Catfish Charlie's

Kevin called while I was on my way home tonight. He asked if I'd like to try Catfish Charlie's. "Sure," I said. I'm all about supporting a locally owned business, and since they're new, we hadn't tried them yet.

They are opened during the evenings on Wednesday through Saturday. Anywhere you go for dinner on a Friday night, you can expect a wait, so that didn't bother me too bad. We waited. They didn't have a sign telling us to wait or seat ourselves, so Kevin finally caught a waitress rushing by and asked. If you see an open table, it's OK to seat yourself.

We sat down and waited. We waited a LONG time. I think it was 20 minutes before we ordered drinks, but the drinks were brought over instantly after we ordered them. When she brought the drinks, we ordered, just to make sure we got the chance. Then, more waiting.

At least they had butcher paper on the tables, so we could doodle, draw, and write. We came up with some funny stuff, too. And we waited. We knew almost everyone working there. We didn't know them like old buddies, but we knew them from the community or the school. These are good people. They were VERY busy people.

By the time they brought our food, they offered to comp. the bill. It had been that long. They brought our food over as Kevin walked over to tell them that we wouldn't let them totally comp. the bill, maybe we could split it. They seemed appreciative.

And then, we ate. Oh my sweet cellulite, it was fabulous. We all tried bites of each other's food, and everyone thought everything was awesome. It was fresh, tasty, and just what we'd hoped for. Sure, I gained 10 pounds tonight, but I am FULL.

When it came time to pay, they gave 50% off, per Kevin's suggestion. I wouldn't feel right eating that well and not paying anything. We were there for 2 hours between waiting and eating, so I didn't mind a discount either.

This is a brand new business in a town without a lot of dinner choices. They'll work the kinks out of the service. I'm confident in that. If they keep serving up food like they did tonight, they'll be fine. One more waitress and a bit more planning, and they'll have people driving here from towns all around.

Thumb's up, Catfish Charlie's. Thumb's up.