Life in the Slow Lane
Enter a word or words to search the posts
|
|
Enter a word or words to search the posts
|
|
We took a nice drive up to Chester yesterday and Mike drove so I was able to look around more than usual. With all the foliage gone I could see some things I hadn't noticed before. We hadn't been to the Landmark to eat in quite a while and it appears the menu has changed some but still has some favorites on it.
Me, Lisa and Debbie ordered Octoberfest beers while Mike got a bahama mama. I'd never had a bahama mama so Mike let me try it, really good and a person could get in trouble drinking them. I debated between a BLT and a po' boy before finally settling on the po' boy. I upgraded my side to brussel sprouts. Lisa went with a shrimp appetizer. Debbie got the BLT and Mike got his normal plain burger plus some chips for everyone to share. My po' boy was very good but I should have got the catfish replaced with shrimp. I really liked my brussel sprouts but apparently they had a very strong smell. I have no idea, I lost most of my smell when I had covid a few years ago. Lisa wasn't very pleased with her shrimp. Not sure if it was the shrimp or bacon slaw, I tried and thought it was good. We then went to the Salty Dog for a drink, the place was booming and loud. After that we headed home but got sidetracked into a quick one at Brews Brothers first.
0 Comments
We needed to get out of the house yesterday so we decided to go for a ride and then pick something up to bring home. We'd kind of decided on new favorite Dale's when I remembered I'd seen the Sidney & Solomon food truck at it's usual location by Murdale Shopping Center.
I didn't have a real plan but we hadn't been around the Lake in awhile so off we went followed by the Marina and finally to the spillway. Kinkaid is really low, the pool at the bottom of the spillway was about half the size. On to Sidney & Solomon's, on the way over we decided to try a variety of things. Lisa had never had a chicago dog so we got one of those. We're always on the lookout for a good gyro so we got one of those. Lastly I decided on a burger with fries for the ride home. The fries were crinkle cut and most likely out of a bag. They were nice and crisp with some pleasing seasoning on them. That was the highlight of meal. The rest of the food wasn't very warm even though it had been in a in an insulated bag for the ride home. The gyro wasn't good at all, the pita was stale tasting and the meat was dry. I think the burger would have been good if it was hot. Same with the chicago dog. In their defense they weren't too far from closing when we got there and may have had their equipment turned off. We'll give them another chance but it wasn't a good first impression. As I've stated in the past I'm just not a big Christmas fan. I guess I'm kind of a combination of Ebenezer Scrooge and The Grinch. This year was overwhelming more than most. Too many things in too short a period.
It started with my trip to the store. I usually get started a couple weeks early but somehow didn't. When I went to the store on Thursday I got a late start and it was packed. People everywhere plus a lot of workers pushing carts for pick up orders. To top it off I had to get a lot of things I don't normally get and didn't know where they were. First time ever I got so frazzled I ended up forgetting things and had to go back the next day. Then came the worst part. We lost our nephew Aaroneous who has had a rough way to go for way too long. We went out to Mona and Kelly's house hoping a little family time would help console them and I think it did. The next day was Packer day which was the highlight of the season, at least for me. It helped that the Packers manage to win in spite of the defense and it's coordinator. Mona had said she couldn't do her traditional Christmas Eve thing so Mike and Debbie stepped up. It was nice to sit around and enjoy but I was running on fumes and we left earlier than normal. At least I think we did, it's all kind of a blur. Of course yesterday was Christmas. Our Christmas breakfast was running into too many conflicts so we decided to get together with my family later in the week and I think Lisa is going with chicken and dumplings in the evening instead of a morning thing. Anyway she fixed turkey and dressing yesterday along with sweet potatoes, rolls and pumpkin pie. She also made apple salad that had gone off the menu for way too long. Almost done with the bah humbug season. After a very frustrating doctors appointment yesterday we decided to go to St Nicholas MDH (airport) for a bit to eat and a bit to drink. A big factor in the decision is that they still have their Marzen (Octoberfest) on tap. I went over thinking about the steak and frites special. Frites? Really just fancying up fries, not sure why though.
