The Silver Oak

We pass by a few military neighborhoods on the way to the Silver Oak. Some of the homes there belong to some of the members of Team 5, others had the Marine Corps signature flag flying below the US flag on a flag post. Carmine, Sarah and Heather are all fooling around, cracking jokes, and having a blast. I was driving, along with some other US Military members in trucks and Army Service Uniforms or Naval Service Uniforms, probably heading to the same place we were. The Silver Oak was practically in the heart of California, same as where we lived. We finally got to the restaurant, which was a tall, silver-ish white, futuristic looking building, with a big silver oak leaf on the top, then the words “The Silver Oak” in cursive writing just below it. Carmine and Sarah jumped out of the truck, Carmine almost tripping over her own heels. Heather followed soon after, not nearly as clumsy as Carmine was with HER heels. I heard the constant clacking of heels and my dress shoes on the cement. The polished glass doors were held open by Marine door openers in full dress blues, with a Captain on one side and a Gunnery Sergeant on the other, their chests jacked full of medals. As they close the doors, they assumed the position of parade rest, and awaited the next visitor. Inside, there was a small squad of Marine Corps Musicians playing soft violin music perched at the back of the restaurant on a playing stage, Air Force and Navy chefs in full dress blues preparing luxurious food in exhibition kitchens, encased in a glass box immediately on the left side where everyone can see exactly what they were doing, while not getting a single stain on their jackets. Marine Corps silent drillers were performing exhibition drilling next to the musicians, in teams of 5 on each side, drilling with formal M1 Garand rifles in perfect unison. Army waiters were calmly walking to, from, and addressing, each table, dressed in either Dress Blues or ASUs. I stood in one place, lost in thought to the soft music. I couldn’t help but think about how long the musicians trained to play melodies like this. You cannot go wrong with Marine Corps Musicians, they are the best. Each tune was expertly calculated, and every spike in rhythm was played in perfect unison, and they stand there with a calm and collective smile on their face while playing their instruments, not flinching for a single second from the slam of the buttstock of the silent driller’s rifles that hit the floor, again, in perfect synchronization with every rhythm that was played. There were Marine Corps violinists, soft drummers, and pianists in the squad of musicians, and they all played perfectly, all the time. Nobody ever found a single slip-up with them.

“Oh my god…” I thought to myself.

“Name and rank, sir?” I heard.

I instantly zoned back in to see a female Navy waitress, in full Dress Blues. She was a Second Class Petty Officer, with more ribbons than I could count. Her shiny, black hair was in a perfect bun, pulled back from view, not a single strand of hair stood out.

“Petty Officer First Class.” I replied.

“Name?”

“Locksmith.”

“Okay...branch?”

“Navy.”

“Are you affiliated with any subsequent branch in the Navy?”

“Yes, the SEAL community.”

“who is your community Commanding Officer?”

“Captain Flint.”

She entered in all of the information into her computer, and it came up with a single “beep”, indicating that the information I supplied was clean. This process is used to determine if a military visitor is actually in the military, and not some punk who wears the uniform and claims they are in the military. Nicknames that are given to SEALs are entered in the database to identify them as a concealed name, rather than their real name. Only Special Forces, like SEALs, the Army’s Delta force, DEVGRU (Deltas Navy counterpart), Army Rangers, and Marine Raiders have the option to use nicknames, to conceal their identity.

“...okay, shall I seat you?”

“yes, 4, please.” I reply.

“Of course, right this way.” She replied.

She grabbed 4 menus and walked like a Navy driller to seat us. She didn’t do any left or right faces, but she walked with no bounce, perfect stance, and amazing bearing and control, she knew how to march. There were multiple rows of tables she led us through, and ended up seating us at a 4 seater table that was part of a larger group of Sailors. This little group was reserved for the SEAL community members. Every Special Forces branch had a group reserved for their kind. We were seated nearby the Marine Corps Musicians, and behind us was a fancy, stained glass fountain that didn’t exactly spit out water, but the water slid down the glass and into the small pool of water just below it, only to start the process again. Looking around, the restaurant was well funded, everything, from the chairs to the tables, and even the chandeliers above were well beyond formal. This was like a country club times 3.

