Eat.  Out.

This year, Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 26.

I’ve never made a turkey with all the trimmings in my life, and I’m not about to start.

So when I can’t mooch off of the generosity of friends’ mothers, I go somewhere where they get it right, even though I love cranberry sauce shaped like a can.

I compiled a list of some of the best restaurants in DC serving a special Thanksgiving menu just for lazy people like me.  (And you, since you’re still reading):

701 Restaurant: Three course Thanksgiving meal with live jazz. 11:00am-8:00pm, $45 per person, $22 per child.

1789 Restaurant: Prix fixe three course menu. $50 per person.

Ardeo: Three course Thanksgiving dinner.  12:00-8:00pm, $40 per person. Valet parking $5.

Art and Soul: Three course family-style Thanksgiving feast.  $55 per person, $25 ages 6-12. Diners will also receive a special “leftover” turkey sandwich with trimmings so they can enjoy a taste of Thanksgiving at Art and Soul throughout the weekend.

Bistro Bis: Special à la carte menu available 12:00-8:00pm.

Bourbon Steak at the Four Seasons Hotel: À la carte menu from 6:00-10:00pm with holiday specials ranging from $11 to $44.

Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt: Thanksgiving brunch and dinner. Brunch: 10:30am-3:30pm, $85 per adult, $42.50 per child age 6-12, 5 and under free. Dinner: 6:00pm-10:00pm. À la carte menu.

Cafe Promenade at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel: The Grand Thanksgiving Brunch Buffet is $75 per adult and $35 per child ages 12 and under.

Charlie Palmer Steak: Three course dinner with a nice variety of dishes. $65 per person, $18 per child.

Coeur de Lion at the Henley Park Hotel: Four course Thanksgiving dinner, $65 per person, $25 per child.

Commonwealth Gastropub: Special family-style Thanksgiving roast, a three-course menu of seasonal dishes served family-style, $35 per person.

Corduroy: Prix-fixe three course menu, $55 per adult, $30 per child 12 and under.

Georgia Brown’s: Family-style Thanksgiving with turkey and all the fixings served with Southern hospitality. $36.95 per adult, $25.99 per child.

Indebleu: Turkey with all the trimmings combining modern cuisine with Indian flavors from 3:00-8:00pm. $45 per person, $55 w/wine pairing. All meals are served family-style.

J&G Steakhouse at the W Hotel Washington DC: Three course Thanksgiving Tasting menu, $35 per person). With wine pairings, $59 per person.

Morrison-Clark Inn: Elegant five-course dinner at a historic inn in the heart of Washington, DC. $50 per adult, $25 per child.

Oval Room: A three-course holiday menu is $50 per person.

Sou’Wester at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel: The new regionally-influenced American restaurant will feature eight different turkey dishes on its special à la carte holiday menu 12:00-8:00 p.m.

Spirit of Washington – Cruise departs from 6th & Water Sts., Pier 4, SW, Washington, DC. Enjoy a three course buffet meal, with dancing and spectacular views of the sites of Washington, DC.  Board at 11:30am, cruise from noon until 2:00 p.m. $49.90 per adult, $29.95 ages 3-11, children under 3 are free.

Vidalia: Special à la carte menu available from 12:00-8:00pm.

Photo courtesy of Laughing Dog Farm

I don’t know about you, but this recession is cramping my foodie style. Ever the clever and wily girl that I am when concessions are low, I’ve compiled a list of places that serve what I lovingly call “bar bait.” And this isn’t crap served in a trough.  This is food that’s actually good.

Note:  While I mean the vittles are free, you are expected to purchase drinks and tip your bartender well.  Don’t be stingy.  It’s bad for your karma.

Dino (Cleveland Park): Daily 5:30pm to 7:00pm.  Complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

Maggiano’s (Chevy Chase): Daily 5:30pm to 7:00pm.  Complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

Morton’s Steakhouse (Various locations): Daily from 5:00pm to 6:30pm and 9pm – close.  Complimentary steak sandwiches.

Vidalia (Downtown): Everyday 5:00-6:30 pm. Complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres.

Tell them Mary sent you!

The Crone, being without a car, is walking to and from work. Tonight is a horrible night. Cold, dark, and pouring with rain. The Crone, who is wearing a purple wool/silk twin set with little margin for shrinkage, decided that she couldn’t afford to get soaked and so broke her 20 minute journey at Vidalia, which has an excellent bar man, bar menu and, well, bar.

Settling herself on her barstool the Crone ordered a glass of Spanish white wine (delicious) and was offered the dinner menu by the barman ” Oh no” she replied “I’m really only here to dry out a little” With which he looked askance at the wine glass, but wisely said no more.

The Crone is half thinking of going round to Tom and Mike’s for Wednesday night dinner–they’re having cassoulet. But given her propensity for an unfortunate turn of phrase she’s decided to stay home.

 ”Want another plate?”

“Oh, you know me, I can never pass up sausage…”

Choose Full Installation

Step 2: Open the program. Go to Start>Programs>Vidalia Bundle> Vidalia

Step 3a: (For Internet Explorer users)Next, go to Tools>Internet Options>Connections>LAN Settings>Check the option box for Proxy server – Advanced. 

Change your settings to what you see here

*Remember your initial settings, you will need it to revert back to your previous settings later

Step 3b: (For Mozilla users) Install Tor Button https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2275/ and follow the settings above as well.

Step 4: Check that the icon is green in colour. If it is yellow, restart the program. Make sure the pear is green.

Make sure the pear is green

Step 5: Open up your Internet browser and starting surfing! (To revert back to the previous settings, undo Step 3)

October 2009 Exercise – Lionel Tandy, Executive Chef, Chartwells Dining Services New England College, Henniker, NH

 Pub Food:

Ploughman’s Lunch of Country Pate with whole grain mustard, 5-year old Quebec Cheddar with local Cortland Apple, Colston-Basset Stilton Cheese with Raspberry Vidalia Onion Compote, Prosciutto with Pickled Onions, Chicory Salad and Assorted Crostini in the Cone.

 Grilled Filet Mignon with Syrah Sauce, Baby Carrots and Beets, with Glazed Potato Bites in the Cone

 To participate in the November exercise, please send an e mail to: jeffrey@bauscherinc.com

Collections of past submissions are on the Deep Plate page on Facebook.  Please become a “Fan”. 

http://deepplate.wordpress.com

from vidaliaonion.or

I was never a gal to go completely nuts over onion eating but I do know a woman that serves onions (especially Vidalias) sliced on a plate with almost any meal, and has been known to eat ‘em like apples!

So today, be introduced to Yumion the Vidalia onion mascot and enjoy my favorite burger of onion soup mix in the meat and grilled onions on top!

Prior to the commencement of Restaurant Week, I published my own Top Ten Restaurant Week picks which was based on the restaurant’s overall reputation, history of quality of food, prix fixe menu offerings, or based on my own past restaurant week experiences. Vidalia was my #1 pick due to several important factors. The restaurant has a superior reputation, including having excellent quality of food, housing James Beard Award winning chefs Jeffrey Buben and R.J. Cooper, and in February I went to lunch at Vidalia for restaurant week and had a very memorable experience ever. Since Vidalia was my top choice, I decided to dine there again during their summer promotion.

This year I decided to try Vidalia for dinner instead of lunch; however, unlike my last Restaurant Week experience at Vidalia, the most memorable part of the evening was not the food. The most notable part of my evening, unfortunately was the restaurant management’s response to my compliant about the very loud obnoxious table seated adjacent to us. Our party was seated in a small intimate alcove of the dining room alongside of the bar area, which had just four tables of four. The table next to us was being so loud that my friends and I couldn’t hear each other or the waiter when the waiter came over to take our order. After several minutes of being frustrated of not being able to hear myself think, I went over to the hostess stand to plead with them for help. I very politely explained to the hostess and the manager on duty about how loud the next table over was being and asked if he would please ask them to use their “inside voices”. The manager immediately suggested that we move to another table available. Once we were at our new table, we were very happy. There were three times as many tables in this seating area of the restaurant, yet it was much more quiet. I actually preferred the new waiter also. He seemed more refined and more polite. While we were eating, the manager returned to our table and told us that he asked the table to keep their voices down and then subsequently moved them to the bar. I was thoroughly amused.

