Question du jour

You're having guests for the weekend -- what one local restaurant is at the top of the list for your visitors, and what dishes will you be recommending? (Links to the restaurant's website always welcome, in case readers are ever in your area!)

I had to stop and think about this one for a little while. Because the honest truth is, I tend to go to chain places, and while there are a few non-franchise restaurants in my repertoire, I'm not sure I'd claim any of them as exceptional dining experiences. Furthermore, I tend to stay within my comfort zone---driving 20 minutes or more for food doesn't entice me, either.

Since the demise of Fat Boy's BBQ---and I really miss them, they were GOOD---there's Kay's Place, which is okay, but not spectacular. My fav is the Monday lunch special of beef-tips and gravy over noodles. That's sentimental, I confess; I used to meet Kat there for lunch on my days off and have the beef-tips. Other BBW joints are Woody's and Sonny's---I prefer Sonny's for brisket, cornbread and OMG-corn-fritters!!!---which I was chagrinned to find are both franchises.

That doesn't leave a lot. There's a Chinese buffet called New Century on Merritt Island (no website, sorry) that's not bad for economical face-stuffing. I'm partial to their peanut chicken or the duck, when they have it. They do a bacon-wrapped chicken that I'm always up for. And, when the machine is working, there's soft-serve ice cream for dessert!

I can think of a few Mexican places: Chaparral, La Bamba and El Charro. El Charro has been around the longest---at least 20 years in the same location, and they're pretty good. (They're also the priciest.) La Bamba's been around for a few years; I've been there a couple times and always left happy. Chaparral is fairly new, about a year, and I'm not overwhelmed. I'd recommend La Bamba as tasty, clean and affordable.

If you want something with a little atmosphere, you might enjoy Ashley's, which has been a restaurant for as long as I can remember. The building is formerly a train depot---and downstairs tends to be crowded. Sit upstairs, though, and enjoy its funky charm. They have a bare-bones website: http://www.ashleysofrockledge.com/ They're a little on the pricey side, but the appetizers will make a meal if you're on a budget. I'm fond of the Irish nachos (made with thin-sliced potatoes instead of tortillas), the southwestern eggrolls, the teriyaki wings or if I'm feeling particularly affluent, the smothered steak.

What can I say? I don't get out much, and when I do, I tend to stick to known qualities so I feel sure I'll get my money's worth. It doesn't help that a number of places that were good have closed due to the economy. Theoretically, the ones that are left ought to be the best, but they tend to price accordingly.

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Question du jour

You're having guests for the weekend -- what one local restaurant is at the top of the list for your visitors, and what dishes will you be recommending? (Links to the restaurant's website always welcome, in case readers are ever in your area!)

I had to stop and think about this one for a little while. Because the honest truth is, I tend to go to chain places, and while there are a few non-franchise restaurants in my repertoire, I'm not sure I'd claim any of them as exceptional dining experiences. Furthermore, I tend to stay within my comfort zone---driving 20 minutes or more for food doesn't entice me, either.

Since the demise of Fat Boy's BBQ---and I really miss them, they were GOOD---there's Kay's Place, which is okay, but not spectacular. My fav is the Monday lunch special of beef-tips and gravy over noodles. That's sentimental, I confess; I used to meet Kat there for lunch on my days off and have the beef-tips. Other BBW joints are Woody's and Sonny's---I prefer Sonny's for brisket, cornbread and OMG-corn-fritters!!!---which I was chagrinned to find are both franchises.

That doesn't leave a lot. There's a Chinese buffet called New Century on Merritt Island (no website, sorry) that's not bad for economical face-stuffing. I'm partial to their peanut chicken or the duck, when they have it. They do a bacon-wrapped chicken that I'm always up for. And, when the machine is working, there's soft-serve ice cream for dessert!

