I've been a lurker for many, many months - (I was always one of those kids in school that sat in the back of the classroom and didn't talk much....learned alot, though, from just listening - in this case, reading) figured it's about darn time I start participating. So, while exploring Long Island a few months ago, we got a hankerin' for Mexican food. I know, Long Island isn't exactly the mecca for Mexican food, but we still searched for a place to indulge. It was the perfect time of day, right after the lunch crowd. We found a place! Boy, was my mouth waterin' for some good fajitas.... Parking was scarce, which wasn't a surprise, but we found a spot behind the restaurant. As we walked up to the back door, I couldn't smell the Mexican-food smell....I smelled something else, but couldn't quite put my finger on it. Odd, I thought. The closer we got, the worse the smell got - it was putrid, to say the least. We got inside, it was empty. No patrons....."Where were all those people that belonged to all the cars outside", I wondered. I started thinking that maybe they weren't open for business....especially since I didn't even see anyone working. We sort of walked through the restaurant, heading towards the front, when a waitress popped out of the back and sat us at the nearest table and handed us the menu. We popped open our menus and the prices reflected those that one would pay for dinner at a five-star restaurant, in the middle of Manhattan. We were there for lunch, after all. So that was the clincher for me, as if the wierdness prior to that wasn't enough. We got up and left....never did get our Mexican fill that day. I know this doesn't compare to Marlena's experience, but at least I learned something from this....don't even walk into a restaurant if it doesn't smell good on the outside. Sorry my first post is so long. Jen