Of course, I had reviewed Vidalia’s Restaurant Week menu beforehand. They offered two options, the usual three course tasting menu for $35.09 or a five course tasting menu for $45.09; however in order to partake of the five course menu, the entire table has to participate. Upon arriving to the restaurant and viewing their menu, there were a few changes to the menu. For example, there was a lobster course added for a $10 up-charge that wasn’t on the published menu and the menu specified the evenings steak as a New York Strip which was an additional $12 surcharge. Each person in my party ordered the three course tasting menu. When our first courses arrive, the servers apologized for having to ask who ordered what dish. Since we moved tables, they weren’t able to know which dish was ordered by whom. I ordered the Rabbit Mortadella with red mustard greens, spiced pecans, rabbit bacon, in a truffle-honey vinaigrette. I should have spent more time preparing and researching the menu options, because I was very disappointed. If I had done my due diligence beforehand, I would have learned that Mortadella gets its name from a Roman sausage flavored with myrtle in place of pepper and originates in Bologna, the capital of Emilia-Romagna. Mortadella is basically an Italian cold cut.

A friend ordered the Sweet Garlic Velouté with battered Florida frog legs, parsley emulsion, and preserved meyer lemon. I can’t recall if I have ever had frog legs before. Evidently, the velouté sauce was named one of the four “mother sauces” by Antonin Carême in the 19th century. In preparing a traditional velouté sauce, a light stock, such as chicken, is thickened with a blond roux. Ingredients of a velouté are equal parts of butter and flour to form the roux, the light stock, and salt and pepper for seasoning. Commonly the sauce produced will be referred to by the type of stock used, in this case, sweet garlic. Not to sound cliche-ish, but the frog’s legs mild flavor and texture did very much resemble chicken. It was interesting and surprisingly tasted pretty good. I am glad that I got the opportunity to try them, but pardon the pun, I was too chicken to order it myself. 

The Grilled Octopus with avocado, red rubin, heirloom cherry tomatoes, smoked chili vinaigrette seemed tough to me. Perhaps, that is just the texture of octopus. I’m not an expert on octopus. I had octopus for the first time at Ardeo just last month.  The grilled octopus did not seem much different to me. I don’t really like octopus, so I’m not surprised that I didn’t like this. I don’t think it matters how it is prepared, I don’t find it very flavorful.

For the main course, I ordered one of their signature dishes, the Shrimp and Grits which I had once before in February during the winter Restaurant Week. Compared to last winter, the Shrimp and Grits this time around was far less memorable. The grits are smooth, not firm or course, which is a texture that I prefer. The Shrimp and Grits are significantly more flavorful than Columbia Firehouse’s version; however, unfortunately the portion size is almost identical. I was disappointed overall, but I take part of the responsibility; perhaps I made poor course selections. My friend Olga Berman, who is also a fellow writer for Examiner.com said that she was disappointed also and she ordered completely different dishes than I.

There is one course that made everyone happy all around – Dessert! For the third course, each of us ordered something different, so I was able to sample almost all of the dessert offerings. I ordered the Peanut Butter Crunch Bar. It was very rich and couldn’t finish it all but it was delicious. I didn’t really like the caramelized banana compote on top but I can see how the flavors could compliment each other. I also tried the Lemon Chess Square which is a vibrant gorgeous spring yellow lemon custard, with berry compote, and sweet cream. I love lemon but I don’t think I could eat more than just a few bites – it’s just too tart. The Georgia Pecan Bar was probably my favorite of the desserts. I didn’t order it as my own because I had it last time I was at Vidalia. It’s decadent with the deliciously sweet bourbon caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.

Overall, I think that it was still a good experience. I tried some new things, like the frogs legs and re-visited some memorable dishes, like the Shrimp and Grits. It was soured because we had to deal with the noisy table, but that isn’t technically Vidalia’s fault. I was pleased with how they handled the situation and that counts just as much as the food. Next year, I probably won’t have it as my #1 pick, but it will still make the top ten.

 For more info: Vidalia is extending their Restaurant Week promotion one week until September 5, 2009. For their Restaurant Week Menu, see here.

Restaurant Week occurs twice a year during the slow restaurant season in the winter (usually January) and the late summer (usually August). Restaurants are typically slow around the holiday season and in the summertime when people take vacation away from the DC area. Many restaurants welcome Restaurant Week as a way to drum up new business. This year’s summer restaurant week in DC starts on Monoday, August 24 – 30; however many DC restaurants extend their promotions an extra week or sometimes an entire month (see list below).

Restaurant week is an excellent opportunity to try a new place, or one that you simply could not afford otherwise. To get the most “bang” for your buck, choose really expensive restaurants with superior reputations, for example, I choose restaurants that have been on the Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurant list consistently that I haven’t tried. Or perhaps your dollar would be best trying a place that serves a cuisine that you’ve always wanted to try, but were too timid to risk shelling out good money for.

Dinner prices have increased this year; three courses now cost $35.09. Lunch remains, the same terrific deal it’s always been: $20.09 for a starter, main course and dessert. Some restaurants will offer their full menu while others will have a special Restaurant Week menu. One of the absolute best ways to take advantage of restaurant week is to go to lunch at a fine dining establishment that you would not normally be able to afford.

Restaurants that offer their full menu are considered the best deal. The restaurants that offer prix fixe menus or pre-theatre menus all year long you can take advantage of anytime. In addition, restaurants that offers any small-plates/tapas/mezze, such as Zaytinya, Jaleo, Oyamel, all great, but already generally offer good deals year-round. Some restaurants offer only limited selections, or include various upcharges (sometimes called supplemental fees) for some of their better dishes – these should be avoided.

Here are my top ten picks based on their reputation, quality of food, restaurant week menu offerings, or based on my own restaurant week experience.

