EATING OUT--JUNE 2023--PART 2

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Silly me! I thought with COVID more or less in control and inflation not as high as it was that restaurant prices would start going down but doesn't look that way! As always we hit Big Louie's at least once a month and each time I have been sticking to the lunch specials as the prices are still reasonable. I had one of Louie's lunch combos consisting of a large slice of pizza, soup or salad and half a sub of the customer's choice which came to $7.99 and Allen had the Chicken Francaise for $11.99 so with drinks, tax and a tip the check was reasonable for lunch. The following week was Allen's birthday and I took him out for lunch at a place we both enjoy and haven't been to in a while The Cheesecake Factory and I must admit I was a but taken aback at their lunch prices but the food was good and the cheesecake--I had the Chocolate Godiva and Allen had the Lemon Raspberry--'to die for'! For our main course I had the Garlic Shrimp while Allen had the Chicken Cosetta. What got me though was my coffee--plain old coffee--was $4.95 and his Arnold Palmer (Iced tea and lemonade) $5.50. Long story short--$100 for lunch! The food was good but......... The third restaurant on the list was another 'old timer'--The Courtyard Cafe in Wilton Manors, a place we hadn't been to in a long time, and recently got new owners. Allen had the Chicken Strips platter and I had a Turkey Sandwich--nothing special but wasn't at all bad. Check with tax and tip came to about $16 each. Last, but not least, after seeing "No Hard Feelings" we decided to go to the Lotus a couple of blocks away from the movie theatre. It is not easy to find a great Chinese restaurant in Fort Lauderdale but Lotus is one of the better ones with reasonable prices. Allen had the Cashew Chicken and I had the special Fried Rice with shrimp, pork and chicken and we both had water to drink. (Ah, I remember the good old days when you automatically got a complimentary pot of tea with your main course? Spoken like an old man!) The check with tax and tip came to about $20 each. Can't complain---Chinese, Italian, American and 'deli'--good food--prices a 'bit' high in one case-- but all in all we left each place satisfied!