Chapter 3: Brunch at the Grand Concourse
The next day, I went out with Sarah, James, Henri, Emily and her younger sister, Erin, as well as more of my best friends Alex Russo, Justin Evans, and Max Greenwald to the Grand Concourse in Station Square for brunch. "Hi, guys!" I greeted my friends. "Hi, Angel!" Sarah greeted back. Everyone was dressed formally and appropriately for the occasion. "We have a very diverse and complex menu of foods from every food group, such as peanuts, raisins, and dried apple," I stated. "Pistachios and chopped dried apricots," Emily added. "Green split peas and pinto beans," Erin added. "Fall produce like white cabbage, red onions, and braeburn apples," Sarah pointed out, "as well as winter produce like navel oranges, clementines, and brussels sprouts." "Semi-hard cheeses like cheddar, blue cheeses like stilton, and semi-soft cheeses like havarti," James added. "Egg noodles like the fine kind, filled pasta like ravioli, and shape pasta like gnocchi," Henri chimed in. "Spring produce like cremini, oyster, and shiitake mushrooms," Alex pointed out, "as well as summer produce like green and red sweet peppers and cantaloupe." "Hard cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano, soft-ripened cheeses like camembert, and fresh cheeses like chèvre," Justin added. "Tube pasta like ziti, long pasta like cappellini, and tiny pasta like acini de pepe," Max chimed in. "All of these foods sound downright yummy," I agreed with my friends. We all took our seat at a table. As well as the food we brought, there were also some favorites that we liked from the regular brunch menu for both breakfast and lunch. In addition to our regular protein snacks, we tried foods from each of my friends' food groups. From the produce section, I ate Sarah's braeburn apples, Sarah's clementines, Alex's cremini mushrooms, and Alex's green sweet peppers. "Mmm, these clementines are so yummy, Sarah," I remarked. "Thanks for choosing them." "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "I remember getting clementines for a Christmas present when we celebrated Christmas together," Sarah remembered. "Apples are also one of the best things about the fall season, not just braeburn." "Well Sarah," Alex pointed out, "mushrooms and peppers are one of my guilty pleasures when it comes to vegetables available during the spring and summer." "What about cremini mushrooms and green sweet peppers?" I asked Alex. "Oh, those are really good," Alex agreed. She then took a bite of her salad. Alex was also wearing the silver dress that she bought at Monroeville Mall which cost 80 dollars to buy. Emily ate Sarah's white cabbage, Sarah's brussels sprouts, Alex's shiitake mushrooms, and Alex's red sweet peppers, while Erin ate Sarah's red onions, Sarah's navel oranges, Alex's oyster mushrooms, and Alex's cantaloupe. Next was the cheese section. From the cheese section, I ate James's cheddar cheese and Justin's Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. "James, I love cheddar cheese," I remarked. "I'm so glad, Angel," James remarked. "I thought that you would like cheddar." "What about my Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Angel?" Justin asked. "I'm just getting used to the taste of it, Justin," I told him. "Same with how I have known James, Sarah, and Henri more than you, Alex, and Max. Although I will say that you guys did a good job arranging the fruits and cheeses on a platter next to each other." "Didn't we do a good job?" James asked. "Yes, we did, James," Justin replied. James placed his cheese by Sarah's fruit, while Justin placed his cheese by Alex's fruit. Emily ate James's havarti cheese and Justin's camembert cheese, while Erin ate James's stilton cheese and Justin's chèvre cheese. Next was the pasta section. From the pasta section, I ate Henri's ravioli and Max's ziti. "Good job on the ravioli, Henri," I remarked. "Thanks, Angel," Henri replied. "It is my personal favorite- three-cheese ravioli!" "Did you like the ziti I cooked, which was exactly the type of pasta we had at our senior banquet?" Max asked me. "Of course," I replied. "You had ziti at your senior banquet?" Henri asked. "Yes, Henri," Max replied. "We did." Emily ate Henri's gnocchi and Max's cappellini, while Erin ate Henri's fine egg noodles and Max's acini de pepe. "All that food was really good," I remarked. "Thanks everybody for contributing!" I also took pictures of our brunch with my cell phone. To end our brunch, we were treated to a special dessert- French vanilla ice cream with assorted toppings! Not to mention, there was Christmas music playing inside the restaurant, and the dining room was decorated with Christmas decorations. "Well, I think it is time for us to head home, Angel," Emily told me. "Yeah, since Michael is going to pick us up and take us somewhere a little less formal to eat," Erin added. "Thanks for a great brunch, everyone!" I thanked my friends. "You're welcome, Angel," Sarah replied. "Bye, guys!" "Bye!"