1. Vidalia- Open since spring 1993, the James Beard Award winning chefs Jeffrey Buben and R.J. Cooper, have driven this restaurant to be one of DC’s most highly regarded restaurants. In 2009, Vidalia was listed as #7 on Washingtonian’s Very Best list earning three and a half stars out of four. Their summer restaurant week menu offers many choices for appetizers and entrees. I went to lunch at Vidalia in February for restaurant week and had to date, the best restaurant week experience ever. Their brisket was, moist, tender, flavorful, and delicious. I also tried the shrimp and grits which is one of Vidalia’s “signature” dishes.
2. Tosca – Executive Chef Massimo Fabbri is highly regarded and loved even by other top DC area chefs. With their superior reputation for beautiful pasta, which is house-made fresh daily, Tosca ranked within the top 25 of Washingtonian’s Very Best list two years in a row earning three stars out of four. Their restaurant week menu is one of the best – by offering diners their full dinner menu, including some of Chef Fabbri’s signature dishes black sea bass tartar, Veal Ravioli, Risotto with saffron, and carrot pappardelle with a rabbit ragu.
3. Art and Soul – Under the direction of two-time James Beard Award winning Chef, Art Smith, Art and Soul made the Washingtonian’s Very Best list within the first year of its opening. Executive Chef Travis Timberlake (see photo on right) has crafted an excellent summer restaurant week menu by offering many of his Southern inspired dishes that are available on the regular lunch and dinner menu. This is a great opportunity to sample some of his extraordinary cuisine, prepared with love – at an exceptional value. On the restaurant week dinner menu enjoy Fried chicken with country potato salad; ravioli with herbs and spring vegetables; salmon with pea risotto, golden-beet relish, and preserved-lemon vinaigrette; pork chop with charred-stone-fruit relish and sweet-onion broth; crispy whole trout with spring-bean salad and rhubarb vinaigrette. They are extending their restaurant week promotion through September 6.
4. Rasika – At one of Washington’s best Indian restaurants, Chef Vikram Sunderam’s offers deliciously authentic Indian cuisine. Rasika is ranked within the top 25 of Washingtonian’s Very Best list earning three stars out of four. Chef Sunderam’s restaurant week lunch menu is the most promising at such an excellent value and includes its much-praised palak chaat, lamb roganjosh and for dessert, carrot halwa with cinnamon sabayon. For dinner, enjoy some his best dishes, the palak chaat, black cod lightly sauced with star anise, dill, and honey and for dessert enjoy the carrot halwa with cinnamon sabayon. Bread or rice comes with each main course. Rasika is offering their special restaurant week menus until September 5.
5. PassionFish – As the newest restaurant of Passion Food Hospitality restaurant group, whose owners, Chef Jeff Tunks, Gus Dimillo, and David Wizenberg, have a longstanding tradition of offering any entrée on their regular menus while offering selected appetizers and desserts for the restaurant week prix fixe menu. This year is no different. I went to PassionFish in February for restaurant week and was very impressed.  On the restaurant week menu for selected appetizers are some of their best dishes including their Crab and Corn chowder, Classic Peruvian Style Ceviche and Yucatan Shrimp + Ceviche “Cocktail”. I recommend the Monkfish “Osso Bucco” Amatriciana, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes and Crème Brulee for dessert.
6. Café Atlantico – celebrity Chef José Andrés is offering the full regular menu in addition to their special prix fixe menus. Make sure to order dishes that are not included on their pre-theatre menu which they all year round for $35. On the restaurant week dinner entrées include Duck confit with Brussels sprouts, apples, raisins, and pinenuts; portobello mushroom with huitlacoche, chihuahua cheese, roasted beets, and beet oil; braised beef short ribs with grilled eggplant and squash; Veracruz-style salmon with tomatoes, olives, onions, avocado, and capers; grilled skirt steak with mushrooms, green beans, and truffled potato espuma. Café Atlantico is extending their restaurant week promotion until September 6.
7. Hook – Fresh sustainably sourced seafood and fish combined with the best local and organic produce is Chef Jonathan Seningen’s focus at this Georgetown dining room. Hook has a solid reputation for delicious quality food, especially during restaurant week. This summer Chef Seningen is offering extensive lunch and dinner menus with choices such as salmon with chickpeas, tomato, spinach, and cayenne; including some of his best and signature dishes like the Arctic char with sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, and celeriac purée; mahi mahi with prosciutto, black-eyed peas, and spinach; yellowfin tuna with white-bean purée, bok choy, and boquerone mustard.
8. Dino – No one means business like Dean Gold – as he takes great pride in his warm and inviting Italian wine bar and dining room located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood. Dino serves excellent authentic Italian fare at an exceptional value all year round but has gone the extra mile by offering one of the most generous restaurant week dinner deals: any three courses from the regular menu, plus a free glass of house-infused grappa or moscato. I recommend the Saltimbocca, described on the menu as veal and pork Meatballs with onions, garlic, herbs, egg & bread crumb, with spicy tomato oregano sauce and the Linguine alla Pescatore, which is fresh mussels & mahogany Clams with house made pasta, garlic, tomatoes, wine & parsley. The promotion will be extended through September 13.
9. Kaz Sushi Bistro – Rammy winning Chef, “Kaz” (Kazuhiro) Okochi offers deliciously fresh and innovative sushi. At lunch, diners are offered a choice of two preset menus. On the lunch menu enjoy a choice of Miso soup; bento box (seaweed salad, Asian short ribs, spicy California roll, or miso-marinated salmon, and spicy green mussels). For dessert, choose between green-tea ice cream or mango sorbet. For dinner appetizers: try the deliciously fresh and innovative (See photo above) Scallop ceviche piña colada; or seared Sockeye salmon with wasabi/tuna sauce; spicy shrimp fritter; crispy calamari salad; teriyaki pork ribs; grilled miso-marinated salmon. For main course, choose either three nigiri or two maki. I recommend the lychee panna cotta with mango sorbet for dessert. (see photo).
10. Ici Urban Bistro – (photo) Ici Urban Bistro offers a fresh and contemporary twist on traditional French cuisine. The Executive Chef, Olivier Perret who is a native of Burgundy, France has been on board just a few months and is already captivating DC diners with his innovative and contemporary approach to traditional French cooking. His restaurant week menu includes some of his specialties such as Pan Seared Halibut with Mango and wilted arugula, veal jus or  Duck Confit with garlic mashed potatoes, balsamic and star anis reduction.

 Restaurant Week Promotion Extensions

• 2941 – August 3 through August 28 
•  701 Restaurant – August 24 through Sept 6th 
• Art and Soul – August 24- September 6
• Café Atlantico – August 24- September 6
• Cedar Restaurant – August 1 through August 23
• Co-co Sala – August 24- September 2
• Darlington House – August 24th through September 6th
• Dino – August 1 through September 13
• Grillfish DC – August 24th through September 13th
• Ici Urban Bistro – August 21 through September 1
• Il Mulino – August 1 through August 31
• Mio – August 1 through August 31
• Nage Bistro – August 17th to September 6th
• Occidental – August 24- September 6
• Rasika – August 24- September 5
• The Heights – August 24th through September 6th
•  Zaytinya – August 24- September 6

Melanjutkan tutorial by proxy yang sebelumnya pake UltraSurf dan Freegate. Berikut ada sedikit tutorial lagi, buat referensi tambahan buat teman-teman yang lagi suntuk gak bisa surfing bebas karena blocking system pada server proxy.

Kali ini caranya hampir sama dengan tutor sebelumnya,yakni menggunakan software bantu (vidalia bundle). Step by step-nya:

1. Download dulu software vidalia bundle’nya [https://www.torproject.org/vidalia/].
2. Install software’nya sampe complete.
3. Running vidalia bundle’nya.
4. Klik button “Start Tor” (yg gambar bulet,ada kotak di tengahnya).
5. Tunggu sampe gambar siung (Tor Network) berubah menjadi warna hijau dan ada notifikasi “Connected to The Tor Network”.

vidalia_bundle

6. Setelah sukses connect to The Tor Network,sekarang tinggal setting Proxy di Browser’nya (for ex:IE7),
7. Isi pada Address Proxy dengan 127.0.0.1, port 8118.

set-proxy

8. Coba tes koneksi vidalia, buka alamat website yang sebelumnya di blok. Selamat Mencoba..

Thx,

The new size of MoonShine BBQ Sauce is available starting today.  That’s an 8 oz jar of that sweet and tangy gourmet sauce made with love and Jack Daniels!  By the way, the 16 oz jar is also still available.

See you at the Trade Centre!

Baseado nesse método fantástico publicado no site Global Pandora, irei explicar como usar o mesmo método no Mac OS.

Por sorte o mesmo pacote de softwares (Vidalia, Tor e Privoxy) existe para Mac, e deve ser baixado aqui (eu ainda uso a versão 0.1.10, mas com certeza continua o mesmo processo de configuração).

Vou usar o mesmo processo do site Global Pandora, só trocando os passos pelos equivalentes no Mac.

Passo 2: No Mac, o arquivo torrc encontra-se em Macintosh HD > Library > Tor.

Passo 4: O tor.pac eu coloquei na raiz do Macintosh HD.

Passo 5: No Mac, você acessa as configurações do Firefox digitando “Command + virgula” e o caminho que deve ser colocado em “Automatic Proxy Configuration URL” é file:///tor.pac (Se você colocou o tor.pac, assim como eu, na raiz do Macintosh HD).

Agora vai a única configuração realmente diferente entre Windows e Mac. Abra o Vidalia > Settings > Advanced e em “Tor Configuratin File” coloque esse caminho: /Library/Tor/torrc. Reinicie o Vidalia.

No meu caso, ainda fiz uma alteração a mais, por precaução, mas acredito que funcione sem, ou seja, tente isso somente se as instruções acima não forem suficientes:

• Acesse o terminal e digite defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true
• Vá até o ícone do Finder no Dock, clique com o “botão direito + option” e em seguida clique em Relaunch; agora você deverá ver os arquivos escondidos do Mac OS.
• Abra o Finder, vá em <Home> > .vidalia e substitua o torrc desse local por esse (Atenção: esse não é o mesmo torrc que fica na Library do Macintosh HD).
• Para esconder novamente os arquivos de sistema do Mac, abra o terminal e digite defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool false
• Vá até o ícone do Finder no Dock, clique com o “botão direito + option” e em seguida clique em Relaunch; agora os arquivos voltarão a ficar invisíveis.

My Grillmaster lights the grill once again! 

It was a weeknight and I was wanting a simple supper, something that didn’t involve messing up a bunch of mixing bowls, pots and pans, and dinner plates.  I didn’t feel like the clean-up. 

So I picked up some burgers, already pre-formed!  I was looking for easy, too.   I glanced at the prices of the french fries in the freezer section and remembered the half bag of whole potatoes I had at home just waiting to be turned into delicious homemade fries.

As I went through my mental list at the grocery, I picked up some buns, a Vidalia onion, some iceburg lettuce (I know), and some hamburger sliced dill pickles, our favorite. 