“Here you go, a waiter will meet you shortly to take your order.” She advises.

“Thank you!” Sarah proclaimed.

The waitress smiled, and took her leave back to the front. Not 5 minutes afterward, an Army waiter came to meet us. Carmine and Sarah were pumped with excitement.

“Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentleman. I’m Sergeant Meyers, and I’ll be taking your orders today, how’s that sound?”

His rank said Sergeant First Class, but they are formally referred to as “Sergeant”. Sergeant Meyers looked like a great guy for his age, who looked to be about 40. Great meaning humorous and outgoing. He had a solid buzz cut that made him look almost bald. His hair was visibly black from what I saw, and he had a smile much like that of Sergeant Kindle back in Germany. Good-looking and a great personality.

“That sounds great!” Carmine and Sarah confirmed to the Soldier. Heather and I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit.

“Fan-tastic!” Sergeant Meyers replied. “Can I get you anything to start off your visit with?”

“Sprite!” Said the girls.

“You got it!” Replied the Sergeant. He was talking and scribbling in his notepad at the same time.

“For you, Ma’am?” He said, looking towards Heather.

“Umm...whats your signature drink?”

“Today we have a signature champagne newly slapped on the menu as of yesterday, shipped all the way from France. Freshly mixed Liqueur d’expedition, best regards of the First Lady of France herself. Liqueur d’expedition is among one of the favorites of our guests, I highly suggest trying it. Would you like a sample of it?” He expertly explains.

“Wow, thats sounds interesting, I think I will.” Heather delightfully proclaims.

“Of course.” Sergeant Meyers replied, scribbling in his notebook.

“And for you, sir?” He asks.

I study the menu real quick, looking for anything that sounds appealing. I looked over towards the adult drinks and didn’t find anything I wanted, so I chose to try what heather had chosen as well.

“I think i’ll take a sample of that as well.” I replied.

“Of course, sir.” He replied, scribbling in his notebook, once more.

“Alright, i’ll be back with your orders in a moment.” He says, as he walks off in a professional manner. He quickly disappears behind the desks overran by people wanting a drink.

The bar that Sergeant Meyers walked to was a futuristic-looking bar. All drinks and their mixes, ranging perhaps from price, or strength, or maybe even flavor, were all evenly assorted on each shelf on the wall behind the Coast Guard bartenders. There was a fine shade of light blue behind the drinks, with mixes of colors ranging from red, to orange, then even gray, changing with the passing time. The counter of the bar was kept clean as a whistle, its as though I could see my reflection from across the restaurant. I heard the girls cheering a little bit at the cooks in the kitchen flipping food and spinning cooking instruments to make it look like thats what you were supposed to do. They did it for looks and entertainment, knowing that, behind the soundproof windows, there was at least one person watching their every move. In this case, there were at least two young women watching the cooks. Everyone else sat and enjoyed their meals, or watched the Marine Corps Musicians and Drillers, still playing perfectly in synch.

“I really like it here.” said Carmine.

“Yes, its quite interesting. Maybe when I retire we can come back here.” I reply.

Sarah and Heather smile. There was nothing they ever wanted more than to spend time with their old man. We weren’t a perfect family, as one might see us as such. we definitely had our issues here and there, but we certainly try to be a good family.

“I gotta say, the musicians sound like they trained for years just for this moment.” Heather admits. The others agree.

“Yeah, they kind of did. Not just for this single moment, though. They practiced for a whole lot of bands and musicals as well.” I counter.

While ratting off a little more chatter, Sergeant Meyers came back with everything we had ordered, as far as drinks.

“Alright, here we are, sprite for the young ones…” He said with a smile on his face.

He handed out the drinks to the girls, carrying two glasses with one hand. He’s been doing this job for quite some time, he looked very professional at what he did. He gently handed the girls their drinks, then turned to us.

“...for you, Ma’am…” He said, handing heather the sample of the French wine.

“...And, last, but most certainly not least, for you, sir.” He said, handing me my sample. It wasn’t a very big glass, about the size of a shot glass. It was just enough to allow the consumer to get the full flavor with one swig.

