An Accidental Diner

Last week was too busy for me. An adventure into Baltimore to find Taharka Brothers Ice Cream, dinner with the family in Harbor East, happy hour in the park. My goal on Friday night was to go absolutely nowhere. I knew I’d be going to the BSO concert at the Chrysalis the next day and I just wanted to hunker down in my own home and be a couch potato.

I was thwarted in my plans by the sudden cravings of my husband for “a good fish dinner.” To him that meant Union Jack’s, and, since they have ample outdoor seating, off we went.

The cloudy skies from earlier in the day had cleared up and it had turned out to be a nice night to eat outside in Downtown Columbia. We were seated adjacent to an open tent where we saw a band setting up. Around us Friday evening traffic came and went. My husband surveyed the view.

“At least we’re not looking at our car,” he quipped, referring to the local joke that all outdoor eating in Columbia/HoCo comes with a scenic view of one’s own vehicle.

“No, those are other people’s cars,” I said, gesturing to the mall parking lot. As I did the picture changed.

A bus pulled up, flashing Harbor East as its destination. It brought to mind our dinner on Wednesday night at Gunther & Co in a serene courtyard, complete with soothing water features, a restaurant fashioned from the buildings of an old brewery. A very different ambiance.

Could one just hop a bus at the Mall and have dinner at Gunther? It’s something to think about. Or perhaps to people in Harbor East the prospect of a trip to the Mall in Columbia is appealing.

We had a lovely time. The food was good, service was attentive and our table wasn’t too rickety. The other patrons around us were pleasant enough. I did find it interesting that, although there were plenty of Black servers, the restaurant customers were largely white. From where we were sitting it was one hundred per cent white. I am not saying that I think that non-whites were excluded, but rather that, at least on Friday night, Union Jack’s was really, really white.

In a place like Columbia that’s notable. Or, at least it makes you think.

Friday night Downtown dining al fresco turned out to be a satisfactory experience for this blogger whose original plan was to stay home. A steak sandwich, a cold drink, some innocent people-watching, and some very good company.

Where’s your go-to outdoor place these days?

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