When I was in high school, I worked at a Bonanza restaurant. I worked there for about three years. It was a really good part-time job. I have lots of good memories from those days. I also learned a lot about working, cooking foods, and building friendships.

The restaurant was a place where a family could get a lot of food for a reasonable price. Dinners included an all-you-can-eat salad bar, along with a steak, chicken, or seafood. The food wasn't always the highest-quality, but it was usually edible.

A few months ago when Kazuko and I were shopping in Saint Cloud, we decided to give the Bonanza a try. I don't think that I have eaten at one in about ten years! As it turned out, the food was fantastic. We decided to make it a regular thing to eat there. The second time we went there, we were once again more than pleased.

Honestly, I had been a little surprised with how good the food had been each time we went there. In my past experience, I have always thought that the food there was hit-and-miss. Sometimes you were lucky, and would get something good, and other times you would leave a little disappointed.

It seems that tonight we had tempted fate once too often. My chicken sandwich was okay, but we had to send back Kazuko's and her mother's prime rib. The meat that came out wasn't nearly as good as we had on previous visits to the restaurant. The ribeye steaks that replaced the prime ribs were also sub-par, but at least they were edible. -We'll see how they taste tomorrow after a night ina doggie bag.

I am sure that we will go back to the restaurant. The steak sauce alone is enough incentive to go back. But I will just have to re-establish my realistic expectations of the food I will get. The cost-control and quantity over quality ideal means that each visit will continue to be a "roll of the dice." Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I like to win.