Mobile

So the wedding was gonna be outside in Spanish Plaza, but just like everywhere Stacey and I try to go these days bad weather follows. The tropical storm never developed like it was supposed to but it was enough to cause the wedding party to have a huge tent setup. Which they did right behind the Mardi Gras Museum, which is where the reception was held.

Now this was a great wedding for lots of reasons. Mostly I am very happy for my friends Mike and Holly and I know they will live from now on in total bliss, that’s what happens when you get married, total bliss, just ask Stacey. Another important part that made it so great was that during the ceremony I could hear the cooker boiling hot oil and the cooking of fried chicken and fried shrimp happen behind the tent. Talk about total bliss!

The weather held off and all the old gang showed up and it was reunion as well as a wedding. Holly was beautiful in the gown that she and her mother handmade. We ate, we drank, we laughed, we cried.

Oh the fried chicken and shrimp? Well that was part of the fare served at the reception. That and lots of other southern goodies. There was boiled shrimp, spinach casserole. speckled butter-beans, and tons of other food, and it was all very good and very southern. I can’t wait til they do it again!

On The Road Again

I’m outa here. Going down where all the monkeys are. One of those monkeys will be gettin married. God love him.

So I hope to have something cool to tell ya about when I get back. Like I said yesterday, this is the old gang and I’m sure some of them haven’t slowed down since I saw them 20 or so years ago. Hope I can keep up, old man that I am.

So I’m gonna get me a poboy and hit the road. George saw me loading the truck and I went in for another suitcase, came out and he’s sitting in the front seat. Sorry buddy, not this time. He would have to spend to much time on his own, in a strange house so it’s best he stays and keeps Brownie and She She company. Man he looks sad.

Found a fried chicken joint in Montgomery I am gonna try and find. I’ll let ya know.

Are You Ready To Wed?

Got a wedding in Mobile this weekend. My oldest friend is getting married and I have the honour of being best man. He is not actually my “oldest” friend, I have friends that are older then him, but he has been my friend longer then anyone. But he is old don’t get me wrong, very, very old.

I like weddings, always a happy occasion. I am also looking forward to seeing friends I haven’t seen for years. Some of these folks I haven’t seen in 20 yrs or so. I hope their not still mad at me.

So I’m looking forward to a big weekend. Mobile isn’t the best food town in the world, but I’m sure I will do ok. I’m gonna pull out my guide for places to eat in the south, Southern Belly, it will tell me of 4 or 5 places I can stop between Atlanta and Mobile for some good eats. Now I can always get good oysters in Mobile, my favorite place is Wintzells Oyster House. It’s in Downtown and Willy has been shucking and serving at the bar for as long as I can remember. There’s some good bar b que down there as well, so I got that going for me.

Anyway, no telling who I’m gonna see, what I’m gonna eat and what the hell I’m in for. Down there in South Alabama their all monkeys and you just never know!

Enough Already

Sorry about the rant’s lately. I’m tired of it as well and had a long talk with myself and I think I got through to myself. “Self ” I said, “shut-up and write something the people can enjoy”. So from now on expect more positive and less bitching.

The Saturday dinner was not really bad, just way over priced. That’s what gets me so mad, I blame myself. “Self ” I said ” You know better then that”. There are not a lot of restaurants in hotels that are worth dining at. Like I said the food was ok and the service was ok, but $115.00 for two people was to much for this level of food. Don’t get me wrong, we often spend $100-$125 for a meal and have no problem because it was worth it. But it’s been happening way to much lately and again, I blame myself. “Self ” I said ”I blame you”.

But like I said I am gonna be more positive and like my Mom always said, If you have got nothing nice to say shut the hell up.

Thanks Mom I will.

Sport Eating

Stacey and I are good at eating at restaurants. We consider it a sport and put lots of thought into where we want to eat. Stacey is very serious about this and even has a special sweat suit she wears when she is researching and making dinner plans. She spends hours at the computer reading reviews and menus. Searching for the right restaurant is tough work and it’s important for us to get it right.

There is a lot to consider when looking for that “right” restaurant. You have to think about who you will be dining with and their likes and dislikes. We can get just about any style food in Atlanta and sometimes this just makes it a tougher decision. You have also got to consider budget, as well as variety in foods there is also a very wide variety in what you can spend. Also the wine list is something to think about, I need old world and some places don’t offer very much.

