Single in the City: Restaurant Wars II

You may remember from a previous post that I occasionally enjoy entertainment and dining options by myself.

This is not weird, small-minded Americans, this is modern and forward-thinking with a certain European sophistication.

Now that we have that settled, let's get to the second review in the series: The Chancery in Wauwatosa.

Establishment: The Chancery
Known Aliases: Cancer's, Chaucer's
Location: Wauwatosa, WI

Anyone who's been to Chancery can tell you that they have plenty of seating available with innumerable nooks and crannies in which a single diner can hide. However, when I went there for lunch the other day (okay, it was, like, months ago...this review is a long time coming), I was placed smack dab in the middle of the Monopoly room. You know which one I'm talking about. There's a 3 ft. x 3 ft. framed print of Park Place, and currency from around the world featured on the walls.

The Staff:
The hostess was sweet, never hinting that she may have thought it odd for me to eat lunch by myself during peak dining time.

The waiter was friendly, though not overtly so. I took it to mean he assumed he would not be getting as high a tip from a single diner as he no doubt would from a table of four for the same amount of effort. However, surely not so much thought was put into the attitude. Likely it was just a long day for him.

The Atmosphere:
While the staff was friendly, the other diners were decidedly less so. Approximately 10 minutes after I was seated (after beverage, before order), a table of Ladies Who Lunch were seated directly next to me.

At first I thought nothing of it.

After all, people are seated next to you in a restaurant all the time. However, those neighbor diners usually refrain from loudly discussing you in your close presence.

The suburban housewives with no lives (rhyme unintentional, though appropriate) could not help themselves from commenting on my single status situation. Not to me or with me, no. Rather, they discussed how sad they found it when they observed others dining alone in a restaurant. No way, they said, would they be able to do the same. They would feel far too awkward.

This went on at a decibel level loud enough to be certain that I would overhear.

Rather than confront the elephant head on - because who likes confrontation - I took to Twittering the situation in an effort that public venting would leave me feeling somewhat calmer.

Final Score: C+
But only because the Bored Bimbos made me rush through my lunch and rush out the door.