Belize Day One

As we are boarding the airplane in Atlanta, for Belize City, Belize, there’s a buzz going round about Jerry Jeff Walker. Seems he’s playing down there a couple times that week. I used to listen to Jerry Jeff often, but that was in the 70’s, haven’t heard much since. So we are on a plane full of JJW groupies and headed south.

We arrive in Belize City and connect on a flight to Ambergris Caye. It’s is booked as a 15 minute flight, but it’s more like 20. I know, cause we were sitting so close to the pilot on this 13 seat prop plane that I could see his digital trip clock on his control panel. Stacey loved it, she loves small aircraft. Check out these photos she took.

No problem. This pilot flies so many of these short little flights I bet for him it’s like getting in the car to go somewhere. It is hot and it is bumpy, but we get to the Ambergris Caye “airstrip” without any issues.

You get out of the airplane and it’s thirty steps to the office and then another ten steps into our cab/shuttle which is a trashed out Toyota van.

Ambergris Caye is a dirty place, as we leave the airstrip we are in town proper and there’s a little bit of everything. Lots of restaurants, bars and then everything else a city needs to survive. The road is like cobble stone and there are lots of golf carts. There are also lots of people on bikes and the locals seem to use both evenly. Most of the tourist are in a rented golf cart. There is trash everywhere. On either side of the road water stands and is full of plastic bottles, construction debris and rotten trees. Sorry to say, but much like most third world countries we have visited.

We arrive at our “resort” and it is also very much like other places we have stayed at in Panama and Santa Domingo. The place is beautiful. A total contrast to the rest of the island. Palm trees, swimming pool, cabana, no trash and a nice slice of beach.

This will do just fine, thank you very much. We check in, grab a few beers from the office and head to our room. Once we get the DVD and Stereo delivered, they were supposed come with the room, we head for the beach to catch our first rays of the summer. Oh joy!

Just O.K.

We ate at Cuerno last week. This is the place I mentioned before that is owned by the same guy that owns Fritti, Beleza and Soto Soto. We have eaten at Fritti more then once and it’s one of our favorite spots for Pizza. I read about Cuerno, the Jamón Iberico and the lady writing the article really made it sound great. I was excited to go. We went on a Monday, kinda early and before we left a fair sized crowd had gathered. That’s what a glowing review in a local magazine will do for you.

So we settled in and ordered Spanish wines and a couple tapas. We had the croquets jamon and a lobster dish that was a special of the day. Nothing special about the croquets, not bad by far, but just ok. The lobster was grilled with shrimp and served with a brown butter sauce. Once again, just ok. Could have been better, but didn’t suck.

From the entrees I ordered the Cochinillo Confitado. It was described as “confit suckling pig, roasted apple, pistachio and anise jus. Now I’m thinking confit will be like roasted pork pull from the bone. Not this, it was on the bone, it was roasted and the skin was very, very crispy. The apple had been roasted with the pig and it was good. I don’t recall the pistachio anise jus, so I guess that speaks for itself. But the pig was really good and I ate every bit of it.

Stacey had the Monk fish wrapped in Serrano ham, it was served with smoked egg plant and a caper raisin citronette. Stacey did not like the smoked eggplant at all. Other wise, it was all just ok. Didn’t suck, but just ok. The Monk-fish wrapped in the ham was beautiful, but it just didn’t blow me away and I think I was hoping to be blown away after the article I read.

Now a couple of really great things about the place. Adam, I think he is the wine guy, I can’t remember his title, but he turned us on to a white sherry that was really good. He was a nice guy and we chatted about some of his wines. I ask what he was drinking, I had noticed he had a desert glass he was sipping from. He told us it was a sherry and ask if we would like to try a little. Of course, thank you very much. So he got us a couple of glasses with a taste in each. It was good and it was dry, not sweet. It was like a “rancid” wine we had enjoyed in Spain at a winery by the name of Avinyo. We were there with a friend who sold this family’s wine in the states. He was calling on some accounts and Stacey and I got to tag along to about 3 or 4 places. I got to write about that trip one day. So, where was I? Oh yea, rancid wine. Wine that had been left in large glass bottle. These bottles were between 5 - 10 gallons, half full with a piece of cloth tied over the top. There were about a dozen of them and they were sitting in the sun “cooking” if you will and you should. I mean if you get the chance have rancid wine. Wine is controlled spoilage, this is just taking it a few steps further. The wine list is large and I saw lots of wine I was familiar with. Spanish wines, good wines, wines from some really small boutique wineries.

Oh yea, there is also a great sculpture of a bull. Click on bull, then click on Cuerno and check it out, right in the middle of the restaurant. It is beautiful and it’s worth going for a drink, just to check the bull out!

