A few weeks ago, L got an email inviting us to have breakfast with Santa at One Midtown Kitchen on December 18th. He immediately made the 9:00 am reservation. We both agreed that taking A to see Santa at One Midtown sounded way better than standing in line at the Mall.
We have always loved One Midtown. It opened in late '02, and was the first restaurant in Atlanta that I dubbed "nightclub dining." The food is excellent, but you go there for the scene as much as for the food. One Midtown used to be on our regular rotation, but it's fallen off. So many new places have opened that it's hard to keep up. On top of that, One Midtown had a revolving-chef issue which resulted in it becoming a little...inconsistent. (However, Chef Drew has been there for awhile now and he's well known as an exceptional talent.)
Nonetheless, we were both excited to take A there for breakfast with Santa. But Saturday mornings aren't really my thing. And we were supposed to be there at 9:00 am. A typical Saturday for me involves going to turbo kick at 11:30, so I was a little concerned about accommodating both of these activities. To make matters worse, L & I had dinner at Ecco on Friday night, during which I consumed several martinis.
I explain all this to justify the extremely poor decision-making I displayed on the morning of the breakfast.
We all got up and got ready to go. L had to go to work immediately after the breakfast, so he showered and put on a suit. I knew A was going to get his picture taken with Santa so I put him in some dress clothes. Brown cords and a thick cable knit sweater. He looked adorable. But me? What did I decide to wear? Well, to start, I did not shower. What would be the point of that? I was planning on going to the gym afterwards. Since I was going to the gym, I put on gym clothes. Did I put on make-up? Of course not. Again, going to the gym. I did brush my hair, but just barely. So to say I looked a little rough, would be kind. But since the whole thing was going down at 9:00 am, and I honestly didn't think anyone in midtown would be up at that hour, I figured it would be ok.
Boy, was I wrong. How could I have been so misguided? I mean this is the place for whom I coined the phrase "nightclub dining." It's always been a scene. And the whole idea of breakfast with Santa targeted the beautiful, hipster intown parents. The type who effortlessly look good at 9:00 am.
The place was packed. And you know what? Regardless of my appearance, it was a blast. All of Atlanta's coolest parents were there. Handsome gay couples with kids - and you know those guys were decked out. Beautiful moms in designer clothes. People were knocking back mimosas and blooy marys. French toast and bacon was plentiful.
And Santa. I thought A was about to burst with excitement when Santa arrived. We had been given a number (17) when we arrived and had to wait til got there before us to finish with Santa was a real challenge for A. But he made it, and he happily sat on Santa's lap. We had practiced the day before what to say to Santa and he got it out: "Santa, please bring me Buzz Lightyear and Woody."
We had so much fun that we have decided to put One Midtown back on our radar. And we will most definitely return next year for breakfast with Santa. But I will be better prepared for the occasion. At the very least, I will shower beforehand!
