Gimme those hush puppies!

Are there some restaurants that just remind you of certain people? Like, whenever I see a Sweet Tomatoes or Souper! Salad!, I always think of Frank or my mom. Healthy, salads, fresh food, soup. But then I think of my dad... Long John Silver's, Lion's Choice, Wendy's, Ozzie's Sports Bar & Grill, the Gast Haus, the Edelweiss (that restaurant is a post in itself, I'll save this one for Father's Day).

When I was little, my dad used to take my on "dates" to Long John Silver's, the fried fish and hush puppy emporium. As I got older, my mom started refusing to go, but I would always tag along. Because I love hush puppies so much, my dad always gives me his hush puppies and a piece of shrimp. So now, inevitably, when I'm visiting my parents and my dad is off for the day, we usually end up going to LJS or Captain D's (just like LJS, but maybe without so much class, they also don't offer a variety of "grilled" items like LJS does).

Today I went to Captain D's, a little fried fish fast food restaurant. Walking in, I got this little feeling of comfort, because this is something I associate with one of my most special memories with my dad. Several years ago, when I was engaged and looking for my wedding dress, he took me on another one of our "dates" to go see the dress I had picked out and pay for it (although he still claims I didn't mention that the use of some plastic would be involved during the trip). We went to the shop, I tried the dress on, and he teared up, telling me how beautiful I was in the dress. We even took a couple of pictures together, and I still have them, and they are so very special to me. Afterwards, he offered to take me to lunch. And where did we go? Captain D's, of course.

When I went by myself today, it wasn't quite the same. There wasn't anyone to joke around with about the quality of the fried fish and they didn't have the bell by the front door for you to ring when you leave if you felt like you had a good experience (and let me assure you that my dad always whole-heartedly rings that bell every time he leaves). So, I was a little let down by the whole thing. But then, the manager came walking around asking everyone how their food was. This was a guy in his 20s who obviously takes his job as the manager of Captain D's very seriously. When he asked me, though, how everything was, I just smiled and said "Thank you" because it made me feel a little happier that someone was asking how I liked Captain D's. Just like my dad does when we go together.

I'm heading back to Fort Worth in a couple of weeks, and I know I'll make a trip to Captain D's or LJS with my favorite fried fish fanatic for a date.