Lately

Damn, time goes so fast. I never have enough time to do all I want each day. Discipline is the main problem I’m sure, but I’m gonna blame it on something else. Writing this blog sometimes gets pushed to the back of the list and I hate that, cause I really like to write it. And I love all the positive feedback from you “dear reader”. Right now I got a butt load of stuff to share with you and I look forward putting it into words and photos here on sososouthern. So, please stay tuned.

We have eaten at Cuerno since I first mentioned it. We also had a really great night at the Feed Store with our old friends John and Rhonda. They have a restaurant on St. Simons Island I need to tell you about. The Feed Store rocks and as always it’s treat to dine there.

Belize, hell yea. Been there done that. Check out this photo, taken by yours truly, I mean taken by Stacey. Those are her toes! Nice.

More on Belize soon.

There is so much more, but it’s late Sunday night, we just did a Frogmore Stew and some tequila and I can’t seem to recall it all right this second. Please stay tuned dear reader, (thank you Holden) I got all kind of good stories and photos for ya.

Have you seen these guys lately?

If so please let me know. I have no idea who they are, but I bet they know a lot about the pig and I yearn to learn.

Today I read an article about a fellow named Riccardo Ullio. He has opened his fourth restaurant as of late and I’m quite interested in going to Cuerno, the one that specializes in Spanish food. What grabbed my attention about this restaurant in particular was the mention of the jamon and how it was served. The writer eating this food was aware of how special this pork was. She described the way it was sliced and served. She also explained that the pig was raised in very comfortable conditions and feed nothing but acorns for the last 6 months of it life. These acorns are from cork trees.

In Spain, Madrid to be precise I have enjoyed this jamon. It is called jamon iberico and it sells for about $60 a pound in the states. Your lucky if you ever see it though because it is imported on a very limited basics and you have to put you name in a lottery to have a chance to buy it. It is a cured leg and it is set in a brace to hold it in place, hoof pointing up, so it can be carved properly.

The rest of the article goes on to heap high praise on this restaurant and the offerings put forth. I can’t wait. Spanish food is some of the best, heartiest food I have eaten. Lots of seafood, great cheeses and they produce some of the finest wines of the old world. I will be at this restaurant very soon and will write a complete report.

Click below and read more on this beautiful black pig!

http://www.tienda.com/reference/ibericoquest.html

serenbe

I was down at Serenbe the other day to deliver a table to a client. Here is a photo of that table. A couple of months ago I made the chairs you see here as well.

While I was there I took a few photos. Most of the country may be in a housing slump, but not at Serenbe. These are a couple of the house’s under construction and they each have a price tag of a million plus. One is a Dwell Home, I guess it is connected to Dwell Magazine somehow. They are both designs of the architect Joel Turkel and both are sold! Don’t forget, you can click on photo for better image.

So you have these two very modern homes and then right across the street you have this, another million dollar home with a sold sign out front..

Around the corner is the Serenbe Organic Farm. This farm is run by a young lady named Paige and she does quit a job. Along with selling produce at the Serenbe Farmers Market each Saturday morning, she also provides CSA boxes and keeps the two restaurants at Serenbe supplied with all the organic produce they need. Here are a couple photos of the farm operation.

Leon Redbone

Leon Redbone makes me happy, very happy. Maybe I should say his music makes me happy cause I never met the man. Well once Stacey and I did approach him in a parking lot behind the old Cotton Club in midtown Atlanta. I think we scared the hell out of him. He just wanted to get in his rental car and go home, and here we come. It was 12, 13 years ago, about midnight and we had just smiled our way through a two hour show. Mr. Redbone was accompanied that night by a horn player and a drummer with a very limited drum kit. No more was needed. Hell he’s excellent on his own, just him and his guitar. We didn’t want his autograph, just wanted to tell him we loved the show and that my dad was a big fan.

So I’m writing this and listening to you-tube videos of some of his shows right now because Saturday night he was on A Prairie Home Companion radio program. I have not listened to his music in years. I own none of his cd’s. But when I heard him on the radio the other night I fell in love with his music all over again.

I can’t really describe his music. I guess it’s straight ahead American music, not pop, not folk, it’s kinda like show tunes, if you will and you should. It doesn’t really matter, it’s his unique voice and style on the guitar that make it so good. Sometimes listening to him you think he has screwed up or forgotten the next note, I think he’s just making us wait. You know, like wait for it, ok here it is.

He writes a lot of songs and covers all kinds of other artist. Click on this link and check this out.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1TqzTOYWkA&feature=related I kinda remember him being on the Carson show quit often. He is also very funny. . Then click on all the other offers on you tube and have a Redbone day.

Also check out that steel guitar he is playing, beautiful.

Does this Bed make me look Phat

So I posted this photo a while back. It’s a king sized bed I made from house parts. The house is in Grant Park, here in Atlanta. The house is a little over 100 years old and it was being renovated. I was given the post and bead board tongue and grove from the front porch. Here is a photo of the finished product. I sold it to a shop that has just opened in the Serenbe community. I sold it for $1500, can’t wait to see what they price it.