First I say nothing, and then I don’t stop. This will probably be the last post on this
subject for a while, but I did want to follow up our initial visit with one
where we actually were guests. We met a
friend (seems like we’re always meeting friends) there for lunch yesterday to
check out that aspect of the operation.
We got there about high lunch time and were pleased to see
that there were lots of cars in the lot, and indeed we were not alone in the
idea of lunch at McKay's 245. As I mentioned
yesterday roughly a third (?) of the floor space is given over to the quick
service operation. Four(?) large
islands offer salads, soups, rotisserie stuff, and Asian items. And there are not just a token selections available either. There are,
for instance, ten different types of chicken wings, there must have been a dozen soups,
every salad you could think of, etc. As it turned out our friend knew one of
the employees there and we got a quick cook’s tour. Besides the offerings on the islands, along
the side you can special order sandwiches, subs (never for the bottom feeder),
hot dogs, hamburgers, hot fresh pizzas by the slice, and probably something I forgot, and an array of pastries to
finish the meal with. Then there’s the wine bar which we will discuss in a
moment. You can fit a meal to any
appetite from dainty to logger.
Which then provides your first challenge: what the heck do I want? Unless you’re singularly purposed this
results in wandering around, picking up lids, pondering this and that, unable
to make up your mind. At least that was
me. Finally an admonishment from MFO
narrowed me down to having some potato and leek soup (for a cold and rainy day),
and for some reason chicken fried rice that looked appetizing along with an egg
roll. Since “to go” is an option, all
containers are Styrofoam (except the Asian area, which has waxed boxes), and
all tools are in cellophane wrapped pouches.
I had to keep reminding myself it is NOT a restaurant, so it is logical
to have this stuff. They do have trays
at the end of the islands so you can balance your containers and stuff in one
place.
After completing wandering and filling it is time to “check
out”. Currently this means queuing up
for the single “check out lady (COL)”.
Of course we were at a busy lunch hour, so this proved to be kind of a
pinch point. It is noted here that this was my “First Time” so perhaps doing
again will go more smoothly. COL has to
take each item from your tray, weigh it, to determine the price (most stuff is
by the pound) and then hand you back the container. Meanwhile there isn’t (to my knowledge) a
convenient place to rest your tray to unload and reload it. There is a “self check out” but I was too
intimidated to attempt that. So kind of
a bit awkward set up. Again, with less
people and more experience it might improve.
Then we come to the wine. Of course it
was my duty to figure out how that worked, so was obligated to have a glass
with lunch. As a quick aside here, our “tour
guide” reminded us you could get a glass (or a beer), or get this, a cocktail to put in your cart while you
shop. The tipsy shopper!!. Anyway, the deal is that you indicate to the COL
that you would like wine. As I said
before it is a high tech operation She produces a little card much like a room key at a hotel (clever title, eh?)
And asks you “how much would you like?”. The deal is that you have to pre-load the
card with a certain amount of dollars (which are NOT refundable) before you get
your wine. As mentioned before there is
a wide variation in wine prices (around four to over eight) by the whole glass
with lesser volumes (sample, taste) for lesser dollars. Confirming that MFO didn’t feel similarly obligated to
have a glass, I took a shot and said ten bucks.
Then that amount is loaded on the card and handed back to you.
As you remember there are seven units with four bottles each.
So again wandering is initiated. I finally found a Merlot for $8.95 figuring
that was pretty close. Shopping by
pocket book. Then you insert the card
into a little slot and all the price windows in your unit show how much is on
the card (amazing!). You hold your wine
glass (yes, wine GLASS thank you!!) under the spigot and punch the button under
the desired amount (just like selecting octane at the gas pump. It then puts your amount in the glass. I would say that the pour was fair. It’s always hard to judge in balloon glasses
but it was adequate.
There is a nice little space set aside (to the left of the wine bar above) with several tables
sort of out of the way of everything and we finally took a space and sat
down. Again, eating out of Styrofoam
with plastic tools is not my favorite, but YES it is NOT a restaurant. We all thought the food was good, especially
the soups. Greens were fresh in salads,
and the egg rolls crisp. Personally I wish
the flat screen over the (welcomed) fireplace could be turned down. We didn’t observe anybody actually watching
it.
As I sat there finishing my wine (and enjoying it, it was “fresh”)
it bugged me I still had $1.05 on my little card. Then I discovered the plus for the “sample”
portion. I found one for a buck and
gladly took the sip or two. Good
strategy!!
So I echo many peoples opinion that the 245 McKay's is a
welcome addition to our area. Oh, it was
pointed out during our tour that for dinner you can get something like a (what
looked like) a nice piece of Salmon with two sides for eight bucks or so. Not a bad deal. On the way out I picked up a bottle of Dry
Vermouth (the first part of the DMOTRWAT) so didn’t have to make another
stop. With MFO doing her archivist thing
in Tudor Hall, I think this might solve some dinner options!! And okay, for once I can release you from
DFD
No comments:
Post a Comment