When we arrived home, my Grillmaster set about preparing the grill…charcoal only for him.   I prepared the condiments for the burgers and my youngest daughter scrubbed and helped slice the potatoes for the fries.

What a meal!  I took my mom (who is fighting cancer, on a bunch of meds, and nothing tastes good) a burger.  She ate half of it and declared it was the tenderest grilled burger she’d ever had.

I know the cheese is not melted.  Poor fellow, I forgot to give it to him and it never entered his mind to put some cheese on the burgers those last few seconds on the grill.  So when he brought them in, I took a few of the hottest ones and threw some cheese on them.  

* * * * *

TIP: When we light the grill, we usually do enough meat and veggies for more than one meal.  This night we grilled a huge pack of barbequed chicken legs and some deer tenderloin wrapped with bacon to have another time.  Leftover grilled goodies make for a quick and easy lunch!

The evening of July 13, 2009 more than 1,500 foodies, celebrities, restaurateurs, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society supporters filled the National Building Museum to sample, sip, and socialize for Washingtonian’s annual ‘Best of Washington’ Party.

For the past 30 years, Washingtonian has invited their loyal readers to vote for their favorites in various categories, such as best people, places, and services in the area. The July Issue features “The Best Of …”of which readers were given the opportunity to vote for their favorites – from popsicles, pizza parlors, pot stickers, and cocktails. Of course, the Washingtonian editors didn’t allow us layfolk to decide what’s best (wink); they to weigh in with their own picks of what and whom they feel is the best in Washington. Next to the January 100’s Very Best Restaurant issue and June’s Cheap Eats, the July Reader’s Favorite is one of the most anticipated issues of the year. Copies of the magzine were displayed for reference of for the taking at the event.

For this event, Verizon Wireless and Washingtonian invited the reader favorite ‘winners’ to set up booths and serve up the best that they have to offer to partygoers. This sold-out event featured more than 50 of the metro area’s best restaurants and celebrated chefs, including Michel Richard of Citronelle, Cedric Maupiller of Central Michel Richard, RJ Cooper of Vidalia, Travis Timberlake of Art and Soul, Tony Conte of the Oval Room, Morou Ouattara of his latest venture, Kora, and Dani Arana of Taberna del Alabardero.

Power Spot of the Year Rammy winner, Central Michel Richard offered delicious mini Corned Beef Sandwichs which are offered on their lunch menu. BLT Steak offered an exquisite Tuna Tartare served on a single serving spoon – it was artistic yet functional (see photo on left). Georgetown cupcake offered a sea of tempting cupcakes in a variety of flavors, such as red velvet cake and chocolate coconut (see photo below).

Georgetown Cupcakes

In addition to the great food and cocktails, the event is also for a great cause. All funds from the silent auction and a portion of ticket proceeds will go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to fight blood cancers. 

Guests of the evening included, Buzz Bakery’s Executive Chef, Josh Short, Kelly Collis Fredrick of CityShopGirl.com, Mike Ponticelli of Bisnow, and Market Director of Public Relations for JW Marriott, Mark Indre. Other public relations representatives included Jill Collins, Heather Freeman, Wendy Gordon, and Amy Bridges of Clyde’s Restaurants.

Washingtonian staff spotted amongst the crowd included Editors Jack Limpert, Ann Limpert, and Todd Kliman. Did anyone get a picture of Todd? Just kidding …

For additional information please visit: http://www.washingtonian.com/sections/bestof

Let Me Hold Them Taters

Breakfast for two . . .

Chef 4 Burners Gettin it in!

Yep you know it. Yep Yep you know it!

*Organic Fingerling Potatoes

*Vidalia Onion, Garlic, Zucchini

*Grits topped with Fresh Tomato and Cilantro

*Hot Sauce (Essential!)

www.HaliburtonLawFirm.com

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info@haliburtonlawfirm.com

Preston Haliburton of Haliburton Law Firm PC specializes as a Personal Injury lawyer, a Personal Injury attorney, throughout the state of Georgia.

Preston Haliburton of Haliburton Law Firm serves clients as a Georgia personal injury lawyer and Georgia personal injury attorney in metro Atlanta, north Georgia, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Gwinnett County, Cobb County, Carroll County, Henry County, Clayton County, Rockdale County, Cherokee County, Augusta, Athens, Savannah, Macon, Columbus GA, Valdosta, central Georgia, south Georgia, Douglas County, Haralson County, Coweta County, Fayette County, Forsyth County, and throughout the entire state of Georgia.  Other Georgia cities and counties of focus for Haliburton Law Firm include Acworth, Albany, Alpharetta, Americus, Athens-Clarke County, Atlanta, Auburn, Augusta-Richmond County, Bainbridge, Belvedere Park, Brunswick, Buford, Cairo, Calhoun, Candler-McAfee, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chamblee, Clarkston, College Park, Columbus GA, Conley, Conyers, Cordele, Country Club Estates, Covington, Dalton, Decatur, Dock Junction, Doraville, Douglas, Douglasville, Druid Hills, Dublin, Duluth, Dunwoody, East Point, Eatonton, Evans, Fair Oaks, Fairview, Fayetteville, Fitzgerald, Forest Park, Fort Benning South, Fort Oglethorpe, Fort Stewart, Fort Valley, Gainesville, Garden City, Georgetown, Gresham Park, Griffin, Grovetown, Hapeville, Hinesville, Irondale, Jesup, Kennesaw, Kingsland, La Fayette, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Mableton, Macon, Marietta, Martinez, McDonough, Milledgeville, Monroe, Moultrie, Mountain Park, Newnan, Norcross, North Atlanta, North Decatur, North Druid Hills, Panthersville, Peachtree City, Perry, Pooler, Powder Springs, Redan, Richmond Hill, Riverdale, Rome, Roswell, Sandersville, Sandy Springs, Savannah, Scottdale, Skidaway Island, Smyrna, Snellville, St. Marys, St. Simons, Statesboro, Stockbridge, Stone Mountain, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Swainsboro, Thomaston, Thomasville, Thomson, Tifton, Toccoa, Tucker, Union City, Valdosta, Vidalia, Vinings, Warner Robins, Waycross, Wilmington Island, Winder, Woodstock, Appling County, Atkinson County, Bacon County, Baker County, Baldwin County, Banks County, Barrow County, Bartow County, Ben Hill County, Berrien County, Bibb County, Bleckley County, Brantley County, Brooks County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Burke County, Butts County, Calhoun County, Camden County, Candler County, Carroll County, Catoosa County, Charlton County, Chatham County, Chattahoochee County, Chattooga County, Cherokee County, Clarke County, Clay County, Clayton County, Clinch County, Cobb County, Coffee County, Colquitt County, Columbia County, Cook County, Coweta County, Crawford County, Crisp County, Dade County, Dawson County, Decatur County, DeKalb County, Dodge County, Dooly County, Dougherty County, Douglas County, Early County, Echols County, Effingham County, Elbert County, Emanuel County, Evans County, Fannin County, Fayette County, Floyd County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Fulton County, Gilmer County, Glascock County, Glynn County, Gordon County, Grady County, Greene County, Gwinnett County, Habersham County, Hall County, Hancock County, Haralson County, Harris County, Hart County, Heard County, Henry County, Houston County, Irwin County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Jeff Davis County, Jefferson County, Jenkins County, Johnson County, Jones County, Lamar County, Lanier County, Laurens County, Lee County, Liberty County, Lincoln County, Long County, Lowndes County, Lumpkin County, Macon County, Madison County, Marion County, McDuffie County, McIntosh County, Meriwether County, Miller County, Mitchell County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Murray County, Muscogee County, Newton County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County, Paulding County, Peach County, Pickens County, Pierce County, Pike County, Polk County, Pulaski County, Putnam County, Quitman County, Rabun County, Randolph County, Richmond County, Rockdale County, Schley County, Screven County, Seminole County, Spalding County, Stephens County, Stewart County, Sumter County, Talbot County, Taliaferro County, Tattnall County, Taylor County, Telfair County, Terrell County, Thomas County, Tift County, Toombs County, Towns County, Treutlen County, Troup County, Turner County, Twiggs County, Union County, Upson County, Walker County, Walton County, Ware County, Warren County, Washington County, Wayne County, Webster County, Wheeler County, White County, Whitfield County, Wilcox County, Wilkes County, Wilkinson County and Worth County.