So this past weekend we needed a place to go with friends both Friday and Saturday nights. After much research, sometimes this is referring to notes on restaurant we have been to, we chose a couple. One we had been to before and another we had heard good things about for years.

The first was a french bistro in downtown Atlanta, we had been before and really enjoyed. Well there is not a lot of positive to say about dinner that night. Lets start with wine. They did not have any. THAT’S RIGHT THEY WERE OUT OF RED WINE! How in the hell does a restaurant run out of wine. I know how, it’s a cash flow problem, but it should not be my problem. The bad part is that Stacey spoke with restaurant twice the night we went, the last time being 7:45 and I bet the guy could have let us know then. We were lucky enough to have carried a bottle with us, but it took an act of congress to get the waitron to open it for us. Oh, he did have one bottle of wine available, it was $90 and he started to drop the price as the night went on, that was one of the strangest things I have experienced at a restaurant.

The food was o.k. The meat a couple of us ordered was not cook to order. One ask for medium, the other med-rare. Well they both came out as steak tartar, already sliced which made me think the chef seared one steak and split it between us. Then the waitron offered us desert and gave us five to choose from, one vanilla and four chocolate, we ordered two different chocolates only to be told by waitron after his return from the kitchen that only the vanilla was available. What the fuck? If I ran my business like this guy did I would be out of business, which I bet this guy is real soon.

Look I would like to tell you about the second, Saturday night disappointment, but I have gotten so mad writing about Friday night my head is about to explode. I will continue tomorrow.

So So Tired

I’m so tired of all the bullshit. The war, the price of gas, the damn 2008 elections, it’s more then a year away, what the hell are we doing. Gas is at $80 a barrel and it’s gonna go over $85 soon. It’s as if those running this idiot circus are out to get us. Nobody has a straight answer for ya. Nobody can get along with each other. I see it in my neighborhood and I see it on the news every day. If you are someone or some entity that’s trying to be proactive instead of reactive, your labeled a trouble maker.

I am glad I don’t have kids I am gonna leave this world to. It’s a sin against the earth what we have done. It ain’t getting any better, I think we are all just getting better at ignoring the situation. I think it starts small and by the time your an adult you have learned to view things through rose tinted glasses or otherwise you go crazy trying to deal.

Sometimes I think things are o.k. Sometimes I just pay attention to my small part of this so called life and kid my self into contentment. And that’s all it is, being content, which is a cop out. I am as guilty as anyone, just doing enough to keep things right in my world.

I know I got it good and should not complain. But that’s just the problem! We should all complain. I mean really raise hell about the conditions around the world. Boarders are nothing but lines drawn in the sand and just because your skin is a different color then mine does not mean you ain’t my brother.

Man, I got to stop watching CNN first thing in the morning.

That was stupid!

So I heard on the news yesterday a lady died from eating a bad raw oyster. Yes, that’s right, not only did she eat the oyster in August, but she had it in Atlanta. Come on people I need ya to think first and then eat it. Everyone knows you don’t eat raw oysters if the month does not have an “R” in it. And you should be smart enough to know you have to have them fresh and I have yet to find a oyster bed in Atlanta.

You have got to be careful when and where you eat your raw seafood. I love sushi, but I don’t eat at $1 sushi joints. There is a reason it’s only a dollar a piece and the reason is not good. I must have eaten 30-40 raw oysters last week at the beach, but I bought them basically “off the boat”, and kept them ice cold at all times. I bet that lady that died will think twice about that next time.

I am amazed at the price of seafood when I go to the beach. If your not a local and don’t know where to go, then it’s not cheap. Shrimp were about $3 a pound more in Port St. Joe than in Atlanta. I guess if I knew where the locals go I could do better, but who’s got time for that when your on vacation. Grouper was $13 a pound, I haven’t bought Grouper here in Atlanta lately, but $13 seems high.

But man it was all good. We had shrimp and grits a couple of times and oysters diablo once. We boiled some shrimp and made a shrimp salad and ate on that all week long. So don’t get me wrong, a few extra dollars ain’t gonna stop me from having good, fresh seafood. One night Stacey took a couple fillets of that high priced Grouper along with tomato’s, garlic, black olives, artichoke hearts, capers, lemons and olive oil, wrapped it in tin foil and baked it. It did not suck!