in her when she can't stop bouncing. But she was having so much fun that we couldn't bring ourselves to be too strict about it. She wasn't bothering anyone so we let her have at it!
And then B asks me a strange question out of the blue, "What is the name of your Mom's cousin who plays in Huey Lewis and the News"? "Chris Hayes. Why"? And he points over his left shoulder. Sure enough, we are sitting right underneath his guitar. We chuckled for a bit on the fate of that one...
But then Stinkerbell started this again and we forgot all about it...
And we took some pictures with the girls at their behest...
And the girls got on stage and pretended to be rock stars for a minute. I then corralled them for this picture and we did a final tour of the establishment. The girls kept asking when we could go back and dance again. I guess it was a pretty big hit.
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