-Preston Haliburton, attorney at law

www.HaliburtonLawFirm.com

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Haliburton Law Firm PC specializes in DUI defense law throughout the state of Georgia. Preston Haliburton of Haliburton Law Firm serves as a DUI attorney or DUI lawyer in Georgia with special expertise in DUI defense in metro Atlanta, north Georgia, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Gwinnett County, Cobb County, Carroll County, Henry County, Clayton County, Rockdale County, Cherokee County, Augusta, Athens, Savannah, Macon, Columbus GA, Valdosta, central Georgia, south Georgia, Douglas County, Haralson County, Coweta County, Fayette County, Forsyth County, and throughout the entire state of Georgia.  Other Georgia cities and counties of focus for Preston Haliburton of Haliburton Law Firm as a Georgia DUI lawyer include Acworth, Albany, Alpharetta, Americus, Athens-Clarke County, Atlanta, Auburn, Augusta-Richmond County, Bainbridge, Belvedere Park, Brunswick, Buford, Cairo, Calhoun, Candler-McAfee, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chamblee, Clarkston, College Park, Columbus GA, Conley, Conyers, Cordele, Country Club Estates, Covington, Dalton, Decatur, Dock Junction, Doraville, Douglas, Douglasville, Druid Hills, Dublin, Duluth, Dunwoody, East Point, Eatonton, Evans, Fair Oaks, Fairview, Fayetteville, Fitzgerald, Forest Park, Fort Benning South, Fort Oglethorpe, Fort Stewart, Fort Valley, Gainesville, Garden City, Georgetown, Gresham Park, Griffin, Grovetown, Hapeville, Hinesville, Irondale, Jesup, Kennesaw, Kingsland, La Fayette, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Mableton, Macon, Marietta, Martinez, McDonough, Milledgeville, Monroe, Moultrie, Mountain Park, Newnan, Norcross, North Atlanta, North Decatur, North Druid Hills, Panthersville, Peachtree City, Perry, Pooler, Powder Springs, Redan, Richmond Hill, Riverdale, Rome, Roswell, Sandersville, Sandy Springs, Savannah, Scottdale, Skidaway Island, Smyrna, Snellville, St. Marys, St. Simons, Statesboro, Stockbridge, Stone Mountain, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Swainsboro, Thomaston, Thomasville, Thomson, Tifton, Toccoa, Tucker, Union City, Valdosta, Vidalia, Vinings, Warner Robins, Waycross, Wilmington Island, Winder, Woodstock, Appling County, Atkinson County, Bacon County, Baker County, Baldwin County, Banks County, Barrow County, Bartow County, Ben Hill County, Berrien County, Bibb County, Bleckley County, Brantley County, Brooks County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Burke County, Butts County, Calhoun County, Camden County, Candler County, Carroll County, Catoosa County, Charlton County, Chatham County, Chattahoochee County, Chattooga County, Cherokee County, Clarke County, Clay County, Clayton County, Clinch County, Cobb County, Coffee County, Colquitt County, Columbia County, Cook County, Coweta County, Crawford County, Crisp County, Dade County, Dawson County, Decatur County, DeKalb County, Dodge County, Dooly County, Dougherty County, Douglas County, Early County, Echols County, Effingham County, Elbert County, Emanuel County, Evans County, Fannin County, Fayette County, Floyd County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Fulton County, Gilmer County, Glascock County, Glynn County, Gordon County, Grady County, Greene County, Gwinnett County, Habersham County, Hall County, Hancock County, Haralson County, Harris County, Hart County, Heard County, Henry County, Houston County, Irwin County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Jeff Davis County, Jefferson County, Jenkins County, Johnson County, Jones County, Lamar County, Lanier County, Laurens County, Lee County, Liberty County, Lincoln County, Long County, Lowndes County, Lumpkin County, Macon County, Madison County, Marion County, McDuffie County, McIntosh County, Meriwether County, Miller County, Mitchell County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Murray County, Muscogee County, Newton County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County, Paulding County, Peach County, Pickens County, Pierce County, Pike County, Polk County, Pulaski County, Putnam County, Quitman County, Rabun County, Randolph County, Richmond County, Rockdale County, Schley County, Screven County, Seminole County, Spalding County, Stephens County, Stewart County, Sumter County, Talbot County, Taliaferro County, Tattnall County, Taylor County, Telfair County, Terrell County, Thomas County, Tift County, Toombs County, Towns County, Treutlen County, Troup County, Turner County, Twiggs County, Union County, Upson County, Walker County, Walton County, Ware County, Warren County, Washington County, Wayne County, Webster County, Wheeler County, White County, Whitfield County, Wilcox County, Wilkes County, Wilkinson County and Worth County. -Preston Haliburton, attorney at law

Preston Haliburton of Haliburton Law Firm PC specializes in the following legal services in metro Atlanta and throughout the state of Georgia:

- DUI defense lawyer,

- Drug possession defense attorney,

- Criminal defense attorney,

- Personal injury lawyer,

- Medical malpractice lawyer,

- Wrongful death attorney,

- Foreclosure defense attorney,

Visit www.haliburtonlawfirm.com for more information and a free consultation.

Haliburton Law Firm serves clients as a DUI lawyer, drug possession defense lawyer, personal injury lawyer, criminal defense lawyer, mediacal malpractice lawyer, wrongful death lawyer and foreclosure defense lawyer in metro Atlanta, north Georgia, Fulton County, Dekalb County, Gwinnett County, Cobb County, Carroll County, Henry County, Clayton County, Rockdale County, Cherokee County, Augusta, Athens, Savannah, Macon, Columbus GA, Valdosta, central Georgia, south Georgia, Douglas County, Haralson County, Coweta County, Fayette County, Forsyth County, and throughout the entire state of Georgia.  Other Georgia cities and counties of focus for Haliburton Law Firm include Acworth, Albany, Alpharetta, Americus, Athens-Clarke County, Atlanta, Auburn, Augusta-Richmond County, Bainbridge, Belvedere Park, Brunswick, Buford, Cairo, Calhoun, Candler-McAfee, Canton, Carrollton, Cartersville, Cedartown, Chamblee, Clarkston, College Park, Columbus GA, Conley, Conyers, Cordele, Country Club Estates, Covington, Dalton, Decatur, Dock Junction, Doraville, Douglas, Douglasville, Druid Hills, Dublin, Duluth, Dunwoody, East Point, Eatonton, Evans, Fair Oaks, Fairview, Fayetteville, Fitzgerald, Forest Park, Fort Benning South, Fort Oglethorpe, Fort Stewart, Fort Valley, Gainesville, Garden City, Georgetown, Gresham Park, Griffin, Grovetown, Hapeville, Hinesville, Irondale, Jesup, Kennesaw, Kingsland, La Fayette, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Lilburn, Mableton, Macon, Marietta, Martinez, McDonough, Milledgeville, Monroe, Moultrie, Mountain Park, Newnan, Norcross, North Atlanta, North Decatur, North Druid Hills, Panthersville, Peachtree City, Perry, Pooler, Powder Springs, Redan, Richmond Hill, Riverdale, Rome, Roswell, Sandersville, Sandy Springs, Savannah, Scottdale, Skidaway Island, Smyrna, Snellville, St. Marys, St. Simons, Statesboro, Stockbridge, Stone Mountain, Sugar Hill, Suwanee, Swainsboro, Thomaston, Thomasville, Thomson, Tifton, Toccoa, Tucker, Union City, Valdosta, Vidalia, Vinings, Warner Robins, Waycross, Wilmington Island, Winder, Woodstock, Appling County, Atkinson County, Bacon County, Baker County, Baldwin County, Banks County, Barrow County, Bartow County, Ben Hill County, Berrien County, Bibb County, Bleckley County, Brantley County, Brooks County, Bryan County, Bulloch County, Burke County, Butts County, Calhoun County, Camden County, Candler County, Carroll County, Catoosa County, Charlton County, Chatham County, Chattahoochee County, Chattooga County, Cherokee County, Clarke County, Clay County, Clayton County, Clinch County, Cobb County, Coffee County, Colquitt County, Columbia County, Cook County, Coweta County, Crawford County, Crisp County, Dade County, Dawson County, Decatur County, DeKalb County, Dodge County, Dooly County, Dougherty County, Douglas County, Early County, Echols County, Effingham County, Elbert County, Emanuel County, Evans County, Fannin County, Fayette County, Floyd County, Forsyth County, Franklin County, Fulton County, Gilmer County, Glascock County, Glynn County, Gordon County, Grady County, Greene County, Gwinnett County, Habersham County, Hall County, Hancock County, Haralson County, Harris County, Hart County, Heard County, Henry County, Houston County, Irwin County, Jackson County, Jasper County, Jeff Davis County, Jefferson County, Jenkins County, Johnson County, Jones County, Lamar County, Lanier County, Laurens County, Lee County, Liberty County, Lincoln County, Long County, Lowndes County, Lumpkin County, Macon County, Madison County, Marion County, McDuffie County, McIntosh County, Meriwether County, Miller County, Mitchell County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Morgan County, Murray County, Muscogee County, Newton County, Oconee County, Oglethorpe County, Paulding County, Peach County, Pickens County, Pierce County, Pike County, Polk County, Pulaski County, Putnam County, Quitman County, Rabun County, Randolph County, Richmond County, Rockdale County, Schley County, Screven County, Seminole County, Spalding County, Stephens County, Stewart County, Sumter County, Talbot County, Taliaferro County, Tattnall County, Taylor County, Telfair County, Terrell County, Thomas County, Tift County, Toombs County, Towns County, Treutlen County, Troup County, Turner County, Twiggs County, Union County, Upson County, Walker County, Walton County, Ware County, Warren County, Washington County, Wayne County, Webster County, Wheeler County, White County, Whitfield County, Wilcox County, Wilkes County, Wilkinson County and Worth County.

