Oh the places we dined over Christmas break -

Well, my family has always enjoyed dining out and we tend to overdo it a bit when we are together. We have many reasons why we like to dine out...

1. We don't get the chance to dine out together all that much

2. We need to celebrate this or that (even if the event has past or has yet to come)

3. It is nice to have someone else cook

4. It is nice to have someone else cleanup

5. It is just plain fun

So, with that, here is a short list of the places that we dined over the past two weeks

1. Costa Vida

2. Rubios

3. On the Border

4. In and Out

5. Carrabbas

5. Nandos

6. Five Guys

7. Wildflower Bread Company

8. Costco (too funny that this is a place to dine :)

9. Pita Jungle

11. Benihanna's

10. Starbucks - way too many times to count

It was lots of fun to eat, chit chat and be merry together. We are blessed to be a family. Ok- for now I will be eating salad, because this list does not include all of the meals we ate at home or the 5 large zip locks full of Dad's famous Chex mix that we enjoyed. Coming soon will be a critique of the dining establishments listed above.

First up:

Costa Vida- Dana Park- We had a group of 18 and it was nice to be able to eat and have the kiddos play by the fountain afterward. Gotta love the free kids cheese quesadilla and the sweet pork tacos. A great place to meet before Christmas light viewing.

Rubios- what can I say...the best fish tacos ever !! Thanks to my cousin Heather I was brave enough to try them back in the day when we lived together in 1998.

On the Border- fun night with out with Nate- good margaritas and chips but the food gets a HUGE thumbs DOWN. Hey, we had a gift card...so it wasn't all bad.

In and Out- ANIMAL STYLE BABY- nothing beat In and Out (a true favorite). We had a nice lunch with the Stenhoffs after a visit to the zoo. And I have to mention the diet coke- one of the best (Aunt Bonnie knows what I am saying) :)

Carrabas- Wednesday is $10 off wine night. Buy a bottle of wine and get $10 off and a free appetizer. The light pink bottle of wine that we could afford (even with the $10 off was not too great), but the free calamari made up for it. A fun way to enjoy wine and an appetizer for a little less. The Rosa Maria Chicken with Mash potatoes is a family favorite-it is enough to split.

Nandos- We have had many family gatherings at Nandos and it is always a nice time (we need our own private room). If you happen to go with a party of 22 and 4 high chairs request Courtney as a waitress. She rocks. The queso is a favorite there.

Five Guys- It may be Obama's favorite place for a burger, but the Macklins, Daveys and Strubes agree that it is pretty pricey and In and Out still has our vote. :) PS- they don't have sandwich spread, only ketchup for the fries.

Wildflower Bread Company- yummy salads, soup and bread. Cream cheese potato soup and the Caesar salad are a good choice. Always a good place for lunch.

Costco- 1.50 hotdog and soda- no need to say anymore...oh and the cheese pizza :) MMMMMM

Pita Jungle- laid back delicious Mediterranean food. Regular and cilantro hummus are favs as well as the falafel salad. Always fun. Emma loves hummus and veggies and Caitlyn can eat bowl after bowl of hummus, rice and lentils. Take out is great too.

Benihanna's- dinner and a show- Bryan was so sweet and threw me a surprise 25th birthday party with the family. Love the tepanyaki and sushi. The babies had fun watching the chef. Emma has been playing chef at home since we ate there. We have always had fun there. This time the sushi was a bit late but they made it right and took it off the bill.

Starbucks- if you know us at all- you will know that we went there a bit too much over break- hey, nate doesn't get to go there in Honduras so we had to help him get his Starbucks fix. LOVE LOVE LOVE Starbucks !!

Ok- for now we are trying to eat at home until we can get our own show on the food network called Family, Food and Fun to help pick up some of the bills.