Category: Food
Tomatillo & Onion
Summer is good! I love it when I can get corn on the cob (still in husk) and fresh okra and tomatoes. Recently, I bought a few tomatillos at Compare
Foods. I brought them home and decided to slice and fry them (similar to fried green tomatoes, without batter). I added sliced onion and some fresh lime juice as I fried/sauted them. Right at the end, I added a little sweetner (Splenda, Equal, sugar, brown sugar would be fine). What I ended up with was something similar to turning vinegar with a little sugar.
This goes well with a fried pork chop.
George’s in Henderson, NC
George’s
210 N Garnett St
Henderson, NC. 27536
Up-scale restaurant in a renovated old building.
I chose Father’s Day 2010 for my first, and probably last, visit. I waited until about 1:25 pm, Sunday afternoon to go through the doors. I immediately saw and heard that the place was “packed”, but I waited at the hostess podium for several minutes. I watched three waitresses moving about the restaurant. After standing for a few minutes, I sat on a bench next to a sign with the day’s specials listed. “Shrimp Tortellini, ½ Rack of BBQ Ribs, etc.” To my left was a water sculpture with a musical note in the glass and black stones at the base.
I waited for a while. One waitress passed by twice heading out the front door. She was waiting on several customers that had chosen to be seated outside, on a hot day. A black waitress walked up to the register and started working on a touch screen. She never looked up to make eye contact. A thin white waitress never got close enough or turned in my direction.
After about 20 minutes, some of the customers began to leave. I saw some of the empty tables as I looked between the water sculpture and the bench seat I was sitting upon. I stood up again at the hostess podium and hoped to get someone’s attention, but no. Finally, two women came through the front door and I stood again.
Here came the waitress that had passed me twice as she went outside (she apparently came back inside through another door) and made the assumption that all three of us, the two women and myself were part of a group. It was then that I had a chance to explain that I had been waiting for quite some time, over 30 minutes. *Now, why didn’t I at some point stand and yell out, “I would like some service!” Why should I have to?
I was seated around the corner, where I asked to be, with my back to the water sculpture. I asked for sweet tea, while I looked through the specials and the menus that had been handed to me. The waitress returned with my tea, and took my order, a ½ rack of BBQ Ribs with veggies, baked potato and a salad.
Fortunately, the waitress did not go far, attending to a nearby table (the ladies ordered a pizza), and as she came back by I told her that the tea she had brought me was not sweet. She left and returned with a sweet tea.
She brought the side salad, with honey mustard dressing. It was nothing special. I’ve seen it at several other restaurants, and it finally dawns on me that some wholesaler must sell this in a bag to many restaurants.
Then comes my meal, a large portion of BBQ Ribs with lots of meat on them. A group of steamed vegetables… broccoli, green beans and yellow squash, a baked potato, with an extremely dark thin skin and garlic Texas toast.
Probably about this time, the waitress asks if I would like more tea. She returns with another glass of “unsweet” tea. I catch her attention again and she returns with sweet tea.
The veggies are a little rubbery. The potato has an almost burnt skin, but does not taste burnt and the flesh is good. *I attribute the lack of stellar performance of these to it being late during the lunch period, and focus upon the rack of ribs. They are good, but the barbecue sauce is not really special or memorable.
The waitress is quick to process my Visa card, which is a plus. I still tip 10%, but think that I am usually willing to go 20% for lively service and a “hair” more for a waitress that makes the experience memorable. *I would not base a really good tip solely upon the waitresses’ active banter and attention. A culinary flavor I had not experienced before, or at an exceptional level, and the restaurant’s atmosphere would play factors.
What a disappointment this experience was.
—
After re-reading this many months later (April 18, 2011), I realize what shoddy-assed service I received, or let myself receive and there is no way that I should have tipped the waitress at all. Bringing unsweet tea, twice… what a moron! No waitress stepping up to the plate to ask if I had been served. Fire all of them for their inattentiveness!
Citrus Salad
Citrus Salad
- Assorted baby greens
- Mandarin orange slices
- Red seedless grapes
- Walnuts
- Chopped dates
- Raspberry vinaigrette
- Blue cheese
I first had a version of this, without the dates, and with a candied walnut at Deano’s Restaurant in Dublin, Georgia.
Tour of NC Museum of Art
I sent an email to Deborah (Savage) last week and asked if she would like to go to the North Carolina Museum of Art (if she hadn’t been before). She checked with her husband, Russ, and we took a trip up to Raleigh (from Pinehurst) yesterday. I made it to their home by about 8 am, and then we left for Raleigh, stopping at Carthage to get breakfast at ‘Mac’s Breakfast Anytime’ (a small local chain). *It was “Buggy Day” in Carthage, but that was not to be our focus for this Saturday.