I stayed with the plan but upgraded to a ribeye instead of a strip steak. Lisa decided to go the same route and we both ordered medium. The beer was as good as I remembered and I really hope they keep it full time but was told they won't. The fries were nice and crisp with a nice saltyness to them. On to the steaks. Mine was not good. It was tough and to be honest it had texture and appearance more like a strip steak than a ribeye. It didn't look anything like Lisa's ribeye. I don't mind if a steak is a little less than medium but this was rare at best and it got rarer at one end. That still wouldn't have bothered me a lot if the flavor was good. I showed it to the waitress and she offered to have another one cooked but Lisa already had hers and I didn't want to wait. I also asked her if mine was a ribeye or a strip so she went back and checked with the cooks then came back and said it was a ribeye. I didn't ask for anything but MDH decided to comp my meal. A really nice gesture by them. BTW Lisa's steak was a lot better than mine and tasted like a ribeye should. Monday we went to long time favorite bring home place New Kahala. I'd been wanting to try the szechuan beef there. I'd been worried about it being too spicy hot for me but after talking to a friend, Kathy, she said it wasn't unless you ordered it that way. I ordered it with extra broccoli instead of my normal extra veggies. Lisa went with her go to rice noodles but she went with a higher spice level. We both got hot and sour soup since it was a cold day.
In a rare not up to par occurrence the soup wasn't very warm much less hot. Both dishes were warm but not as hot as expected and we always have it all in a pizza delivery hot bag. My dish was very good in spite of the temperature and will be added into my list of favorites there. I had a little of Lisa's noodles and noticed a little kick but not too bad. She said the same thing but then as she dug down deeper in the container they got a lot more spicy. A rare disappointing experience but not a terrible one. A few days ago we decided to go to Dale's Burger Shack which is rapidly become one of our go to pick up spots. I went over thinking rueben and I stayed with the plan while Lisa got an italian beef. Of course we got fries, a huge bag full for the ride. We were closer to 5pm than usual so it took a little longer. It seemed like the bag of fries was bigger than last time and we had some left when we got home. Once again they were very tasty and one of my favorite fries in the area.
I'd got the 1/2 pound rueben and the meat was stacked high like I've seen on TV from NY deli's. The only real downside was that the marble rye bread didn't stand up to the amount of meat and the travel. I got the dressing and the sauerkraut on the side but the bread was was still soggy and a bit overwhelmed with all the meat. Don't get me wrong it was still a real good sandwich. Lisa got the italian beef dry with au jus on the side. The flavor was spot on but the sandwich was a little dry. Oh the trials and tribulations of watching our grandson Dax. Yesterday he was in rare form. Anything that is on a table soon becomes on the floor or in his hands or mouth even when he knows he's not supposed to. If he doesn't pull it off he'll act like he's going to just so you'll react and then he'll laugh. He especially likes to grab cell phones and remote controls. He also likes grabbing mama's glasses which earns him a slap on the hand but that doesn't really stop him.
He's now learned how to open the refrigerator, closing it is another thing. Yesterday he came into the living room with some salami for me to fix even though he already had some. He also pulled out some grapes from the frig and was eating them off the vine, such a character. On the good side he loves grapes, bananas, apples and other fruit. Yesterday was topped off when he came around the corner with a banana peel he'd grabbed out of the trash. I'd like to say he only did that once but...... When he left we decided to head to Dale's Burger Shack to reward ourselves for making it through the week with him. But no, he'll be here today and tonight too. At least the twins will be here to help. Lunch/supper thoughts yesterday came down to Bennie's & Log Cabin. The deciding factor ended up being that Bennie's chowder looked better than Log Cabins soup so off we went. I couldn't decided what I wanted but kept going back to our first visit where I left thinking about pizza the next visit. Lisa said that sounded good so it was decided plus she got a cup of potato and corn chowder.
