With Lisa vacationing in Florida I've take the opportunity to eat out.  I can cook some things but I'm not near the cook she is.
Tuesday I went to Southpaw and got a BLT to bring home.  I'd been wanting to try it and it's only on Tuesdays so why not.  I was really wanting to see how the fried green tomato tasted on the sandwich.  Overall the sandwich was good but very sloppy and it kind of fell apart at the end.  The chips were good but could use more seasoning.
Wednesday nothing sounded good but then I saw that Pat's had turkey and dressing.  I didn't really expect much from the dressing and it was not the greatest but better the Lisa's gasoline dressing.  The turkey was good and the beans were surprisingly good.  The mashed potatoes and gravy were decent.  Overall a good meal.
Yesterday I met Ted at Hickory Ridge golf course for lunch.  We'd ate there last Friday and they only had one fish order that M had while me and Ted got burgers.  When I got there yesterday there was only enough fish for one order and since I got there first I had the fish and Ted got a burger.  The fish there is outstanding maybe the best in the area.

On a really nice night we played the 6&7:30 games.  Lisas in Florida so Ted subbed for her.
In the first game we played Money Balls on the first court.  We started off with two one point frames then a two point frame for a 4-0 lead before they scored their first point.  We followed that up with a three point frame and a 7-1 lead.  They scored again but we finished them off with a two point frame and a 9-2 win.
In the second game we once again played on the first court but this time against Boccelism.  We got the first point but they followed with a two point frame and a 2-1 lead.  They followed that with a four then a three point frames and we took a 9-1 loss.

Week 3 saw us play the 6&7:30 courts, luckily the weather cooled down and it was almost pleasant out.
In the first game we played Boobs, Booze & Bocce on the middle court.  Our end couldn't score but it wasn't from bad play, every good shot we made they knocked out or made a better one.  Even with this we were tied 5-5 before disaster hit.  Their other end hadn't scored all game but this time it was them that made the great throw which ended up with all their balls in and a 9-5 defeat.
In the second game we played Usual Suspects who had trouble getting their players there and had to use two subs.  I don't remember the score but it wasn't very close and we walked away with a split for the night.
We played a lot better than the resulting split.

We played in the For Pete's Sake yesterday with Ted and David as partners.  It was brutally hot day and we managed to find an open area with a fan blowing on us.  We ended up in a three man pool with the Wops and the Eclectics.
In the first game we played the Wops on the middle court.  We jumped out to a big lead and went on to win 9-3.
In the second game we played the Eclectics on the first court.  We got two points the first frame and then didn't score again losing 9-2.
The third game was played on the third court against the Wops again.  It was basically a win and in game.  We once again jumped out and won by a 9-1 score.
In the forth game we played the Eclectics again.  We played again on the first court but that was all that the same about the game.  We played a lot better and won big but I don't remember the score.  In the final game in our pool the Wops upset the Eclectics giving us first place in the pool.
In the playoff game we played a team consisting of several players we'd played before but not as a team.  I don't remember the name of the team.  The throws we'd been making all day deserted us and we went down to defeat in a game we could have won.  Oh well,
The ac sure felt good when we got home.

Week two was once again played on a hot muggy night.  We played the 6:30 and 7:30 games but the the 7:30 game didn't get started until after 8:00.  Mike and Debbie were in Cali so Ted and Kenny subbed for them.
In the first game we played Muddy Rollers on court 3.  We started off with a three point frame but then it got a lot tougher.  The score moved to 8-7 with them leading when they put a ball just beside the pallino.  We managed to move their ball just enough to put us in for two points then their was ball was short and we pulled out a 9-8 win.
In the second game we played Mag 4 on the middle court.  Lisa put two close to open the game but I made what I thought was a good throw but it knocked her ball into the pallino and gave them a point and that set the stage for the whole game.  They kept one uping us each frame and we went down to a 9-1 loss.

This past Saturday we set out to try Alongis for the first time in several years but on the way there we were waylaid with another idea.  We decided to go to Casino Tavern in West Frankfort then to Clubhouse Grille when it opened at 3.
Casino Grille looked to be your typical small town bar that caters to regulars, at least during the day.  Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the place and the ambiance.  It's run by the same owner as T-Street and S&S in Christopher.  They have food but their cook wasn't there that day.  
We went to Clubhouse Grille a little after 3 only to find out they didn't open to 4 so we had to create an alternate plan.  We finally decided on Split Decisions which allowed for a nice little drive in an area I'm not real familiar with.
We went in and were the only people there.  I ordered a burger with onion rings and Lisa got a wrap.  My burger wasn't as good as when we were there before nor were the onion rings, they weren't bad just not as good.  The burger seemed drier and the rings didn't hold together as well.  Lisa like her wrap.

We've had a busy week so a little catching up.
Last Saturday we went to Bennies for some pasta.  We ordered some bread and oil for the table.  The oil was good and the bread was fine but nothing special.  Me and Lisa split a large combination salad and salsiccian pasta italiana.  I'm not exactly sure what Mike and Debbie ordered.  The salad consisted of lettuce, carrots and tomatoes, a nice plain salad but the house dressing was outstanding.  Probably one of my favorites in the area.  The pasta was okay but needed to be hotter, it was barely warm.
Afterwards we walked up to John Browns on the Square.  We hadn't been there before and the place was much smaller than I expected.  I got a beer, Mike and Debbie got rum and diet and Lisa spent a lot of time at the Bloody Mary bar making her drink.  While we were there I saw the bartender almost smile once but he didn't look happy to be there.
Yesterday we went up to the newly reopened Landmark.  They're in the process of building their menu back and it was still limited.  Lisa got a peach salad with chicken and I got egg rolls with a side of etouffee.  The egg rolls were stuffed with etouffee and were decent.  The side of etouffee was not, no rice and very thin and not that tasty.  Lisa didn't like the balsamic vinegar dressing and got some italian dressing but I don't think it helped much.  She also didn't think it was worth $21 .  I did try the Landmark lager and really enjoyed it.  Overall rough start for a really cool location.

Fall 2025 season kicked off this past Wednesday with us playing at 6:30 and 8.
In the first game we played Holy Ballz on the third court.  In true Roll'em fashion we started out the season by giving up a four point frame.  We managed to claw back and tie the score at 4-4.  A little back and forth and the score moved to 7-7.  We got a ball in with a chance at winning the game but our last throw drifted just wide and the score moved to 8-7.  Lisa managed to slip a ball behind the pallino and inside Fred's ball.  Fred hit his ball and somehow Ian knock moved the pallino and two of their balls in the corner.  My first shot was just wide and my second shot was on target but the result was the same, a 9-8 loss.
In the second game we moved to the first court to play Dark Side of the Pallino.  Once again we gave up a big frame to start the game but only a three this time.  They did score the next point but we managed to tie the game at 6-6 before losing 9-6.
Big frames and not capitalizing were are downfall.

Yesterday I happen to notice that Smokin Js had a blt as one of their specials.  Smoking Js is a new food truck that sets up a few blocks from out house so why not give it a try.  From their facebook picture we couldn't figure out what the b was in blt.
When I got there I found out the b was for baloney which caused me to waver somewhat.  I decided to go ahead and grab one along with a brat and some baked beans.  
The brat didn't really do anything for me although it had a nice snap to it, it looked like it was a precooked brat but I might be wrong about that.  The BLT was well constructed and surprisingly good especially the bbq sauce.  I would have liked a thicker piece of baloney.  I wouldn't be surprised if packaged baloney was used instead of a full chub.  The beans were hot and awesome.  They reminded me of Old Route 51 beans when they were open.