I thought we might sit at a “Big Boy” booth, but we found that even I wasn’t big enough and the table would have been too far away from the seat. Deb and I had country ham and Russ had bacon, all of us eggs. I had a really big biscuit, reminiscent of the Geico commercial in which they ask, “Can a 10 lbs. bag of flour make a really big biscuit?” The biscuit had the texture of a yeast roll, but didn’t smell of yeast, and did look like a really big (tall) biscuit.
We all enjoyed our breakfast and then headed on to Raleigh. Russ offered me a flossing pic, which surprisingly did a very good job. (I might buy some of these to keep with me.)
We turned off onto the Wade Avenue exit and then left under the overpass, and the next exit right (about a quarter mile, or less) was for the NC Museum of Art. We parked at the first parking area near the entrance to the museum and walked down the winding path to the new museum buildings. The old museum buildings are just off to the right of the new facility and are labeled for special events.
The Museum restaurant and gift shop are just to the right of the tall entrance doors. A little girl was fascinated (as were many of us) with a projected image of a tree with it’s branches swaying in an imaginary breeze. *Bathrooms just to the right.
The information counter was just to the left of the entrance. Deb got a museum map and the clerk said that this was the second weekend that the new facility had been open. She also suggested that we visit the outside Rodin garden, before it got too hot outside.
We went outside and there were several large black statues and a reflecting pool. I must not be a fan of Rodin. Perhaps someone that is a fan knows why his women all have big feet and really look more like thick men in grotesquely distorted positions. Back inside…
Deborah managed to rush out of the photo, providing an unintended artistic effect (she is blurry and the other items in focus).
Russ, however, stands still viewing the intricate detail of one of the large landscapes.
You can visit my Flickr site for more of the NCMA photos I took.
Near the end of our tour, Russ walked on ahead of us into one of the modern art rooms. When Deb and I entered the room, some women (6 girlfriends) had asked Russ to take their picture in front of a large painting of Six Girls.
Before we left, I headed to the bathroom while Russ and Deb toured the Gift Shop. After the bathroom, I headed to the Information Counter to ask about an item I had heard about, but had not yet seen. There was an upside down image of the Mona Lisa, made of colored spools of thread, with a crystal ball on a pedestal in front of it, which turned the image right-side up. Apparently, it was at the other end of the room just behind me, so I quickly walked the length of the room and found the item. *Yes, I keep calling it an “item”, because it’s not a painting or a sculpture and I don’t know what category you should post it under.
Russ had bought Deb a gift card of one of the gallery photos of four little shoeshine boys, with tired eyes. She had liked their eyes which showed how exhausted they were.
After the Museum, we headed back into town via Wade Avenue with the idea of finding a restaurant for lunch. We passed the Whole Foods grocery and then after several blocks turned in to Cameron Village (shopping center), an old but renovated and vibrant site for commerce. I first saw a sign for Foster’s (which appeared to be a ‘high-end’ restaurant, and then Village Grill, and a draught house, etc. We finally turned a corner and found an Italian eatery, Piccola Italia Pizza & Italian Restaurant. There were no parking spaces and after “circling the block”, more of a half-circle and then a turn about, Russ found a parking space around the corner. Deb and I got out of the car before Russ turned into the space (because it would have been difficult for the ‘fat man’ to get out of the car after he was parked).
We all walked down the sidewalk, past a Quiznos, and a wine shop, and finally arrived at Piccola’s . There were several tables outside, but since it was a hot day, we headed inside.
The restaurant was dark and appeared to be small. Since we were seated in the first booth and I faced the entrance, I never got a good view of the rest of the restaurant. It was cool and dark, and on a hot day felt very comfortable.
Our waitress (a young woman, with a button nose, black hair and a dark tan) brought us menus and silverware and asked for our drink orders. I had sweet tea, Russ had water without ice, and I don’t recall what Deb had. When the waitress returned with our drinks, bread and a balsamic vinegar & oil dipping sauce, she asked if we needed a little more time. We did and she came back a little later.
Deb had a half-order of Italian sausage with penne pasta, and a garden salad. I don’t recall what Russ ordered, but I had what Deb had, except I had Ranch dressing instead of vinegar & oil. The bread was good, and later, we asked for more.
