This past weekend was one of our busiest in recent weeks. Lia's bff, Elizabeth, came to visit from NY, so on Friday we had a lot of cleaning to do in preparation for our guest. And of course we chose to go to dinner instead. We went to Aida Bistro, a little restaurant in one of those corporate office parks in Columbia, and as soon as we got a look at the prices on the menu, we left. I had been to this place a few years ago and remembered it being pretty decent, but I definitely didn’t remember those prices. Now I’m not a cheapskate and I do have a slightly more refined palate than your average middle-schooler, but as a general rule, if I’m going to drop $100+ on dinner for two, I’m not going to be looking out the window at a drive-thru ATM and a Mattress Giant in the middle of an office park shopping center. Besides, I wanted a friggin’ steak, so we said “thanks anyway” and went to Longhorn Steakhouse. I decided I’d rather have a belly full of steak and a relaxing beer than an empty wallet and a smug sense of refinement.  read more »