The chowder came out first and was really good, only complaint was too many potatoes and not enough corn. Flavor was there though. The pizza came out and it was every bit as good as expected. It was a thin crust with just the right amount of crunch. There was ample amount of pepperoni and italian sausage and Lisa thought the sausage tasted home made. I really liked the pizza and thought it ranked up there with Cummares as my favorite thin crust. Very good pizza. If I would have wrote about the Packers a few weeks ago like I started to this post would be a lot different. A few things that have changed:
Most importantly Jordon Love quite throwing behind and under throwing receivers and started doing a better job with his accuracy. Christan Watson finally got healthy but got injured again towards the end of the last game. I'm thinking he's like that sports car that looks great but spends a lot of time in the shop. The O line got healthy and started working more as a unit and the rotation at Left Tackle seems to be working. The offense started looking more like Lafleur's offense instead of a Lafleur/Rodgers blend. The rookie CB's have been playing good enough that there are questions about Jaire Alexander willingness to tackle. That being said I'm still not totally sure Love is the long term answer but I have more hope than I did. Joe Barry's defense is still Joe Barry's defense, I'm not a fan even though they seem to be playing well. This team has an young, exciting feel to it, a far cry from last years old, stale team. Go Pack Go We went to Carbondale yesterday so that Lisa could look for stuff for the kids pictures this weekend. No luck but we both were ready to sit and enjoy a beverage.
We hadn't been to Applebys in several years so we decided to go there. Neither of us are fans of the food there but figured a drink would be okay. We walked in and sat at the bar next to another couple. Great choice all around. We had a great time talking with the other couple and enjoying our beverages. Great stop. So much fun we decided to stop at another place and ended up at Bandana's. Just the opposite of Appleby's. The place was dead, even the waitresses were sparse ( a little deja vu there). I decided on one more stop and we decided on The Cellar over Buckwater. Not as great as Appleby's but not bad. Talked a little to Paul who owns the place. By this time we'd decided to pick something and head home. We stopped by Dale's and I ordered a burger. Lisa ordered an italian beef and we got a huge bag of fries for the ride home. They said they'd bring the order out to the car when it was ready so we decided to wait in the car. It was done quicker than I expected but it may just have seemed that way since we in the car. We devoured the fries on the way home and they really hit the spot. Their fries are some of my favorite. My burger was good but not as good as the other time I've had it. It didn't seem as fresh or something, still good though. Lisa's italian beef was spot on, really good. Nice and juicy we a great flavor and the au jus just made it better. We went down to Cape yesterday with Mike & Debbie. When we got there it was a little earlier than we wanted to eat so we went to Port Cape for drinks. It had been a while since we'd been in the bar room and it was a really nice time.
Next we drove up the hill to Katy O'Ferrells which was Debbie choice for her birthday that had been on Thanksgiving. I would have chosen Brossards but we've been to all the places and she really wanted to try the rueben. I went with the corned beef and cabbage. It comes with champ and carrots but I got veggies instead of the champ. Champ is creamy mashed potatoes with scallions in it and I'm not a big fan of it. Lisa got a roast beef, Debbie got a rueben and Mike got a burger. All three of them got chips to go with their choice. I was disappointed in the corned beef. It was tough and a little stringy, probably needed to cook longer. The cabbage, carrots and veggies were all excellent and cooked right in my wheelhouse. Lisa said her roast beef was dry. Debbie really like the rueben but thinks Scootr's is better. Mike said his burger was good. After we finished we decided to stop a Broussards if we saw a parking spot close. As fate would have it there was one right across the street from it. I thought we were just going to have drinks but Mike and Debbie wanted to try the gumbo and etouffee so they got small bowls of each. After trying both of them Debbie said she would like Broussards better and we should go next time we are down there. They ended up getting gumbo to go while we ordered etouffee to take home. Of course we needed to stop at a gas station on our way out of town so I could pick up some Yuengling to take home. Really fun day. Yesterday we went to Kretzers as a belated birthday meal for me. I went up with a plan not order catfish and Lisa was trying to stay away from the salad bar. We'd got those the last several times we've been there and wanted something different.
I was thinking chicken fried chicken or popcorn shrimp but when I looked at the menu I considered wings too. I finally decided on the chicken fried chicken mainly because it'd looked so good in pictures I saw of it and it was hand breaded, the shrimp wasn't. I got onion rings and surprisingly this time they let us do the salad bar with no upcharge. Lisa went with italian beef and a salad. Their salad bar is awesome but I didn't care about either soup they had yesterday. The chicken fried chicken was good but on the dry side and the onion rings weren't as good as I remembered. Lisa said her sandwich was good but it was on the sweet side and she prefers spicy (I don't know what the says about me). I tried hers and I thought it was pretty good with plenty of juice. Overall one of the rare disappointing trips there. |
Archives
October 2024
|