Heather and I took our samples, and were quite pleased. The taste was a great mixture of a recently added citrus, lightly carbonated, and a strong streak of cider. The bubbles in the wine felt like they had danced in my mouth after taking the sample, then popped all at once like pop rocks. The taste was truly outstanding.

Sergeant Meyers awaited our response, “What do you guys think of it?”

Heather and I both said the same thing, “yeah, we’ll have this.”

“Alrighty then, i’ll be right back with your orders.” Sergeant Meyers said, as he left to get the wine.

I felt my phone vibrate. I looked at the screen, it said “(1) MESSAGE FROM TICK”. What did he want this time?

I looked at the message. “JG Hammer got his extra bars, Germany got his gold leaf. Meet tomorrow @ 1600. I’ll pick you up. Fam can come.” This was big. O’Hara got to full LT, and Harrison II got to LT Commander. I couldn’t wait to get to the ceremony.

“who was that, daddy?” Sarah asks.

“It was my friend, and we have an event to go to tomorrow at 4, if you guys want to come.”

“We can come! But can it be a little later?” Carmine proclaims.

“sure thing, i’m getting picked up at 4 to go to coronado, if you guys want to take the truck.” I reply.

Heather looks at me in curiosity. “What’s in coronado?”

“The ceremony. A few of our guys are getting promoted.” I reply.

Carmine and Sarah kind of giggled a little, with some of the gems and sparkles on their dresses shining with the lights above. I looked around a little bit to see the Marine drillers finishing up their exhibition drilling with a few flips and spins of the rifles, while standing perfectly still at the position of attention. I looked back to see the girls looking at the menus, and I realized I didn’t even look at mine. I took a quick look and sifted through the menu looking for something that looked appetizing. In a few seconds I found a regular steak, but there was something on it that didn’t make it as normal as it looked on the picture, looks like I had a question in mind for Sergeant Meyers.

Sergeant Meyers comes back with a smile on his face, the notepad on his apron, and the wine on the tray he was carrying with a single hand, not even moving the glasses one inch to the left or right.

“Here you go, freshly made Liqueur d’expedition from the best winemakers in the world.” He said,

I saw his movements, swift, yet expertly calculated. He was obviously a long time employee at this place...or in the restaurant business period. He set the wine glasses perfectly in front of us, exactly centered on the napkins.

“Have you guys decided on what you wanted?” He asks.

“Carmine and I wanna share a pizza!” Sarah practically yells.

“Not a problem!” He said, in almost the same tone, smiling.

“I think I will get the Italian pasta” Heather requests.

“Yes Ma’am.” Meyers says, scribbling in his notebook as he talks.

“And for you, sir?” He said, looking at me.

“Whats on the steak that doesn’t make it look as normal as it is in the picture?” I ask, curious to hear what Meyers had to say.

He laughs a little bit, “You’re not the first to have asked that today, sir. We cook the steak while it is drizzled in alcohol, allowing it to evaporate into the steak to give it flavor. We practice the usage of charcoal instead of regular fire, to allow it to cook under smoke, and use some wood chips in the final stage of cooking. Thereafter, we sear it with steam and top it off with homemade steak sauce to give it the extra flavor. It may look normal from the picture on the menu, but we can assure you that it is not at all normal. Would you like to try it?”

I study the steak for a little bit. “sure, I’ll take it...medium rare.”

“Of course. I’ll be right back with your orders.” He says. Sergeant Meyers leaves to notify the chefs of our orders.

“This place isn’t as packed as I would think, why is that?” Carmine asked.

I searched for an answer, it was kind of obvious...well, to me anyway.

“This place is open to Military servicemen and women and their families, not random civies.” I reply.

“I know that, but wouldn’t more military members be coming here with their families?” She counters.

I thought about it for a second. She had a point, yet I didn’t know the answer to her question. I looked around once more to find an answer, yet none arose. It felt awkward in the silence, and I knew she was looking at me, waiting for me to say something.

“Well, I really don’t have an answer for that...I think these guys get more business when the holidays come around, when the troops come back home for a while, or those who retire.”

