Merry August 17th.

It was so effing hot yesterday that there was no way I was going to even attempt cooking dinner. So I called up Ben and Julie and asked if they wanted to go get sushi. We piled into my car at 6:00 and drove over to Tokyo Seoul, and remembered once we pulled into the parking lot that they're closed on weekends. The next goal was to go over to the new Thai restaurant in Moscow, where that really shitty place called Archie's or something used to be. They've got sushi, or they will, eventually. Julie, Toria, and I tried to go there once a couple months ago, only to be met with an empty bar and "We don't serve sushi on Mondays." WTF?

Since it was Sunday, we decided to try our luck. When we got there, a sign on the door read, "Sushi bar will open Wednesday, 8/19/08" (yet further proof that this Wednesday is going to be the best day of the summer). The waiter came out to tell us what was up: The chef is on vacation and he's coming back by Wednesday, and after Wednesday the bar will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, until another chef gets hired in which case they'll be open every day of the week. Things might change a bit in the winter, though, because he buys his fish from Seattle and there may be occasions when he can't get across the pass. So now you know.

That last part totally satisfied me, because I like knowing where my food comes from (thanks, Julie & the Trouts). Although I hope this guy's rig has some serious refrigeration capabilities, because 5 hours is a long time for raw fish to be hanging out in a car. I have faith, though, that this restaurant is not trying to slowly but surely kill off all of the sushi lovers in the Palouse.

So, armed with a wealth of knowledge regarding this new restaurant that managed to still disappoint us, we decided to trek over to Uniontown and eat at Eleanor's.

If you have never been to Eleanor's, shame on you. Sure, Uniontown is po-dunk and you can drive through it faster than you can say, "This town is smaller than Colfax," but it's a really nice little community AND... it's got Eleanor's!

My favorite thing about Eleanor's is the sign on the door that says you can't bring your firearm inside. Or, it's the free, homemade chips that get plunked down on your table, begging to get snacked on. Or maybe it's how nice the staff is, giving us free beer to try and interjecting comments in the most good-natured way. Actually, it's probably just the burgers. NOM NOM NOM.

When Julie, Ben, and I got there, we sat at the table by the air conditioner (the only table I've sat at, actually), sipped our beers and watched pre-season football on the TVs while we waited for our food. During this time, I grabbed a Christmas coloring book and these jumbo crayons, which were probably two inches around, and prepared to pick out a page. The guy working hollered from the kitchen, "If it's really good, we'll put it up on the wall!" We all laughed, and Julie said he was placating me, in the nicest way possible: "Notice how there are no other drawings on the wall?" Nonetheless, I picked what I deemed a "good" image, and set to work.

Ben told me I should put it on my office door, which I was totally prepared to do. After I colored the bear, sitting in a stocking wearing a striped Santa hat, I wrote, "By: Lauren Clark!" in the bottom right corner. Yes, last name and ex point included. Then I added, "Merry August 17th" near the top and a "We <3 Eleanor's" underneath.

But, like a hawk who'd spotted a mouse, the guy nabbed my drawing and tacked it up behind the bar. I was SO EXCITED. It is much better off hanging up at Eleanor's than it would be on my office door. Julie had me take a photo of it with her phone to show the blogging world (or, you know, whoever reads this):

So, if you ever find yourself meandering toward Uniontown, make sure to stop in at Eleanor's. The food is amazing and the atmosphere is cozy, and they hang my drawings on the walls. So get over there, order a burger, and say hello to my Merry August 17th bear.