Two Lunch Saturday - I Do It All For You, Baby!

Once a month, I meet with a fabulous group of women. This group has been getting together for monthly Saturday lunches since the early 1980's. My mother worked at Spring Hill Dental Associates from 1979 until she passed away in 2004. The employees that work there have always been a very tight knit family. When a couple of the women left to work closer to their homes, the ladies started meeting one Saturday a month to catch up on things and to stay in touch. Here it is 2010 and we are all still meeting. Several of the original ladies are now grandmothers and even great grandmothers. The "kids" who were very young (I was 9 when my mom was hired by SHDA) now have children of their own. It amazes me how some friendships do withstand the test of time.

The ladies like to meet at Olive Garden or Chili's in New Port Richey. (I prefer Chili's). This time we went to Olive Garden.When I started this blog, I told you that there would not be any chains and I would find the great little hidden gems around the area. I stand true to my word and therefore had two lunches on Saturday. I did not want to eat too much at Olive Garden, so I enjoyed a "liquid appetizer" - Italian Margarita. It is a margarita with a shot of Amaretto on the side. Since I was not sure how long I would be at lunch with the SHDA group as we were celebrating three birthdays, I did not make a "date" for the second lunch. But, upon recommendation from Mitchell Llewellyn, I went to Magoo's Diner. I lived in Spring Hill for ages and have passed this little diner thousands of times travelling back and forth to Pinellas County, but I have never stopped. Apparently once a month they make the best fried chicken, but I was not there the day they were making it.

Magoo's Diner is located at 16103 US Highway 19N in Hudson. The place was busy when I arrived, but most people were finishing up and gone by the time I had completed my lunch. The first thing I did was check out the bathroom. It was surprisingly clean. There was nothing on the floor, the sink was clean and it was very bright. Sometimes the word "diner" can be scary. I went back to the table in order to decide what I was going to have for lunch. The waitress informed me of the $5.00 meals which includes either a hamburger, fish sandwich or chicken sandwich, fries and a drink. There were a lot of things on the menu and I was having trouble deciding, but how can you beat burger, fries and sweet tea for 5 bucks? They have a lot of breakfast specials, too, for $1.68. You can get 1 egg and 1 pancake or 1 egg, corned beef hash and toast, or even 2 frech toast wedges with 1 bacon. There are actually 9 different combinations you can choose from for only $1.68. That is unheard of! There are 7 different appetizers (including cheese sticks, stuffed mushrooms, coconut shrimp and Buffalo chicken strips) and the most expensive one is $4.25. I would love to take my family here! Next time Annie comes down, this will be one of our destinations!

My lunch was delivered and it looked great! It was even served with coleslaw so that was an added bonus. (Even though I rarely like coleslaw). The burger was quite good. 1/4 pound burger served with lettuce and tomato. The fries were nice and crispy, but not burnt. I was thrilled with my new $5 find! I will definitely stop here on one of my next trips to or from Spring Hill.

Sunday I will be dining in Spring Hill before heading back to Pinellas County. Follow me to see where I head next!

Ask me if you are curious about someplace imparticular. I love finding local hidden gems! And I love sharing them too!!