It was about another 10 minutes of looking around and watching the cooks in the exhibition kitchen do their thing when Sergeant Meyers comes back with our orders. That was very fast.

“Alright, here we are!” He said.

The meals look well-cooked, made to exact specifications. Never have I seen such perfect food in my life. You could literally hear the heat sizzling off of the steaks and pizzas, and the look and color of the food fit perfectly as to what it was made to be. The steak was a dark brownish color with some sears of black, indicating some crust, and a lighter shade of brown on the sides, for the little amounts of fat. The pizzas were a mix of yellow and greasy green, with blood red pepperonis and light brown soft crust.

“If there is anything I can get for you, please let me know!” Sergeant Meyers said. With that, he took his leave.

I used my steak knife, freshly sharpened and ready to cut, to sift through the steak to take smaller pieces from it, and took a bite from it. I chewed softly on the steak, whilst keeping my table manners to a maximum. I instantly lost myself with the heavenly taste. It was a perfect blend of charred fat and juicy meat with the scent and taste of steak sauce and peppers. I zoned back in to look at the girls, who were lost in their meals as well. The effect of the taste was enhanced when the Marine Corps Musicians kicked off their next session with soft violins and pianos, with the drillers next to them throwing their rifles in the air, and catching them without any part of the rifle touching the ground.

I felt my phone vibrate again. Knowing it was rude to answer the phone during a meal, I knew it had to be important, because who else would be messaging me? I reached into my pocket to retrieve my phone, only to find out the message was sent from Paul.

It read “meeting monday @ 0900.”

I didn’t answer back. I knew what he was talking about. The monday meeting was only two days away, being that today was Saturday.

We didn’t really talk that much with our food in front of us, we wanted to savor the flavor of what was placed on the table, because something as good as what was in front of us didn’t come every day. In a matter of 20 minutes, pausing to recover from the searing heat extruding from the food, everything was consumed.

Sergeant Meyers came back and looked upon our table like he forgot to serve us. “I trust everything was good?”

The girls spoke up, “It was great!!”

“Fantastic!” He replies. “If you dont have anything else to get here, I will be right back with your check.”

“Sounds good, we’ll be waiting.” I reply.

He nods his head and leave to retrieve the check. I look over to the girls, who look very satisfied with the meals they consumed.

“How was everything?” I ask.

“I’m depressed that its all gone.” Carmine replied.

“It. Was. Amazing!” Sarah responded.

“It was truly outstanding. The temptation to daydream while eating was insurmountable. I would like to come here again.” Heather reviewed.

Everyone at the table seemed to have liked the food they ordered. I looked around once more to see Sergeant Meyers already back with the check.

“Here you go, i’ll be back for it.” He says. He leaves just as fast as he came.

I looked upon the check, and was astonished by the total price of the food. $60.

The girls must have seen my facial expression. “How much is it, daddy? A lot??” They ask, sounding a little concerned.

“No its…” I try to say...I couldnt find the words to fit the emotions I was feeling. Heather looked at the check as well, and gave the same expression I did.

I try to explain, “Its almost like we’re robbing the place, the entire meal was $60.”

Carmine looks at me like I was crazy. “What? Really??” She asks.

Everyone was amazed at how cheap everything was. I slipped my debit card into the check and awaited Sergeant Meyers to return, which wasn’t very long at all. I swear, he always had his timing perfect.

“Alright, did you see the price?” He asks, quickly walking up to the table and picking up the check.

I nodded my head. “Is this the price everyone gets?” I ask.

“Yes, I was astonished when I came here for the first time. I figured it was a computer glitch or something.? He admitted. He took my card and swiped it through the handheld checking machine. I tipped him $20 for the service. He was extremely appreciative.

“Have a fantastic day today!” Sergeant Meyers bids us, as we take our leave out of the restaurant.

The rest of the day went by very nicely, and it was a great day for the men and women in the Military. The Silver Oak is truly one of the best restaurants I have ever been to.

Author's Note

I spent a little more time than usual typing this one up...I hope you like it! Please rate or review, all are much appreciated!!