It was certainly nothing fancy. A little braized beef tips with onions and peppers over egg noodles, with some veggies and bread on the side.

Nothing fancy, but it was from the heart before it came out of the kitchen.

Mother’s Day 2012.

I’m fortunate to have been able to prepare a little something for my mother, my sister, and my wife – on the occasion of that busy dining-out holiday. We four constituted the entire crowd at McHuston’s on Sunday, which is just as well. Except for a small ‘to-go’ box, everything that was cooked was gone.

As a test run for the Irish Bistro, I discovered a couple of things right off the bat. The kitchen performs just fine – particularly that three-compartment sink where Fab and I washed up the dishes and pots afterwards. Wash, Rinse, Sanitize.

Another lesson: it is a rather long walk from the kitchen in the back to the tables in the front of the store. Not really important unless you’re trying to manage a tray of drinking glasses filled close enough to the top to be worrisome. No spills though, thank goodness.

The delivery is scheduled for later this week to install more of the kitchen equipment, which will bring us a little closer to being able to offer lunchtime fare. Nothing is finalized, but I’m still hoping to have a fairly diverse menu with offerings such as Irish Stew, Shepherd’s Pie, Potato Soup, and a sandwich or two as regular items. Maybe a soup o’ the day mixed in, and a couple of plated dishes as well. I’m working on an Irish slow roast somewhat similar to what was whipped up for Mom’s Day, and a couple of others that are rattling around in the idea phase.

I’m also pleased to report that the Rooster Days weekend worked out remarkably better than at our former location. Once the parade was over, it turned into a regular day of business, with considerable more traffic than the typical Saturday. Except for the first couple of years, Rooster Days marked a rare weekend off, since the parking lot spaces were sold by the landlord and store customers were effectively barricaded from entry.

Between Roosters and Moms it made for an eventful weekend.

Almost a relief to have Monday roll back around…