Ladies Night on Broad Street

I’m not a big believer in special days like “Mother’s Day” or “St. Valentine’s Day” or other days that seem to pressure some into making it super special for a particular person in our lives.  At its best, it’s a prompt to do what we should be doing anyway: Calling people we care about, making small and loving gestures more often than not, and giving extra hugs.  However, especially for those of us with small children and exhausted brains, it’s also an excuse to do something out of the ordinary like get out of the house without thekids. 

Now, I know that there are parents far more hip and mentally healthy than I am.  These are the parents who have regular date nights, hire babysitters to attend dinner parties or benefits for the library or international film festivals, or have a social life that extends past family brunches with a child from your own child’s preschool – parents in tow.  (I have to admit, I really do like those brunch-at-home dates – and the cream cheese and lox that accompany them!)

My husband and I have to work on all that.

This Mother’s Day, I was able to have a date night with two other moms of two.  Both of these moms are several years younger than I am, and they were the ones who thought of “just us moms” going out to dinner.  I have to say, from now on, I am definitely celebrating Mother’s Day this way every year.

We went to Stamna Taverna for dinner on Mother’s Day, and it was amazing!  Since I’m riddled with allergy medications right now and didn’t want to fall asleep mid-dinner, I drove.  My two mommy friends shared a bottle of red wine (I think it was called Ass Kisser), and we had a wonderful, relaxed evening of chatting and eating and feeling like full-on adults.

I was so engrossed in just being a woman and not a Mother that, when our (amazing) artichokes arrived, I thought of Madonna’s cone bras and not nursing.  And I wasn’t alone; we were all kind of amazed at how voluptuous and pert the artichokes looked.  Even if you are a bit nervous about delving into a dish that looks like it belongs in the late 80s or early 90s, I highly recommend the artichoke appetizer.  Truly amazing!

My companions also ordered a generous lamb dish to share, and I ordered the brussino – especially delicious with the lemony artichokes.  Thanks to the urging of my gourmet next-door neighbor, we started out with the pan-fried squid.  Wow.  Really tasty, and not a hint of rubbery at all.  It was one of the few times I was truly satisfied to have started eating seafood again.

Despite being very busy (which Stamna almost always is), we didn’t feel rushed or crowded or overwhelmed by noise.  We never waited for water, in fact my glass was never empty.  And our server was very friendly and attentive without being overly so.  While the bill ended up being a bit of a splurge in my frugal mind, it was well worth it for the food and the experience.

Thank you, Ladies, for a wonderful night out on Broad Street.  And thank you to my husband who told me to “Don’t worry about it.  Just leave!” with one child in the midst of a tantrum and another on her way.  It was so nice to return to a calm, clean, and quiet house after this yummy meal.   I’m feeling pretty lucky tonight. Life is good.