Eating out in trying times

Things have been slow foodwise, folks.

I blame the economy. It has made me feel guilty about every penny I spend beyond the necessities. (I'm still psyching myself for the $60 haircut, not including color, that I've talked myself into for later this month.) So there really aren't any more random, wine-soaked $120 dinners at Bogart's anymore.

Which is why we recently ended up at IHOP. Yes, IHOP.

Now, if you know me, you know that I know that there's better breakfast out there. In fact, we were but a mile and change from the unparalleled Big Ed's. Why didn't we go there, you ask? Well, let me tell ya: We wanted pancakes. We were too lazy to make them. We were only willing to spend $20.

For the record, it was actually a fairly good IHOP experience. The server, a jolly man in his 40s, was cheerful and fairly efficient. He didn't appear to be strung out on anything -- an important consideration at IHOP. We didn't get panhandled in the parking lot. The food was hot.

Was it my ideal breakfast? No. But in this wintry economic climate, sometimes we have to settle for less than the best, yo. And until I can figure out how to get a meal at a four-star restaurant without taking out a mortgage or becoming a dishwasher, this is the new normal.

Or at least it is until the guilt fades, and I say screw it and slap down the Visa.