Queenie's.

There is a little sandwich shop tucked amidst a busy upscale shopping centre, that just so happens to be my favorite place to eat lunch.



The chairs and tables are multicolored with mostly hot pink and bright orange hues. The customers are quite colorful, as well. It reminds me of the typical eatery in NYC, where you are all tucked in like sardines, fighting for a table and nearly sharing seats with the person next to you. The place only seats 22, so it is quite a squeeze and you have to hit it at just the right time or you will wait a while. The glass counters up front are jammed with unique delicacies, massive cookies and scrumptious cakes. The waiters weave in and out of the tiny paths between tables and often holler at you from across the room. When I think of the word “lunch”, this place always pops into my mind.



I am lucky that I work not far from this little establishment. I like to meet people there for lunch and often slip away with Husby for a nice hour away from work. I happened to dine there twice this week and just so happened to sit at the exact table and have the exact waiter both times.

And I ate the exact same delicious sandwich.

The sandwich that no human on earth can replicate or even come close to trying. The one – the only - chicken salad sandwich. If I tried to explain this sandwich to you, I couldn’t. You simply must taste it. It will knock your socks off – and quite possibly, your toe nail polish. Mmmm.

Yesterday, Husby accompanied me for lunch. We pulled up in the parking lot and spotted an older lady with wild hair and funky eye glasses roaming aimlessly, it seemed.



(She looked a LOT like this woman. Except she wasn't a cartoon and she had funky glasses. The rest is her dead out, though.)

“How are you, Marlene?” someone yelled to her across the lot.

“I’m in a HURRY! How are you?” she replied.

I rolled my eyes at Husby at her less-than-friendly response.

We continued toward our place and walked into the small restaurant, scouring the place for a table. I quickly found one for two and we scooted in. There was a check and tip on the table, along with an empty coffee cup, stained with bright pink lipstick. Almost so bright that it matched the table we were sitting at.

They hurriedly cleaned off the table and we placed our order while sipping our iced tea and discussing our morning.

Suddenly, the wild haired woman from the parking lot appeared out of nowhere at our table, looked directly into my eyes and sternly asked, “WHERE is my stuff that was at this table?”

“I er. I er. Ummm, I don’t know?” I managed to get out.

Husby told her that they cleaned it off and immediately two waiters were at our side.

“Where is my half drank juice glass and my leftovers?” she demanded at the poor waiter.

He ushered her off away from us and said he would get her one to go. She stood there mumbling to herself and we stifled our laughter.

She must have been delusional, because all that was at our table was a lipstick stained coffee mug. The nice waiter took care of her and sent her on her way. She stormed out of there in a huff and everyone in the place was looking at her.

Our sandwiches came a few minutes later and we oohed and ahhed with every bite. No matter how many times I eat this sandwich, it turns my world upside down. After we moaned in great satisfaction of the lunch we just consumed, I grabbed my phone and started shoving pictures of Levi in Husby’s face.



“Dook at dat bay-beeee!!!” I squealed as I showed him the same photo he has seen approximately 1,392 times by now.

I spotted our waiter coming, so I toned down on the baby talk and put my phone down. He must have seen it from across the way because he said, “wait a minute – you’ve got to show me that!”

I proudly whipped my phone back out and shoved it in the waiters face, sans the “dook at dat bay-beeee” (I didn’t want to scare him off). He was very impressed and said that he had a baby of his own three weeks ago. We instantly had a bond! He leaned against the next table bragging about his new little girl, Amelia, as I egged him on. He wanted to see more pictures of Levi and thought it was just about the coolest thing he had ever seen.

“Wait a minute”, he started again, “is THAT in YOU?”

I burst into laughter and rubbed my tummy, “yes, yes he most definitely is!”

“Wow, with the lighting and position that you’re in right now, I totally couldn’t tell!”

I’m sure when I stood up it was a different story, but for now, I have a new favorite waiter. And he just so happens to be at my favorite lunch spot in the world.

It was a great day for lunch. A great day, indeed.