From the mouths of babes...

Despite the tragedy that befell Johnson on Thursday, the Eatery did provide its patrons with lemon bars on Friday.

My daughter, who is almost 4, made her first (and last?) visit to the Faculty Center on Friday. After much deliberation, she chose macaroni and cheese, black-eyed peas, and a lemon bar for lunch. After she pretty much cleaned her plate, we turned to the great lemon experiment. Hume and I, being scholars, probed her reaction to the lemonicity of said bars. Her response:

"Where is the lemon in this?"

Stunned Silence

I suppose it is entirely possible that the last entry demoralized all of us so badly that we have sulked off into silent corners. Which, to be honest, is pretty much true ... 

But the final insult happened on Thursday, the one insult that could make me not lament the loss of The Eatery, the one that could let its demise come to be without a single protest.

It was Thursday, and there were no lemon bars. Not. A. One.

I suffered through the cherry pie which, to be fully honest, may have had a higher level of lemonicity than some of the lemon bars of the past.

Criminal, border line criminal.

New Menu

Here's my lunch for the day, the first in the new menu scheme:

Stuffed Pasta Shells

Mild ricotta cheese, some might say subtle, others might describe as lacking any hint of cheesiness. Bit tepid on the plate, but the pasta okay. Overall a passing grade, but the Kraft Mac & Cheese I made kids for lunch a couple of days ago tasted better.

Spinach

Good to have it back. Goes well with the pasta shells, a bit of green to dress up the plate and health-up the meal. I'm not a huge spinach fan but this worked.

Lemon Bars

Different -- slightly crunchy bottom, crumbly top. Nice texture, an improvement.
The Same -- an almost fanatical lack of lemonocity. Sweet, but flavorless, as if the creator once had a dream about a lemon and that's as close as the fruit ever came to the bar.

As an aside for you menu fans, the alternative for me was Crabby Cakes, but I just spent a week at the beach and ate lots of seafood, so passed.

Lunch, Elsewhere

End-of-year book club gathering on the lake to discuss our final read of the year, Witch Hunt. Sandwiches and beer and a boat ride and more beer and then coffee and then done, all in all about eight hours on the lake on a lovely day. Cookies for dessert. No lemon bars seen.