What the heck is a dinner draft?

Several years ago, when our kids were very young, I was working full-time and my husband and I were stressed beyond belief. We (or actually probably more me) were looking for a way to make everyone happy. Yeah, that's a bad idea, right?

So we came up with an even worse idea - a dinner draft. We told the kids that they could write down a certain number of dinner options - favorite restaurants or a favorite meal at home - and we would do the same thing. We'd put all of the options into a bowl and then draw them out and put them on the calendar.

I know what you're thinking: This bad idea is getting worse. Oh wait, we went even further than that. We gave the kids "extra" votes so they would feel more empowered and then, hopefully, less whiny.

Yep, that about sums up my parenting skills right there.

The dinner draft was a miserable failure - both logistically and nutritionally. Too many nights at Chuck-E Cheese or having waffles at home. But it's a good story and we like to tell it.

Now that our nest is empty, we still dine out a lot and choosing a restaurant might be a little like a draft. It's based on time, mood, location...and often whether there's a game on that we want to see.

By day I'm a very part-time dining out columnist, NOT a food critic. By night, I'm a diner, with LOTS of opinions. Here is where I will share them. I hope to entertain you and inform you. For some reason, lots of people ask me where to eat. This is another way of doing that.

Bon appetit!