Resolution No. 2 eaten up

I guess in the last couple months I stopped keeping track of where I was with my resolutions. In fact, I completed resolution No. 2 to eat out at five new restaurants this weekend and didn't even realize it. It turned out to be really easy to try new places - it just took being open to getting out of my comfort zone and spending a little more time socializing than usual. After all, grabbing a meal is a great way to spend time with friends.

I already blogged about the restaurant that put me across the line when I wrote about eating out all day on Saturday - Aqui was a new stop for me. I actually visited restaurant No. 4 a few weeks ago for my cousin's bachelorette party. Her friends made plans to go to a pub-like place in Monterey called the Mucky Duck. I'd never heard of it before, but a few of my friends from the area seemed to have fond memories of it. All I knew about it was that a band with a guy named Junior (whom my cousin and her friends new) would be playing there and a coworker said he used to hang out there when he was younger.

I checked out the menu before we went because I wanted to be sure I had the option f a hearty meal if I was going to be drinking for a long time for the bachelorette party. It seemed to have typical pub grub - burgers, sandwiches, greasy appetizers. It looked perfect.

Some of the group, which included about 15 of us, opted to skip the meal while others ordered a full meal. I opted to order a few appetizers to shared with a couple of other people. We went with the nachos, which came piled high with beans, cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and were pretty much enough to food a whole table of people; the Guinness sliders, little mini burgers that had a distinct Guinness beer smell without the overwhelming flavor; and some chicken strips. The food was good enough that I would eat there again - on a rare occasion since, of course, it wasn't all that healthy.

As for the drinks, they had a few original concoctions on the menu but the one I had - something with rum and pineapple juice - was okay, but not exceptional.

Even though I've completed my resolution, I hope to continue to try out some new restaurants - especially since I still haven't made it to the Los Gatos place a friend recommended. I'll keep it on my to-do list for now.