Stardate: 08.11.2026
Sometimes a restaurant review begins with the food. This one begins with a table.
Last week, my family and I stopped at the Etcetera just before the lunch rush. It was another visit to a place I have come to enjoy, and I already knew it would not be my last.
The Etcetera sits along the lake in Oconomowoc, just north of Madison and off I-94. It is a great place to visit with dogs, and the view from the upper deck is hard to beat.
Molly was our food server, and Vincent also helped make our visit a five-star experience. When Molly asked where we were from, she asked if we knew the Driscoll family.
My wife grinned and asked, “Which Driscoll family?”
It turns out Molly had played volleyball at Drake with someone from our church family. A simple question about where we were from opened a door to a connection none of us expected.
Since we were her first customers of the day, Molly let us choose any table on the upper deck. I picked a corner table overlooking the lake.
“Great choice,” Molly said. “That’s the most popular table in the restaurant.”
I immediately asked for the table number. I was already thinking about sharing the experience with my readers.
Table 114.
The view was beautiful. The food was excellent. I had a mushroom burger that was out of this world.
Molly also noticed our grand dogs. She made sure they had plenty of water and shade while we enjoyed our lunch. Then she took pictures of our experience so we would have memories to keep.
Those little details stayed with me.
Good service can be measured in many ways. Sometimes it is the meal arriving at the right time. Sometimes it is a server remembering the people at the table. Sometimes it is making sure the dogs have water on a warm afternoon.
And sometimes it is discovering that a person you just met has a connection to someone you already know.
Jesus reminded us:
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
— Luke 6:31
Molly and Vincent gave our family a memorable afternoon. The food was good, the view was beautiful, and the conversation made the experience personal.
Thank you, Molly and Vincent, for taking such good care of us. We will be telling our friends back home about Table 114 and the experience we had there.
If you find yourself in Oconomowoc, put the Etcetera on your list. And if you visit before Molly heads off to grad school at the end of summer, be sure to say hello.
Join me here:
https://substack.com/@michaelmulliganlivelong
May you live long and prosper.
Captain’s Addendum
Spock: “Michael, you selected the most popular table in the restaurant.”
Bones: “And somehow you turned lunch into another story for the log.”
Spock: “The evidence suggests the Captain knew exactly what he was doing.”
There are days when the story finds us while we are simply sitting at a table, enjoying lunch with people we love. I am grateful for those moments.
Captain’s Note
“Our calling is not to write perfect words, but to reveal perfect grace through imperfect moments—one percent better, one day at a time.”