The waitress brought our salads. Mine was simple, with large leaves of various lettuces, one small red button tomato, a slice or two of red onion, and a small steel cup of dressing. A simple salad, but very, very good!
Our entrees arrived, mine in a small white bowl, with plenty of penne pasta, a long link of Italian sausage covered in a generous portion of sauce. *I probably would have ‘turned’ the tomato sauce with a little sugar. But the bread, sausage, sauce, pasta and salad were all very good. Our tea was refilled.
After the meal was over, our waitress asked if we wanted dessert. Russ and Deb had already mentioned getting Tiramisu, but I did not want dessert. They said, there should be enough if I changed my mind. The waitress brought three spoons and the dessert had a maraschino cherry on top.
I tried a ‘bite’ and it was very good. It would have been even better with coffee, but I didn’t want coffee. We finished the dessert. Russ ‘picked up the bill’ and tip, and then we walked outside, up the sidewalk and around the corner to the car.
Eventually, we made it back to Pinehurst and I to Fayetteville and then, for me… off to sleep.
It was a good day. The day before Mother’s Day, 2010.
Potato Salad w/ Coriander
Add the mustard to the potatoes while they are still warm, then let cool (which I normally do not do). *I tried adding a little ground coriander to this and loved it.
- Small, white, grade “B” potatoes (small cubed, with skins)
- Sweet onion (Vidalia preferred, cubed)
- Bread-n-Butter pickles (not many)
- Guldens Spicy Brown Mustard
- Brown sugar
- Celery seeds
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
- Ground coriander
Whirlwind Spring 2010 Trip to Asheville (Post)
I stayed at the Best Western on Bush River Road in Columbia, SC, arriving on Friday night and leaving about 10am on Sunday morning. The motel has the blue roof in the picture above.
On Saturday morning, I ate at the Cracker Barrell just across US 20 (upper left of photo), and on Sunday morning ate at the restaurant at the Radisson. I’ve stayed at both the Sleep Inn (in photo) and the Radisson.
I headed up I26 after breakfast. The morning was sunny, but pleasantly cool. After a while, I found that gas was running low and I started looking for “cheap” gas. There were several times, when poor sign placement led to me passing by the “turn off” instead of turning. Finally, I reached Spartanburg, and made one of the exits. The fueling station at which I stopped had a two tiered pricing system for cash & credit. I only got a few gallons on credit and then headed on up I26.
Making it to Landrum, SC, I made the turn onto Hwy 14 and turned into an Ingles gas station (adjacent to the grocery). Their per gallon price was about $2.569, which was 3 to 10 cents cheaper than I had seen along the way from Columbia. From some signage along the roads, I realized that there was some type of “race” scheduled for the day. I picked up that it was probably a horse race (didn’t know if buggies, steeple, etc.). I passed through town and a few miles on the other side made my turns and then was at Spanglers. There were no “honey” signs at the foot of the road, so I had an inkling that he might not be in business (or alive).
Les Spangler’s Honey
*The short story on this is that I’ve never ever met Mr. Spangler. I have bought a couple of jars of honey a couple of years ago, but that was on the “honor” system. He displayed his honey in jars behind a little pull up window. You took what you wanted and left the money (I don’t recall if it was a money box or jar.) The “retired” sign is where the honey was displayed.
How did I find out about Spangler’s honey, in Landrum, SC. At some point, I found the “33 Liberty” restaurant’s web site. They were located in Greenville, SC, but seemed to have closed sometime before 2009. They offered haute cuisine, and they had a nice web site. In one area, they explained about where they purchased some of their ingredients, and Les Spangler’s honey was one of these “mentions”. — I think the 33 Liberty site was also where I learned about the Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, GA. (I have been to Sweet Grass Dairy twice. The first time was before they had built their new store, and you actually went to the farm to make your purchases. The new store is a short distance from the dairy farm, and a little outside of Thomasville.
(Above: This is Les Spangler’s home, near Landrum, SC. He no longer sells honey, see sign below.)
From Landrum, I made it up to Asheville fairly quickly and found that Exit 33 off of I26 provided a sharp U-turn and you were almost immediately at the intersection, with the Toyota dealer to the left. I turned left at the light and drove a few miles coming upon the Farmers’ Market on the right.
Western Carolina Farmer’s Market (Asheville, NC – Saturday, April 17, 2010)
(Above – Small, white “b” potatoes for “ramps & potatoes”. The sales people were friendly and attentive, while going about straightening and moving produce about. )
(Above – RAMPS for “ramps & potatoes”. These were slightly larger bunches of ramps at $3 each. The smaller bunches at the other end of the display were $2.)
