50% More Evil

It’s not bad enough that I have the evil twins to contend with this week, but last night we went out with their fairy godmother, Margaret.

Gail, Margaret and Susan plotting the overthrow of the universe

Next month, Margaret’s grand-niece is getting married, and because there are no children available, Margaret and the brides great-grandmother have been enlisted to be the flower girls. I think that’s the sweetest idea I’ve ever heard. Margaret refuses to wear a short skirt, pink tights and Mary-Janes, however.

We had dinner at the Nantucket Restaurant, a cheap ultra casual place hidden on the Carquinez straits underneath the bridge. One of the things I like most about California is the quality of the food in the most modest of circumstances. Gail began with a shrimp cocktail, the old fashioned kind with tiny bay shrimp:

This hasn’t changed in 75 years. And it’s just as good.

I had a spinach salad with the thickest, creamiest, gloppiest sauce you can imagine, which is hardly haute cuisine but it sure tasted good. Gail and Susan both had the calamari steak:

Breaded and sauteed calamari steak with garlic sauce.

This restaurant may be owned by a group of cardiologists who want to increase their caseload. The calamari steak is often a commercial product, machine tenderized, battered and coated, but who cares, that just makes it consistent and easy to cut. The baked potato, drenched in butter and sour cream, is a throwback to the 1950’s, but the tender/crisp steamed vegetables (note the orange cauliflower above) were excellent and tres moderne.

Margaret and I each had the angel hair pasta with rock shrimp. There is more sauce here than I care for, but I survived. I’m no fan of spaghetti soup, I like the pasta to be flavored by the sauce, not drowned.

Angel Hair pasta with Rock Shrimp

You know it’s a large serving when I can’t finish my dinner, and that’s exactly what happened here. All four of us had leftovers. The food was all good, but the kitchen seemed awfully slow–the place was less than half full and still our dinners took considerably longer than they should have to get to the table.

Fortunately, we had lots to look at. Sitting under a bridge, Nantucket has an excellent, unusual view. And we were there at sunset, so I had some fun with the camera:

Panarama from the bay to the bridge.

Sunset over the Pacific I like the bright reflection from the life saver.

Carquinez Bridge from below

But the scenery wasn’t the only thing to watch. There was a couple sitting outside behind me, where Susan and Margaret could see them. They were apparently mostly making out, which seemed to disturb Susan.

Not quite so young lovers.

Susan, as you well know, is in charge of the universe. Or so she thinks. She went out to talk to them.

Inviting herself to sit down.

The world would be a better place if everyone would just listen to Susan and do things her way. At least that’s the way she tells it. I’m not sure her message got through, though.

He doesn’t look like he’s loving this conversation.

It isn’t likely that Susan achieved any lasting change in anyone’s behavior, but we certainly enjoyed the show.

We took Margaret home, and all had to go inside to meet Spanky, the “chorkie” (chihuahua/yorkie mix) who keeps her company. Her old wiener dog Louie died after 16 loving years, the last two tended by Spanky. He barks and cries when she leaves, so Margaret engages one of the women in her complex to dog sit when she goes out.