Visit www.haliburtonlawfirm.com for more information and a free consultation.  We will fight for you!

-Preston Haliburton, attorney

There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the “Old South.” Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind…

- From the opening of the film Gone with the Wind (1939)

For Elizabeth

Four years ago, my best friend, Stewart Bacheler, and I took a road trip from Florida to Houston to visit my sister and her husband, who had just undergone a bone marrow transplant for AML. Fortunately, that transplant was successful and he remains in remission today. We had a great trip and vowed to do it again one day. Stew and I have known each other since before high school. On Friday morning, June 12, we took ourselves up on that vow and ventured out to visit Enterprise, Alabama and Natchez, Mississippi. This time, we tried to avoid the Interstates by taking U.S. Highways and a few back roads instead, at least on the way out of town.

Now, before you ask me why Enterprise, let me tell you that during our last trip, we weren’t hauling any drugs. This time, between the two of us, a mere four years later, I’m surprised every drug-sniffing dog throughout the deep south wasn’t chasing after us, although every one of them came with a doctor’s prescription. Except for supplements. You name it, we had it for heart, cholesterol, blood pressure and, suffice it to say, prostate problems. Something told me we would be stopping more often because of our… going problem. Fortunately, there were plenty of convenience stores for when we felt the urge.

When we first discussed the trip, I was amenable to going anywhere. I said there must be places you’d like to see that your wife is not all that interested in. I mean, every wife and husband are allowed to continue having their own interests. Sure, he said, and we spent the entire time in strip clubs we read about on-line. Just kidding, because we never actually set foot in one. To be truthful, Stew spent some Army time at Fort Rucker in Enterprise, home of the world famous Boll Weevil monument in the town square. Word also has it that Enterprise is the Peanut Capital of the World, or so Stew and some of the natives told me upon arriving. I also found out that the monument is the only one in the world erected to honor an insect, an agricultural pest to be more precise. It seems that by 1918, farmers were losing entire cotton crops to the pesky critters and an “enterprising” businessman saw this as an opportunity to convert the area to peanut farming. The rest is history. In Coffee County, no less. Today, the statue stands as a testament to the power of positive thinking by turning bad news into a happy ending. That little bug put Enterprise on the map. By the way, I’m the younger looking guy on the left side of the picture.

When we rolled into town, we took a few side trips to see some of Stew’s old haunts. Before we left he checked out some places to stay and had a printout of motels nearby. I made a few phone calls to get a good deal and we ended up staying at the Roasted Peanut Motel, where every guest gets a jar of its World Famous Delicious Boll Weevil Peanut Butter, chunky or smooth – your choice! Actually, that’s not true. We stayed at Americas Best Value Inn & Suites and we didn’t get any peanut butter, chunky or otherwise. It’s a very pleasant place and the folks who run it are extremely friendly and accommodating. As a matter of fact, all along the trip everyone was very friendly and I will personally vouch for the intangible quality often referred to as Southern Hospitality.

While in town we needed a place to relax and have dinner since that was about the time we arrived. Stewart used to eat at a Mexican restaurant but he figured it would be long gone by now, 35 years later. He drove in the general vicinity and found the Morgan Square Shopping Mall. “Yes, it was in here…” We took a peek.

Nope, it was gone, but in it’s place was the Italian Euro Bistro, so we decided to give it a try. It was the funniest menu, too, because it was mostly made up of Italian and German dishes. I’ve never seen a restaurant that served cuisines so vastly apart from each other, but it was a good place and our server, Michelle, was very friendly to a fault because every time we spoke to her she called us SIR. Here was a pretty girl, a former Army MP from Hawaii, now living in Alabama. It helps that her military family retired in Enterprise. If you ever find the place, please say hello for me and don’t forget to try the garlic knots.

The next morning, we set out to find us some peanut farmers. Of course, we had to eat first and darn if there wasn’t a Waffle House right down the street from where we stayed. We sauntered in and bellied up to the counter to order some grub. There was a good old boy sitting a couple of stools away and he overheard us talking about Stew’s military background and my brother’s visits to Iraq. Bruce was his name and he was a nice fellow. Born and raised in Enterprise, he works for Anfab, some sort of military provider, like helicopter pads and stuff I’m not familiar with. As we were leaving, I told him to be on the lookout for my article on peanut trees.

“Peanut trees?” he exclaimed.

“Yes, peanut trees.” Unfortunately, ol’ Bruce is not Internet savvy, so he won’t be able to read about the trees we did end up taking a gander at, but he knew they were there and he was the one who told us where to go, all hush-like. The funny thing is, when we got there we couldn’t take any pictures of the trees because they have something to do with some sort of military application – peanut cluster bombs and top secret bio-fuels for jets – but the kind farmer did give us directions to a tree we would be passing on our way out of town. We stopped and I snapped a picture. Peculiarly, it looks very similar to a pecan tree except it has peanuts on it. Unfortunately, we didn’t come during the harvest season and none of the goobers left on the tree were worth eating. Oh well, next time.

When we left town, we took U.S. 84 all the way to Natchez, Mississippi, figuring it would be the most scenic route. It was pretty, alright, and there were nice, rolling hills along the way with lots of green trees to look at. Along that route, we passed two side by side churches and stopped. I liked them for their quaint and comfortable look. They had a prurient appeal to me, having grown up in a small church in rural New Jersey, where my grandfather preached.

As we were passing through Laurel, Mississippi, we stopped and I took a couple of pictures that kind of tell you the story of how malls and big box stores have hurt businesses in downtown areas throughout the years. Of course, the economic downturn hasn’t helped, either. Quite obviously, this was once a thriving town and I could just feel the presence of a very proud spirit in this community, still filled with hope and the American dream. As we got back in the car and slowly drove off, a nice lady asked us if she could help us find anything. Her friendly demeanor spoke volumes and it was a testament to the tenacious nature of the town’s citizens.

One of the interesting things we noticed along the route were road signs that warned us that we were entering police jurisdictions because I never knew there were any areas of the country that didn’t have that luxury. Nowhere did I see any signs that said NO POLICE ALLOWED! There were also signs that said we were entering city limits and I’ll be darned if I could even find a town in sight. About a half hour or so before we got to Natchez, we saw a working oil rig-a-ma-jig, whatever it’s called.

It was a long journey across most of Alabama and all of Mississippi, but after about seven and a half hours, we wheeled into Natchez, home to many beautiful antebellum homes. I’ve always been impressed by Greek Revival, Classical Revival and Federal style architecture, probably from my high school days and when I watched Gone with the Wind on a History class field trip, but also because it reminds me of the Civil War, something that’s always fascinated me. There’s a certain sadness about the south I just can’t explain other than to say that old plantations and slaves were a part of our American heritage and growing up in the north, I never got to see cotton fields and other things indigenous to the south, like magnolia trees. It was a sad day when this war ripped at our very fabric and unfortunately, someone had to lose. Fortunately, pockets in the south are still rich in culture and Natchez stands among the best.

Why this picture turned out so good is beyond me. Nowhere else was the river this blue.

