Hotel Talisi

The Hotel Talisi is in beautiful downtown Tallessee, Alabama. It has been there since 1928. Stacey and I have been there many times as it is on the way to Mobile, not to far off the Interstate and the traffic or crowds are never a problem. Except once we stopped on Mothers Day, it was so crowded we got it to go ($4.25 per pound) and we found a nice spot by the mighty Tallapoosa River to sit and enjoy. Oh yea, there’s food at the Talisi Hotel and John T. Edge mentions it in Southern Belly.

The food is good, real good. They have the same menu everyday with some specials a few days a week. Like on Fridays, you can get the regular menu along with fried catfish and fried shrimp. We haven’t been on a Friday but I bet the catfish is really fresh.

Anyway, after that Brunch we had Sunday at Mom and Dads we hit the road back to Atlanta. By the time we got through Montgomery and came upon the Tallassee exit sign, we decided we could eat again. So we made a left hand turn towards the Hotel Talisi.

The place was right where it was last time we were there. The Hotel Talisi is a 19 room inn with antiques everywhere and in every room. The front desk is awesome. It reminds me of something from a movie. I love the mail and key slots on the large hutch behind the desk. Every time I walk through the lobby, I want to get a room and stay a few days.

Like I said, we’ve been here before and the menu is the same: Fried Chicken, Baked Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Blackeyed Peas, Cornbread Dressing, Cornbread Muffins, Rolls, Salad Bar and Desserts.

The Cornbread Dressing is my favorite on the menu, that and the Fried Chicken. They are both a true testament to Southern Cooking. The dressing is always the same. Perfect in texture and never dry. The chicken is crisp and a little greasy, like I said a true testament to Southern Cooking.

Sunday Brunch

So after the wedding Saturday night I was in need of a really good meal to soak up some of that leftover alcohol still coursing through my veins. Good thing Dad was cooking, I knew it would be a lot of food and I knew it would be good. Dad didn’t let us down.

Mom and Dad have a really large dinning room table, I would say it’s 20 feet long or there about. And it needed to be for the crowd we had there for brunch Sunday, down there in Mobile. Everyone was there. Pam and her two children were in from Little Rock and Kim, Bob and Scottie Mike came in from Birmingham. Sister and Cecil were there, as well as Cheryl and her three little ones. Lisa was in from NYC. Man I haven’t seen her in a coons age and she looked great. Of course Jeff, Jacob and Taylor were there, as they are most Sunday mornings. Al, from across the street joined us, he is like one of the family. Mike and Holly came by for a bite before leaving on their honeymoon. Big Daddy came back from the boats just in time to sit down with us. And Sam, as in “Lil Sis” was there. What a beautiful bunch of people!

So check out this menu. Can you say Osso Bucco, everybody all at once, OSSO BUCCO! Very good, thank you very much. There was also 25 gallons of grits, 60 biscuits, 6 dozen scrambled eggs with cheese, 10 pounds each of bacon, Conecuh County sausage, and andouille sausage. Homemade fig, strawberry, and peach jellies. 5 gallons of Bloody Marys and 5 gallons of fresh orange juice. I almost forgot the sliced fresh tomato’s.

We had the time of our lives. They don’t call us the “Loud Family” for nothing. The Mimosa’s kinda got us going, Pam mixed about 15 gallons of those and they were gone before we sat at the table. It was kind of like the wedding, we laughed, we cried and some of us threw up and started all over again. Mom was really proud. Dad was really tried, after all that cooking. Good thing they got 2 dishwashers in their kitchen.

I tell ya, it’s times like this I live for. Ain’t nothing like having good friends and family around a table like that. We must have spent 3 or 4 hours just eating, and talking, laughing and being real loud. It was a hoot and I can’t wait to do it again.

We all then went out front and played a long game of touch football. That kind of helped us work up our appetite and then it was back to the table for a third and fourth helping. Marion, thanks for all that great food, and please start planning your next menu!

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.