Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

No, it’s not a typo.  That’s how a restaurant in South Haven, Michigan, spells its name. And that’s what the menu is all about.  It’s mostly small plates and martinis.  And it’s delicious.

Earl, his daughter, his son-in-law, and I met tonight for early supper. We won’t be together for this week’s Thanksgiving feast, so we wanted to celebrate early. And also coordinate plans for the rest of the year’s festivities with our extended families.

But back to the food.  The first time around, we sampled potato pancakes, stuffed mushrooms, and bleu cheese with honey and bread rounds. Next we went with fish tacos, Reuben mac and cheese (Outside of macaroni, you can imagine what this recipe includes.) and more potato pancakes.  In fact, I finished them off as the other diners faded.

We discussed holiday gift ideas, what it means to be mortal, and the Springfield, Illinois, of Abraham Lincoln.  We cringed regularly as a woman at the bar offered up a laugh that wasn’t contagious but certainly distracting. And we agreed that we’re all getting older and slower but still enjoying life.

The weather outside was not fit for “man nor beast” (phrase originally credited to W.C. Fields), but over two hours we truly had a taste of everything that’s worth sampling.