As we entered the city, we bee lined it to the Mississippi River along the western edge. All of Natchez is quite a bit higher than the river and we found a road leading down to a little area bustling with activity. There were houses, storefronts, and the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel. Since we didn’t come to gamble, we didn’t. The casino is on the water because of state laws prohibiting them on land and it is designed to look like an old fashioned steamboat or paddlewheel. Real steamboats still prowl the river, but not while we were there.

The great Mississippi is a majestic river. It’s the second largest in the country with a length of 2,320 miles from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico, near New Orleans. I guess it’s always inspired me because of its size and the fact that I could be stepping in it in Natchez while my brother is doing the same thing in St. Louis. Growing up reading Mark Twain may have had something to do with it, too, Huck Finn and all. Here are a few pictures I took. We took the bridge from Natchez to Vidalia, Louisiana just for kicks. Plus, I wanted to view Natchez from the other side. After taking a peek, we stopped for gas. I asked the girl behind the counter what there was of interest to see in Vidalia. I knew that the onions with the same name come from a county in Georgia.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“No, nothing.”

“Oh. What about the onions? Do you sell them here in town?” I knew it was a trick question, but she was right on top of it.

“Yeah. When they’re shipped in we do.” I took her word for it that Vidalia, Louisiana was not much of a town and I figured she’d just as soon move away if only her gallant prince would ride in to buy a bag of out of state onions.

“Oh well, have a nice day,” and off I went. Alas, I wasn’t her prince.

One of the things we noticed by the river was a helicopter, but it looked a lot more like a whirlybird. It was right there in the open. No pilot was in sight and it looked ripe for the taking. “C’mon, Stew. Let’s take her for a ride.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. You’ve never flown one of these things before.”

“Look, they’re really quite simple. Let’s go.” We hopped inside and I revved her up. Stewart remembered me from my days of playing Army, but that was 37 years ago.

How I managed to start the thing, let alone fly it and land, is beyond me, but we got safely back to the right spot and no one ever noticed it was missing, but I must admit there’s one less bird flying around Natchez.

Now, it was time to eat dinner, despite both of us losing our appetites. I had picked up a nice, glossy visitor’s guide earlier in the day and noticed a place called Fat Mama’s Tamales. It was a fun place with good looking women and very good food to match. I had the signature tamales and they were delicious. It looked like a regular hangout kind of joint and that’s always a good thing. It did make me wonder why there wasn’t a place in town called Natchez Nachos, though.

The next morning we had already decided to see some of Natchez’s finer sites – the houses. I also noticed on the visitors guide that there were two cemeteries adjacent to each other, above town and overlooking the Mississippi River in some areas. That was added to our list of things to do, along with touring at least one house.

We started out and Stew decided to criss cross the city. I will just show pictures of the houses because we didn’t really know anything about them until we met Don.

On the red brick house with the white pillars, I went up the steps to take a picture of the massive door. One of the things Stewart told me was that the plantation owners had houses on their properties, but they owned homes like these in town for social functions and for winter months when crops fell silent. These were built to show their wealth and stature. Of course, back then Negro servants cooked and took care of the children while doing other chores. Many of these homes were built in the late 1700s to the mid 1800s. Today, some are private residences and others are B&Bs.

The guy in the picture is Don. Just below that is his house. We were still just driving around when I spotted the place. It was ornate in a different sort of way and I could tell it needed a lot of work.

“Hey!” I said. “Let’s stop here. I like this place. It’s got a certain feel to it. Plus, it’s for sale.”

“Sure, but what do you care if it’s for sale or not?” Point well made. There was no way I could buy it and I didn’t have the money anyway.

We pulled up to the curb and got out of the car, trusty cameras in hand. Suddenly, I saw some stirring on the front porch. The gentleman walked to the left side of the house, down the steps and over to us.

“Hello,” he said in a friendly tone of voice. We responded. “Are you interested in the house?”

“Well, yes,” I said, “but not in buying it. We’re from Florida.” And with that, he began to tell us of his work as a professor at the University of South Florida.

“In economics,” he added. I asked him about property values in Natchez. We talked about how bad it is in Orlando.“Well, let me put it this way. Before all this, the house was worth almost $300,000, but today, it’s listed for just under $170,000.”

“Wow, that’s a big drop. I notice you have a few broken windows upstairs, like in the attic.”

“We keep the upstairs closed off. I had cancer and I just got done with chemo and radiation. I don’t have the energy anymore to do the work. That’s why it’s for sale.”

Stew and I both remarked how good he looked.

“Yeah, and I didn’t lose any hair, either.”

Stew asked him about places to see. Where are the best ‘do not miss’ spots in town? He told us a number of things and I was hoping that Stew was paying more attention than me because I couldn’t remember it all until he mentioned Dunleith. “Yup, Dunleith is the most photographed house in the country. More so than the White House.”

“Really? The White House?”

Most definitely. Well, Stew and I put that place on our list. He said that one was a nice one to tour and so was Longwood. Meanwhile, a car pulled up and a lady got out. We told him it was great meeting him and I told him my name. “It looks like you have a prospect.”

“Yes and I’m down to my last flier. I’ve got to get more printed. I’m Don.” I don’t remember his last name, but we had firm handshakes between us and said our good byes. He was a true gentleman and I hope he sells his house.

At that point, we decided to take a look at the cemeteries and then swing back to tour one of the homes he suggested.

I don’t know why I’ve always had a fascination with cemeteries, but I do. I especially like the above ground crypts like you see in New Orleans. There’s a certain eeriness about them. Maybe, it’s because I’m on the same level with all those bodies instead of looking down at the ground and seeing grass. Plus, I realize that every body in there was once a living, breathing soul and most of them made some sort of impact on life and those around them. What did they do? Where did they live? What were living conditions like back then? Would we have been friends if we grew up in the same era? Those sorts of questions have always intrigued me. Where are you now? Or are you? I don’t have a strange fascination with death, it’s just the people who once were. The best cemetery I ever visited was St. Louis #1 in New Orleans. Yes, it’s kind of creepy and no, I wouldn’t especially want to hang around there at night, but I’m not easily spooked, either.

It is with dignity for the deceased when I step into their world and where they now reside, body-wise, anyway, and it was with Stewart when we walked through that New Orleans cemetery, so this was appropriate that it would be the two of us again. Natchez has two; the Natchez City Cemetery and the Natchez National Cemetery for veterans. The pictures will give you an idea about how the townspeople respect their dead.

The mausoleum where Stewart is standing had no door, only a metal gate that was chained shut. I poked my head up and into the tomb as far as I could and said a few words. Booooos were more like it. Stew said that when he had done the same thing at another cemetery, his wife got upset with him, like he was disturbing the dead. If I was disturbing anyone, they didn’t yell at me to stop. All I heard was a faint echo of my voice. And I sure hope I wasn’t rattling any bones.

The picture with the small tombstones was the final resting place for unknown Confederate soldiers killed during the Civil War. I remembered visiting an old cemetery in Shiloh, Illinois, a few years ago and seeing Union soldiers buried there. I wonder why so many of our boys had to go fight in a senseless war. All wars are senseless to me.

The final picture in the cemetery series was taken because I liked his name. There lies Moses Haas next to his beloved wife, Mina, resting peacefully under a shade tree for all eternity.

After reading names and dates, it was time to move on to the final chapter of our trip to Natchez, to tour one of the houses. We were rather intrigued by Don’s mention of the house that’s been more photographed than any other, so we decided to take a look at Dunleith.

As we started to come back down the hill, we noticed two buildings that, for sure, looked like sharecroppers houses from days gone by. I took pictures of both but I figured one would be enough to give you an idea of what home life might have been like for hard working slaves grueling every day in the hot and humid climes of Misissippi. This was probably a step up to many of them.

Dunleith (1) is a very special and grand house. Called Routhland, the original structure was built in the late 1700s by Job Routh and his wife, Ann Miller, but burned to the ground in 1855 after lightning struck one of the chimneys. This house was built in 1856 and how it came to be known as Dunleith is an interesting story and by clicking the numeral one next to the highlighted name, you can read about it. Today, the upstairs and annex are part of a bed and breakfast. The buildings are set on 40 acres in the outskirts of town. Dunleith is a very good example of Greek Revival. 26 Tuscan columns surround the house. I got a kick out of some of the houses I saw in town. Sometimes, you couldn’t tell whether you were coming or going since the front and back were just a bold and powerful. I guess, in a sense, it’s like the White House because no matter which side you look at, it’s just as impressive.

