Pickles & Dimes

There are very few restaurants that get me excited enough to do my patented Butt Dance when I realize we’re eating there. It goes without saying that Buffalo Wild Wings is one of those places. So is Ruth’s Chris.

But my favorite establishment is Barnacle Bill’s in Brooklyn Center. It has so many things going for it:

• it’s attached to a bowling alley

• the menu is extensive

• the nautical décor is phenomenal (I would kill to have the two giant porthole mirrors that were above our booth last time) and

• now that I have to work full days on Fridays (note to Workplace: I still haven’t forgiven you), showing up at 6:00 means we don’t have to wait for a table.

That’s because the dinner rush is at the too-early hour of 4:30 p.m., when all the senior citizens line up. There’s only two reasons that carloads of senior citizens would pile four-deep in the waiting area at a dining establishment: great food and excellent prices. Barnacle Bill’s has both.

Jason and I love the top-notch menu: burgers, steak, ribs, fish, pasta, you name it. The clam chowder alone is worth the price of admission. Also, it’s fantastic to gaze around the dining area and realize you’re the youngest patron by 30 years.

This has become our go-to place since it’s close to home, and we’re determined to become regulars. Nearly every time, I order something new (strange for me, the girl who would eat the same thing every day if digestively possible) and I’ve yet to be disappointed.

On Friday, on our way out the door armed with leftovers that would be more than enough for another full meal, we held the door for an elderly couple. “Excuse me,” the woman said, “but is this a good place to eat? We’re from out of town.”

“Yes,” Jason and I said in unison. “It’s the best.”

Rating: 5 out of 5 pickles