Dining Out

The other day a dear friend invited me out to dinner. She had a groupon coupon burning a hole in her pocket and wanted to use it asap, or at least before it expired.
Sooooo, off we went!
We went to a restaurant called Lei Lounge , located in University Heights on Park Blvd. A cute and very diverse neighborhood in San Diego.
This picture was taken while we waited on the corner to cross the street.
The restaurant is near the trees you see on the right-hand side of the picture.

I highly recommend Lei Lounge to anyone in and around San Diego if you're looking for an early dinner/happy hour eatery but, reservations are strongly suggested since it gets busy during the dinner hour.

We arrived when it was still early in the evening and not very busy, but more people trickled in within the hour.
When you first walk in you'll see beautiful lei necklaces hanging on the door.

The tropical theme throughout: photographs and bamboos.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious, but I stuck with my good ol' comfort food of chicken and fries.
I know, I'm a big dud. Except, this wasn't your ordinary chicken and fries Banquet-in-a-box dinner. This was tempura chicken bits wrapped in bacon with a chili tamarind dipping sauce. Definitely mouth-watering, a bit greasy, but a girl can't live on carrots alone, people!

Two thumbs up for my dish.

My friend ordered sliders. She loves them as much as I love chicken and fries.

Two thumbs up for the sliders.

While we waited for our food, we sipped on tea and pink lemonade...

and stared at this fabulous water-wall. You may not be able to see it in the picture, but there's water running down the entire length of the wall, under the plants and behind the liquor bottles.

The sound of running water is always soothing and with the cool breeze coming from the outdoor patio, made for a very relaxing dinner.
As my friend and I enjoyed our dinner, I couldn't help but to watch the waiters as they worked behind the bar (sorry, I wasn't daring enough to take their pictures).
I'm certain they can feel people staring at them or should I say, me staring at them. One waiter in particular caught my attention, mostly because he had tattoos up and down both of his arms.
Inquiry minds want to know. Yup, that would be me... I asked about them.
My friend wanted no part of it. Chicken (no pun intended).
When he had a moment, the waiter was sweet enough to come over and show me his body art. He explained it was a work in progress. The said work-in-progress reached past his shoulders, yowza. I normally discourage people from getting tattoos, but his 'tats' looked pretty darn good...
and, so did his hair.
Good friends, good food, and good hair.
What more can a girl ask for?

I can feel summer coming to a close, even though it's hot and humid today. Ick.
Time to start thinking about all things Autumn. :-)
Thanks for taking a dinner walk with me.
TGIF