Wait, it’s already mid-August? Bordering on late-August? Goodness, where does the time go?

And things in the world are certainly…interesting. (I’m reminded of the ancient curse, “May you live in interesting times.”) Honestly, it can be hard to write this blog each week when the news brings with it a cold shiver or feeling of panic, and we’re encouraging you to come eat, drink, and be merry. But rest and joy are also resistance—coming to Free Parking with friends or meeting new ones, playing something silly or deep, knowing that we will do our best to make your time with us good all can lend the energy you need to face whatever is next. We all need to fill ourselves up with good things so we can continue to pour ourselves out for others. Like a pitcher of mimosas. Or something.

So, in the spirit of filling up with good things, perhaps you’d like to know that August is International Pirate Month, National Goat Cheese Month, Black-Owned Business Month, Immunization Awareness Month, and National Read a Romance Novel Month. Will we have a goat-cheese based dish on the menu this month, like our sudden shift in April to being an entirely dumpling-based restaurant? Maybe. Or that featured game Sail (below) has a follow-up game coming soon: Sail Legacy! Or that my most-anticipated game of last year Snakes of Wrath has been re-released, at long last! Or simply that the hard things in this world don’t have to be as bad as they are—we can change them, we can make it through together.

Alice C, board game librarian

Play a pirate game!

Listen—there’s a bit of a discourse about whether we should like pirates or not. Were they only violent criminals? Were they Robin Hood types? Were they intimidating and forceful but also close-knit, kind people? I’m sure it’s more complex than any of that, but the trappings of their lives show up in all kinds of games. Tall masts, monsters, treasure, and adventure—all these things brought to you by Plunder, Sail and Pirates of Maracaibo! You’ve got something like Catan on the High Seas in the first, a cooperative trick-taking game in the second, and a race to collect treasures and retire to a secluded island in the third. Talking the whole time in a cartoonish pirate accent not required.

Alice C, board game librarian

Try our delightful Caesar salad!

Y’all, it’s summer, it’s hot. I want a burger just like the next guy, but sometimes I want something filling but more crisp, more fresh. Enter our Caesar salad. It’s the classic of romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, crunchy crutons, sharp Caesar dressing, and even our grilled chicken on top if you like. It’s an excellent small plate to have with a drink and a game of piracy on the high seas!