our fancy dinner experience

The week before Thanksgiving, the kids' school offered a Thanksgiving lunch for the children and their family. It's a special meal during their lunch time where the parents can purchase the meal for them and the kids. We decided that instead of participating in this that we will just go to a restuarant for a "fancy" dinner.

So on a Saturday night we went to a restaurant called Zio's. They serve italian dishes and we've never been here so it was a new experience for all of us. We don't normally eat out at a restaurant because we like fast food (cheap and fast) plus the kids have not really been the most behaved while waiting for their food but I thought they need to experience the "fancy" side of a meal at least once a year so they can be familiar of what is expected of them as far as proper etiquette are concerned.

Here's a few pics of our dinner out...

while waiting for our table to be ready, I took out the camera for some quick shots.

We saw an ad in the paper of a great family deal that Zio's was having. It was about $22 for a big plate of spaghetti and meatballs plus chicken alfredo with unlimited salad/soup and bread. We thought it was reasonable and since we've never been to this restaurant, we were up for trying anything.

Marcus didn't like the restaurant experience at first. He was complaining and wanted pizza instead but after tasting their bread and having some of the spaghetti, this boy was happy!

Maddie surprised me at how much food she ate. She doesn't normally have seconds but with this meal, she was enjoying everything twice!

We were surpised at how much food we got for the price we paid. Definitely a deal! Plus the food was delish. I didn't care much for the marinara sauce but the Alfredo dish was superb. We even had room for dessert which we all shared a plate of bread pudding with caramel sauce. I didn't get a chance to take a photo of the dessert as the kids wolfed it down before I can even blink!

All in all it was a great experience. I love how this is so rare for us that we cherish little moments like these. Sharing a great meal (that I didn't have to slave in the kitchen for), practicing our table manners and having a blast together.

Till next time,
Grace