Michiels Bar & Grill in Menesha, WI
Today John and I took a little trip and traveled to a city about an hour and a half from where we live. There was a great sale on eye glasses at this place my sister told me about. Since we both were overdue for eye exam’s and glasses, this seemed a good thing to do. We decided to also stop somewhere for lunch afterwards.
Advertised 2/$69.95 for eye glasses (includes free exam) which turned out to be a good deal for me, as I only need glasses for reading and driving at night. Got some styling spec’s! As far as John goes, well not such a good deal or I should say it would have cost the same if he had gone somewhere in our neck of the woods. Live and learn.
So onto our next adventure trying somewhere new to eat for lunch. Our criteria to picking somewhere is that we can have an adult beverage and it has to have a great atmosphere. We tend to lean towards bar and grill’s also. Google map had us heading for a place called Michiels Bar and Grill. Not a real unique name, but how pleasantly surprised when we came upon the place!
Of course it was right up our alley because it appears so “cottage-y.” Being in my photography class, I, of course now have to take photos of just about everything now. But John is good about it and said I just had to take pictures of this quaint place. When we walked in, to the front of us was a round seated area with a gas fire place and a fire going in the photo you see on the far right. COZY!
The bartender/host/jack of all trades, a.k.a the owner, was so friendly and nice. As we sat down at the bar he said, “Hey kids! What can I get you?” We each ordered our drinks and chuckled to ourselves that he called us ‘kids.’ He appeared to be around the same age as John and I.
Just about every person that came in after us he called by name or greeted them with a enthusiastic hello. It was so charming. As people left, he walked from behind the bar and up to them and personally thanked them for stopping by and telling them how much he appreciates their business. You know how rare that is these days? It was so awesome to see this.
As we would come to find out the owner is only 48-years old– one year younger than me. After hearing this I told him I thought it was cute he was calling me a kid when he is younger than me. He said, “Well, we are all kids at heart.” I absolutely agreed. I love being a kid at heart. We also heard him telling the local’s about his 55-year old brother who died unexpectedly recently.
It’s funny, even though I didn’t know this owner or his brother, in that moment everything shifted for me. Not that I don’t appreciate time with my husband, because I do–but it all of a sudden became that more special. How blessed we were to take some time off today and have a nice lunch together away from home. We laughed, talked, and enjoyed each other’s company. We really do have so much fun together.
On the way home John realized he took a wrong turn.
I said, “I thought you did, but I didn’t want to say anything.” (You see, I’m a very smart wife and know when to keep my mouth shut). GRIN.
He said, “Oh well, it dosen’t matter because I’m enjoying the day with my wife.”
My heart filled with love. These are the moments that make life so amazingly sweet. Nothing out of the ordinary really, but a simple day of getting new glasses and then lunch… but oh, how extraordinaire it turned out to be.