A good time, even without any food
Eastside Cafe is 20 years young, and the garden is more spectacular than ever. Our rendez-vous didn’t work out quite as planned, but the people-watching was wonderful and the mystery of the missing salad dressings has been solved. We strolled the gardens, admired the cats and the purple martins, and enjoyed people-watching of a high order. And we also checked out the on-site shop, Pitchforks & Tablespoons, where the person in charge told us that the longed-for bottled dressings, Dijon mustard vinaigrette and feta cheese dressing, although missing from the shelves of Central Market, will soon be available again, at Pitchforks & Tablespoons. This little shop sells souvenir T-shirts, botanical-themed stationery, scented products, seeds in packets, and much more, including handsome bird-baths that stand on a metal stake stabbed into the ground. They’re easy to move and are safer against the predations of felines than other forms. Anyhow, food wasn’t on the menu tonight, as it turns out, at least not for us, but our visit was most enjoyable anyhow.