Here's photographic evidence of Ian eating a piece of fruit. He had a chocolate ice cream cone and an apple for breakfast before school on Tuesday.
I really wanted wonton soup for lunch yesterday but that would have involved picking up the phone, placing the order, driving down the street, getting out of my car, paying for the food and picking up the food, etc... I am way too lazy for that. Instead I made my own soup with chicken stock, dried chili pepper, cracked black pepper, stalk, and some frozen potstickers. Good stuff.
The kids and I met my dad for dinner at Benitos on Center Street in Hilliard. This was my first visit there, but my dad is a semi-regular. It was love at first sight as soon as I pulled up at Benitos. Three of my favorite things in the entire universe are diners, dive bars, and independently owned pizza shops. This place is a combination of all three!
Benito's is owned by a very nice woman from Brazil named Liz. She bought a house 8 years ago and turned the front of it in to a restaurant. She still lives in the back of the house. Her patio is also open to guests during the warmer months. We took advantage of the nice weather yesterday and sat outside. We were the only ones at the restaurant during most of our visit, with the exception of the drunk old guy who would stop in for an alcoholic beverage and then leave to wander around downtown Hilliard before returning for another cocktail. The kids were able to play on the patio and were very entertained by all of the randomness outside. There were seashells everywhere and a glider bench, both of which kept the kids busy.
Liz told me that on most days, she is the only one who works. She's the cook, the waitress, the bus boy, and the bartender. She's one hell of a hardworking lady. On Fridays and Saturdays, she an additional person who helps out in the evening. All of the food is made fresh daily, including the various lunch specials are offered.
The meal started with a basket of fried, fresh pizza dough topped with a little paprika and salt with homemade red sauce on the side. Delicious! This item isn't on the menu and we didn't request it, but Liz brought it out as surprise. It was a great way to start the meal.
Next up - chicken wings. Connor and my dad wanted wings and we ordered them with medium sauce. Connor said that they were too hot for him to eat. I tried a dab of the sauce and determined that Connor was full of shit. The wings were, in fact, medium spicy and not hot.
Main course - pizza. Dear Lord Jebus, this was incredibly good pizza. The crust was thin but not too thin, the cheese and sauce were incredible, and the pizza was cooked to the perfect doneness.
We also ordered a Pizza Bianca. It's a white pizza that is heavy on the garlic and has sausage, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Another homerun!
Liz surprised the kids with popsicles after the pizza came. I swear, she might be the sweetest woman that I've ever met.
After dinner, we hung out inside for a bit while we waiting for a to-go sub to take home to Tony. Everything about Benitos is awesome. The inside is full of oddities. I snapped this picture inside the women's restroom. It's a collection of TV Guide magazines from 1998.
An FYI from Ian - He wants you to know that blue gumballs still turn his mouth and teeth blue.
And after he was done turning his mouth blue, he turned it green with another gumball.
A note to my husband: No children were put at risk while consuming gumballs. I bit each gumball in half before allowing the children to chew the gum. There were no choking hazzards present at any point during our outing to Benito's.I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. It's not fancy, but who gives a shit about that when the food is so good and the drinks are cheap. Liz is serving Mother's Day dinner from 4 to 8 on May 10th. She's making homemade spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and salad all for only $4.50. On Sunday May 17, Liz is going to fire up the grill out on the patio and serve all you can eat hamburgers, hotdogs, and various side dishes for $6.00.
