A lone lady walks up to the hostess stand...

... and is asked to sit in the bar.

Uh, no.

So today, I'm into the almost-Big City and decide to try an upscale Mexican restaurant for lunch. We've eaten there before and found it to be a beautiful place, but noisy and a bit on the pricey side. But that was over a year ago and there was more competition in the area now--and I was hungry since it was noon--so I decided to give it another go.

The parking lot wasn't even half full and as I entered I saw there were lots of empty tables. So the query from the hostess caught me off guard: Did I want to sit AT the bar (all places empty) or at a table IN the bar (all but one table empty)?

'Fraid she caught me wrong, probably since I'd been asked this same thing about a month ago at another upscale Mexican restaurant on the other side of town. "Just because I'm by myself does not mean I want to eat in the bar," I explained. "I want to eat in the dining room and at a table, not a booth."

"I have to ask," she said and with a huff I was shown to my dining table by the restrooms and behind a column. Not an ordinary column, mind you, but something so huge it would take three people to put their arms around.

I didn't want upscale Mexican that badly. As I was circling the table and figuring out that there was truly no where to sit around it that did not either show me the restrooms or the column, I was preparing to leave. Then the waiter showed up, saw my distress. As there were three empty tables next to my appointed one, he seated me where I wanted to be.

I stayed. The food was delicious, not as pricey as I remember, and I left a 25% tip.

So a word to hostesses everywhere: The lone woman you insult by suggesting she sit in the bar and then put her in the back of beyond when she refuses, just might be the advance party for a large group. Trust me, I'll remember this incident before I return.