So, in to Anna's we walked. There was a counter for ordering takeout and a man behind it talking on the phone. We weren't sure if we were to seat ourselves, but he motioned us to the main dining room, the "No Smoking Area." There was one other couple dining, and they were finishing up their meal. The No Smoking Area looks like its decor was lifted from family restaurant chic of the 1970's, with the exception of the large flat screen TV tuned to Spongebob.
After we were seated, a girl of no more than 10 or 11 years old wearing a tie dyed t-shirt popped up to take our drink orders. I'm pretty sure that's not legal, but I guess they work 'em young in West Point. After we ordered our sweet teas, a middle aged woman grabbed the girl and admonished her about not telling us that the soda machines were broken and the CO2 wasn't working. "I guess it doesn't matter because they didn't order it," she mused, "but you've got to remember to tell people about that before they order their drinks!" Odd. So, the little girl returned after a bit with our drinks and asked if we knew what we wanted to eat. We demurred for a few more minutes and continued perusing the menu. The foods were pretty standard, but we were stuck on the old "share a pizza or go it alone" question.
It was at this junction in our visit that things began to get weird. We began to hear banging and loud metallic rimshots erupting from the kitchen area. This was followed by a barrage of obscenities in a female voice, ostensibly from the woman who admonished the young girl. (n.b. We later learned that the little girl was the daughter of said woman.) I am not sure what the commotion was about, but I heard four voices-- two male and two female-- shouting. The word "fucking" cut through the dining room. A few "shits" were hissed. Someone had been at work since 11:30, someone was late every Saturday, someone didn't "want to argue with you, " someone apparently "never made a fucking mistake." This went on for a good 10 minutes.
After the fight had died down a bit, a fourth face appeared at our table: Server #2. This was a quieter, also middle-aged female server. She asked if our orders had been taken and took care of this. We ordered a garden salad,
some garlic bread,
a chicken parmesan sub,
and a personal pizza.
Adult Server #1 reappeared from the back and leaned up on the booth where the other couple was sitting. She began retelling some details of the fight in the back, but the Spongebob was so loud I couldn't hear her. The little girl kept jigging about her mother, Server #1. She would hold up the second book in the "Twilight" series, trying to get noticed. The couple spoke with Server #1 for quite a while, nodding sympathetically, then finally left.
At last our food appeared. I can't say that it was bad. It certainly wasn't anything special, but it was standard enough.
We ate with relish, waiting for more fireworks from the kitchen. Nothing. Server #2 slunk around the room with her head down looking embarrased. Server #1 stalked through occasionally. The highlight of the meal was getting our own small pitcher of sweet tea so we could refill our drinks at leisure.
I know I haven't said much about the food, but suffice it to say I would eat it again. What's really jacked up about this place is the charming ambience.
Total bill: $21.68, with free fireworks included. Bathrooms and facilities are immaculate.