When we got there, we parked toward the back side and entered where room reservations are made. The very accommodating lady told us if we hurry upstairs, out the door and up the rear steps, we could make the tour, ready to start in about 5 minutes. We had already asked her how much it costs.

“Seven dollars, but if you’re over fifty-five it’s six.”

“Bingo! That’s us. Do you want us to pay you now?”

“No, you can pay when you’re through.” That’s how trusting people are in the south. We scampered up the stairs and eventually ran into Judy, our tour guide, waiting for us at the back door.

“Why don’t you walk around this porch and meet us at the front door.” We obliged her and by the time we got there, she was coming out of the front door.

“Hey,” I exclaimed, “you look just like that pretty lady we just met out back!”

“That was my twin sister, Trudy,” and with that, she started her tour. Others were sitting on cozy rockers on the shady porch as Judy beckoned us inside. The huge door weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 pounds.

Miss Judy was a delight. She took us through the downstairs rooms and explained in minute detail the intricacies involved as each owner added their personal signatures on interior designs. What was interesting, yet didn’t surprise me at all, was the French influence overall. Without adding another thousand words to my account of what we saw and heard, let me just say it’s worth the six or seven dollars to tour this magnificent structure. I took several photos inside the house, in spite of the sign clearly stating NO PHOTOGRAPHY INSIDE THE HOUSE, but I had permission from the master tour guide herself.

“This was meant for times before we had those new digital cameras,” she said when I asked. “As long as you don’t use the flash, it’s fine.” Unfortunately, I hadn’t had a chance to read the instructions, since it was new, and a lot of them didn’t turn out right as you will see in my last photo in this Dunleith series.

The portraits are of the original owners, Mr. and Mrs. Job Routh, dating from the late 1700s or early 1800s. There was a portrait of a former slave who ended up being a fairly powerful man about town, given that the slave owner recognized his intelligence and sent him to school. There’s a unique history to this house and it’s well worth reading about. There are several outbuildings. One is a restaurant and it looks similar to a castle. These buildings are thought to be a part of the original house, Routhland.

One of the stories she told is about horses kept in the basement during the Civil War. Brought there to hide them from the Union soldiers, the owner, Alfred Vidal Davis, used special glasses to get the soldiers drunk. We passed around a book showing the unique design and noticed their rounded bottoms. You see, Davis knew that by serving alcohol in those glasses, the soldiers could not set them down, so he kept pouring and pouring and by the time they got drunk, they left, never finding a horse in sight to pilfer away from him or his plantation. Oh, those dumb Yankees… being outsmarted by Mr. Davis himself. Incidentally, it was Davis who renamed it Dunleith because of his Scottish heritage.

If you look closely at the main picture of the house, you’ll notice stairs to nowhere to the left (and in front) of the SUV. What are they, you might wonder. In the days of horse drawn carriages, they helped the ladies step out and down to ground level, and while I’m mentioning carriages…

When we finished with the tour, we spent a little time talking to Judy and another couple before going back to pay our tab. I asked Stewart to drive around back to see the restaurant and some of the other buildings. One in particular that Judy had mentioned was the carriage house. You know we have come a long way as a nation when we elect an African American president and a Yankee general’s carriage sits on Rebel land because inside that carriage house, Ulysses S. Grant’s carriage was on loan. Sadly, the photo I took of it proves how inept I was at taking some of the pictures. I was used to my larger camera. This one was a lot smaller and not as easy to hold still at times. Oh, progress. In any event, that was our last stop except for the Subway shop we hit before leaving town.

We decided to take U.S. 98 to where we expected to spend our final night, in Mobile, Alabama. This way, we got to see other small towns and also, to pass through Hattiesburg, near the Alabama border. We wanted to at least get to Mobile so it wouldn’t be such a long trip home. Stewart needed to get home by Monday night to let the dogs out since his wife, An, left that morning for Atlanta. About a half hour away from Mobile, we stopped for gas and to find out where we could get the best deal on a room. When I asked the rather beautiful girl behind the counter, she was very helpful. My goodness, she almost looked like the perfect picture of a southern belle until she spoke. Too bad her parents never taught her how to take care of her teeth, but she did send us in the right direction a few miles ahead, just off I-65, which made it very convenient for hopping on I-10 in the morning, our route home. On our last trip, we made up stories of our motel room stays and it was quite funny, with An threatening to leave Stew because of our silly, made-up bedroom antics. Of course, we had to make up something new this time so when he called her from our motel room, he said that we ran out of money and the nice manager of a McDonald’s said we could sleep in our car in the parking lot, since they had wi-fi and all and we had brought our laptops. This upset her to no end and when she insisted on us getting a room – in fact, she asked exactly where we were so she could find one and put it on her credit card – he told her he was only kidding and she chose not to believe him. He told her to call the room number. That night, we went to a Japanese steakhouse and met a family from Germany. You know those places where you sit around the table and the chef comes to cook before your eyes? Anyway, they had been in the United States for a year and a half and it was interesting to listen to a Kraut speak English with a Deutsch and Alabama drawl. Yee Häw!

Well, there’s the story of our trip. My only regret is that I never became a dentist, because if I had, I would have asked that girl to leave town and come back to Florida with me. Oh well, next time I want to go to Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. One of these days I might just meet my Scarlett O’Hara.

On second thought, never mind, because here in this real world, I’m getting old. I’ve got pills to take. Those days are no more than a dream remembered, a part of me now gone with the wind…

The End

To see Stewart’s Photos of the trip please click HERE

©2009 Dave Knechel

Cochon 555, May 31
Five pigs, Five Chefs, and Five winemakers (hence the 555) will be battling it out on Sunday at five o’clock at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, DC as the Taste Network from Atlanta is hosting Cochon 555, a heritage breed pig cook-off. Cochon 555 is the only national chef competition promoting heritage pigs and breed diversity. Through this event, the organizers hope to raise the profile of heritage pigs. As it may be new to some, heritage breeds have been around since before World War II, when pigs were raised outdoors. These pigs are raised “slowly, outdoors, and with great respect,” says Michael Yezzi, proprietor of Flying Pigs Farm in upstate New York. These prized piggies are said to be more flavorful due to the fat they gain an extra layer of fat due to being  outdoors in the winter. Heritage breeds produce pork that is darker, meatier, more tender, and more marbled than what is commonly available today.

For the friendly competion this weekend, the pigs are supplied by Eco Friendly Farms and five local chefs have been given a heritage pig and the challenge to prepare every inch of the beast, from head to toe, or ”Whole Animal Cooking” in different ways for Sunday night’s gala.

Participating DC area Chefs are RJ Cooper of Vidalia, Brian McBride of Blue Duck Tavern, Jamie Leeds of Commonwealth Gastropub, and John Manolatos of Cashion’s Eat Place and Chef Stefanelli from Mio. In addition, five family-owned wineries will showcase their wines, including Miner Family Vineyards, Patz & Hall, Arcadian Winery, Pax Winery and Bonny Doon Vineyeards.

A team of 20 judges (including Dean Gold from Dino) will evaluate the dishes, but attendees are also asked to pick a favorite. The winner of the competition will be named the “Prince of Porc”. (Washington Post readers can purchase tickets for $80 — a discount off the $125 price — by using this link.)

4 oz canola or vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

1 whole pork tenderloin

1 tsp Smoke Your Pork blend

1 tbsp butter

1 medium Vidalia onion, slivered

¼ cup water

2 Macintosh apples, peeled, cored, & sliced

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 cup sultana raisins

 Place the Smoke Your Pork blend, salt and oil in a plastic or glass container.  Mix well and place the tenderloin in it, turning to coat the entire piece of meat.  Cover and marinate for 30-40 minutes.

Sear the flavour in before you start cooking - you will have the moistest meat if you always remember to use this trick.

 Remove the tenderloin from the marinade and place it on a pre-heated 400° grill, searing all sides.  Reserve the leftover marinade. Turn down temp to about 325° and continue to cook until the internal temp reaches 160°.

 While the tenderloin is cooking, heat a non stick pan with the leftover marinade and the butter in it.  Sauté the onions for approximately 2or 3 minutes.   Add ¼ cup water, the apple slices, raisins and brown sugar and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the water cooks down and the apples and onions start to caramelize with the sugar.