(Above – Bought several cheeses, one of which was a small white, chevre frais (goat cheese), for “ramps & potatoes”.)
Piazza Restaurant, Asheville, NC (the location was formerly “Trillium, a Bistro”)
My waitress was personable, and friendly and the shrimp & basil pizza, and salad I had was good.
Piazza’s bar area.
Whirlwind Spring 2010 Trip to Asheville
I would have liked to take a few extra days for this trip, but a weekend jaunt is what I have. The necessity to go at this time is based upon the seasonal availability of “ramps”, a mountain food oddity similar to a wild onion with a flat green leaf instead of a tubular one. The flavor is as pungent and unique as garlic, but it isn’t garlic. It is one of those things that when you eat it, everyone knows you have eaten it. It is probably best to eat it with friends and lovers and therefore you are not the “odd man out” according to smell.
Ramps are only in season in the early to mid-Spring of the year and only grow above a certain elevation. I checked with someone with the NC State Ag Dept./Western Carolina Farmers’ Market (Asheville, NC) and they are in season currently. I found that I could clean them. Chop them up, and then freeze them and they would last for quite a while. They are sold in bunches, with the dirt still on the tubers.
About 5 or 6 years ago, I first learned of the ramp, and also bought fingerling potatoes about this time. On that trip I also visited south-Georgia, Thomasville, and bought various cheeses. Home again, I cooked the ramps on the stove, added the potatoes, sliced, and then goat cheese to make a cream sauce. This went well with a pan-fried steak.
I am planning to drive down to Columbia, SC after work today (about a 3 hour trip), and stay at a Best Western Motel on Bush River Road. It will be about another 2 ½ hours to Asheville, NC tomorrow morning. Depending upon how early I get up, I may either drive downtown Columbia, or head up to Landrum, SC (just off of 26W) and seek out the honey of Les Spangler (S. Blackstone Rd.).
I should get to the WC Farmers’ Market by 10 or 10:30 am, depending. *Not sure if Les Spangler is still alive. Never met him, although I have bought honey at his place. Left the money where it said to, and bought a couple of jars.
Going up 26W to Asheville from Columbia, I will get off at Exit 33 and then take a left at the next intersection (Toyota dealership on the left). It is just a short distance up the road to the Market.
The Market has cheeses also.
After the Market, I plan to drive downtown Asheville. Not sure if I will park and go to Grove Arcade. May try it because there was a shop that had the balsamic vinegar I like.
Don’t know if I will try to eat downtown, and then meander back to Columbia. Stay overnight, and then roam Columbia and back to Fayetteville on Sunday.
Ramps, Fingerling Potatoes & Chevre Frais
Several years ago, when I had begun to try various and “new to me” foods, I came across something called a “ramp”. I was walking through the WNC Farmers’ Market in Asheville, NC at the time and saw these leafy, wild onion looking plants bunched up for sale. The dirt was still on the tubers.
I asked what they were and it was explained to me, but seeing that they have a unique flavor and the parts are oddly put together (imagine the tuber of a wild onion, with a flat green leaf growing above ground). In flavor, they are as strong and unique as garlic, but they don’t taste like garlic.
Fortunately, I did not google for recipies (yet), so I tried the following:
The Market had provided me with fingerling white potatoes. I believe someone had named them “gravelling” potatoes, since they were small like pebbles. On that trip, I think I had also travelled down into South Georgia, to Thomasville, and the “Sweet Grass Dairy” and had bought various cheeses, including some Chevre Frais (fresh, soft goat cheese).
So on a skillet, I began to saute the ramps (tops and tubers, chopped) in olive oil. After they began to soften, I added the potatoes which I had sliced, and then as the potato edges began to brown, I added the Chevre Frais, along with a little Half & Half which formed a thick cream sauce for the ramps & potatoes. Salt & pepper to taste.
This went well with a pan fried steak. Steamed broccoli or broccolini, or a salad would compliment this also.
I found that I could clean and freeze the ramps for later use, which could last into the fall easily.
http://ncalternativecropsandorganics.blogspot.com/search/label/ramps
Sauteed Pork Chops w/ Balsamic Mustard Sauce
- Pan fried pork chops
- Sauteed onion
- Lime juice
- Balsamic vinegar
- Capers
- Guldens spicy brown mustard
- Honey
- Brown sugar
- Ground coriander
- Celery seeds
- Salt & pepper
Bill Gibson, II 
