On Sunday afternoon, I met Lois and her husband Phil for lunch at Big River Grille at Hamilton Place. Big River is one of Phil’s favorite places and, since he was tagging along, we let him pick the place.

After we all got seated I saw shrapnel come shooting out from the table behind me just as a couple was walking by! I heard a loud commotion and just stayed calm as I looked to see if the couple had survived the attack!

It was obviously ice and water thrown all over the floor, and the couple had escaped unscathed from the child’s accident - unharmed and still dry.

Phil wanted brunch and ordered the Denver Omelet for $9.50, but Lois ordered chicken strips and fries for $8.99 I got the hummus and goat cheese salad for $9.99 plus $3 for the added salmon.  With it being a busy Sunday, we also ordered an appetizer as we knew we may have quite a wait. We shared the crab and artichoke dip for $9.99.

Just as we were enjoying the dip, more ice shrapnel went flinging out from the table adjacent to ours. By this time, I was beginning to think Phil was bad luck. Whenever Lois and I eat out together we stay pretty safe, but with Phil tagging along we were now in the middle of a cold war… or an ice war anyway.

The cute little girl who lost her drink as it flooded the floor didn’t seem to be embarrassed, but more amused. I wondered if she were trying to outdo the little boy who began the battle.

Phil had been talking and didn’t realize the server had brought him another diet Coke before he could even drink the first one. He looked a little perplexed wondering which one he was supposed to drink from.

When our meals arrived, Phil and I dug in but Lois had put her fork she used with the dip on a plate the server had taken away. She had no fork.

With the chicken tenders and fries that looked like a kid’s meal anyway, she could have gotten away with using her fingers, but I didn’t blame her, I would have wanted a fork too. Phil came to her rescue and flagged down a few of the hopping hosts and servers who passed. Some of them were so fast, Phil’s wave was unnoticed.

Lois sat patiently like a damsel in distress as her gallant hero was able to retrieve a new fork for his lady.

I guess Lois did need a fork after all because she also had slaw. She noted right away that she could give BRG a recipe for the slaw - she didn’t feel it was very tasty.

Phil said his meal was usually always good and that he always ordered the same thing, but this time his eggs were a little too done and not fluffy enough. My guess was that everyone ‘wants to be a critic’ when they dine out with Willie Mae.

But when I tried my Hummus salad, the salmon was dry and overcooked also. I think we were just there on a busy day where the food wasn’t as up to par as normal or their chef was home with the flu. I had been to Big River on Broad Street a few times and had never had a bad meal.

Our meals were not terrible at the Hamilton location, but I think there was a difference that day.

Phil suggested another place next time, “The Yellow Mushroom”. Though I had never been, I figured out what he meant. “You mean Mellow Mushroom?” He said, “No, I think it’s The Yellow Mushroom… oh maybe it is mellow. Mellow, Yellow … whatever.”

His two diet cokes confused him enough - I wasn’t sure we should let him have Mellow Yellow.  Phil insists that BRG at Hamilton has good food, so maybe you should try them out … but when they aren’t having an off day.