What Happens At "Sharky's" Does NOT Stay At "Sharky's"

We went to “Sharky’s By The Pier” tonight.  Sharky’s is a great restaurant in Venice, Florida that is right on the beach.  It has a beautiful view of the ocean.  And we were seated at just about sunset.  It was lovely.  Normally, we sit out on the patio when we eat at Sharky’s and enjoy the warm ocean breeze, but tonight the temperature was 49 degrees.  Yep, 49 degrees in south Florida.

You say, “Hmm, that sounds rather chilly, Dan.”

It is.

Yesterday, I talked to a friend back in Chicago and mentioned the cold spell that’s happening here in Florida and I did my best to try to muster up some sympathy, but it really didn’t work.  When it’s 55 and sunny, that’s actually a very cold day way down here, but it’s still not going to have people in Chicago crying and holding prayer vigils on your behalf.

I made one last attempt at getting some sympathy by mentioning, “You know, it’s sort of windy, too.  So, that makes it feel even cooler!”

Nothing.  Oh well…

At Sharky’s, Nadia had the grouper, I had the Mahi Mahi, and Rachel…well, you know Rachel.  Rachel likes to carefully scan the menu for the priciest item.  Whether or not she really LIKES the priciest item isn’t really the issue for Rachel.  She prefers to order her food based upon retail price not based upon superfluous issues like taste.

So, Rachel had the lobster tail, which, actually tastes good AND costs a lot, so it’s sort of a double win.  Plus lobster goes well with the hot chocolate that Rachel always orders when it’s cold outside. 

Lobster and hot chocolate, I wonder if they’ll be featuring that combination on the Food Network any time soon.

When the waitress brought the check I made eye contact with Rachel and I pointed in the direction of the check.

You say, “What’s wrong with you, Dan?  Shame on you!!!”

Hey, Rachel’s packing a pretty good sum of money that she received for Christmas.

Nadia smiled and sipped her coffee.  By this time, she’s used to seeing me engage in exercises of complete futility (….like when I tried on a pair of “36 waist” jeans, recently).

I looked at Rachel again and then down at the check, thinking she might get the hint.  Yep, she did!  When the waitress came around, Rachel….ordered a nice dessert, which she and Nadia ate while I paid the bill.

Hey, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.  It was a nice night at Sharky’s with my lovely wife and daughter and despite the temperature outside, I felt warm and cozy….but my jeans are a little tight.

Nadia in front of the big fish tank at Sharky's.