Bay Pointe

For the Morning Mom at Fox 17, they surprised me and sent us all to Bay Pointe for a yummy Mother's Day brunch. We have never taken the boys to eat there that they remember...we went once with friends back when they FIRST opened, YEARS ago. I wasn't sure what they would do, really, and when Mike mentioned video any "food fights", S2's eyes lit up and he was ready to throw some food. I gave him the sternest look I could pull off and informed him that would NOT be happening.

Getting ready to go, S4 wanted to know if there would be a big wall with a sign to pick out the food, like at McDonald's. Because other than an occasional trip to McD's, we only ever get pizza (which we pick up and take home) so going out to eat is a BIG deal, an unknown adventure. An adventure they weren't sure they wanted to take when they found out they couldn't even wear their hats in to the restaurant. Which is like going naked to a boy, you understand. S4 tried to make up for it.....

The food was scrumptious. They had this HUGE beautiful display of fruit that the boys just loved, especially S3 and S4. Hubby had me grin for the camera and while I am not crazy over me in the picture, S4 is totally cracking me up in this picture. He would literally stuff the whole strawberry in his mouth.

Hubby loved the Prime Rib. He finally asked the chef to cut him a piece like he would cut for himself. By the time we left, Hubby and the Chef we laughing with each other.

This is a view from the back of the restaurant. Beautiful beautiful beautiful! The boys loved running around the grassy area, I really felt it was too cold to be running around outside (it was so cold our asparagus froze). S1 studied the docks and decided that really, this would be a great place to go fishing. And he was really bummed to think I made him take all those nasty dead baked worms and fishing poles out of the back of the suburban!

Here is a fun bit of history for you...Bay Pointe used to be this blue mansion of a house with a stone wrapped porch and a ton of history and photos of grand get togethers. It was once a restaurant that Chicago natives would drive to just to experience. They attempted to keep the house as 'house like' as possible and still have a it a find dining restaurant. In high school I worked there, it was a winter bit and I loved watching people interact. I am a big people watcher. On my first night there I had to go on break and not knowing what to do with myself, I went out the back door and decided to eat the hot roll with raspberry dressing (my Bay Pointe favorite) at the dock. Since it was a nice fall evening, I slipped off my shoes and let my toes dangle in the water just drinking in the beauty of it all and wishing I could see into the past to see the grand parties once held there. As I was getting up to go back to work, I somehow managed to drop my shoe in the water. Quickly I fished it out but I had a wet shoe for the rest of the night. Never ever ever ever did it cross my mind that one day, they would tear that old beautiful house down, they would build a beautiful resort, I would be sent there on assignment from my favorite local news station and my boys would run down the same yard I had once been in on Mothers Day.

The thought gives me goosebumps.

This, THIS, is the strawberry shortcake, which isn't really strawberry shortcake but strawberry cake. The cake was soaked in something and the cream was flavored like something and the strawberry was like a gel. Pioneer Woman I am not but this cake was WONDERFUL !!!! Somehow they accidentally gave me the house specialty coffee which was cinnamon hazelnut. If they had asked me if I wanted that coffee, I would have wrinkled up my nose and said "No, thank you!" But I loved it! And I just love drinking coffee out of fancy cups and saucers, don't you? You just have to raise your pinky when sipping the wonderful aroma-ed coffee!

Here is our happy family and our wonderful waiter, Mitchell. He was great. My coffee cup was never empty so he will always be tops in my book! The entire staff at Bay Pointe was generous and kind. They kept our boys well fed, they joked and took pictures. I felt a little bad for the rest of the diners, here we are videoing and snapping flash bright photos the whole time we were there. They were nothing but wonderful though, and I truly cannot thank Marc Jacobs and his staff or Fox 17 enough for a wonderful, memorable Mother's Day. Mitchell, I hope you seen yourself on the news!