I can think of a few Mexican places: Chaparral, La Bamba and El Charro. El Charro has been around the longest---at least 20 years in the same location, and they're pretty good. (They're also the priciest.) La Bamba's been around for a few years; I've been there a couple times and always left happy. Chaparral is fairly new, about a year, and I'm not overwhelmed. I'd recommend La Bamba as tasty, clean and affordable.

If you want something with a little atmosphere, you might enjoy Ashley's, which has been a restaurant for as long as I can remember. The building is formerly a train depot---and downstairs tends to be crowded. Sit upstairs, though, and enjoy its funky charm. They have a bare-bones website: http://www.ashleysofrockledge.com/ They're a little on the pricey side, but the appetizers will make a meal if you're on a budget. I'm fond of the Irish nachos (made with thin-sliced potatoes instead of tortillas), the southwestern eggrolls, the teriyaki wings or if I'm feeling particularly affluent, the smothered steak.

What can I say? I don't get out much, and when I do, I tend to stick to known qualities so I feel sure I'll get my money's worth. It doesn't help that a number of places that were good have closed due to the economy. Theoretically, the ones that are left ought to be the best, but they tend to price accordingly.

.

Thank you Mother/Father/God, IT'S OVER

Now that it's OVER, I can tell y'all about the ordeal I've been going through the last few days. I didn't want to discuss it and get everyone stirred up, but now I can.

It started around Monday. I kept hearing a cat meowing. I thought it was outside my bathroom, no big deal. Cats love my yard, and as long as it's JUST naging around my yard, I really don't care, although we all know Fluffy is NOT a cat person.

As Tuesday rolled around, and I kept hearing this mewing, I went outside to take a look, and saw nothing. Nothing in the yard, nothing in the tree...but I could hear it---and my roof needs some holes repaired.

See where this is going?

Uh-huh. It had gotten under the eaves and managed to work its way inside the walls. There was only one way for that to happen---my two bathrooms are back-to-back, and there's a gap between them so the pipes will fit.

I could hear it behind the sink. Jason the Yard Guy was coming to mow on Wednesday, and I reckoned he could help me get the damned thing out. Don't look at me like that: I haven't had a decent night's sleep in five days. They call it caterwaling for a reason.

Jason came out, couldn't see it, because it was between the walls, doncha know, and surmised, because I'd also heard it behind the stove.... Okay, let me digress briefly for an architectural tour of Chez Fluffy. As I mentioned, the bathrooms are back-too-back. On the other side of the hall bath is the kitchen. Spanning the hall bath, which is somewhat larger than the master bath, is a standard cast-iron tub, circa 1958. Jason theorized that the beast was using the curved tunnel of the tub to migrate between the space behind my sink and the space beside my stove (which backs up to the hall bath).

He promised to come back with a humane trap the next day. Thursday. Except the Universe laughs when we make plans; his drainfield imploded, and he's been working on it ever since.

Meanwhile, the screaming banshee started in every time I used the toilet, every time I rolled over in bed---constantly. I wanted to wrestle this cougar down and twist its head off. I tried telling myself, "Oh, the poor thing is probably scared to death!", but honestly, after the first couple days and nights of sleep-deprivation, I didn't care.

Now, while I wanted to end it, I certainly didn't want it dying behind the wall. The occasional mouse is bad enough. And I know that dying of hunger takes longer than dying of thirst. So I did a little MacGyvering. There are chrome rings covering the holes where the water pipes from the sink taps go into the wall, and one of them is loose.

Using a funnel, two straws and some duct tape, I fashioned a spout I could use to pour water into
the gap between the walls. My compliments to whoever put that wall up---I've poured at last a gallon in there, and not had it leak.

Jason is still busy with his own woes, but he sent a friend of his to help me out. He dragged the stove away from the wall, confirmed that there is indeed access to the bathtub from the space behind the stove, and we could both hear Cat Kong.

I surrendered a car of tuna and dug out a little battery-operated fan to waft the succulent aroma in its direction. Jason's friend is more of a cat person than I am. He sweet-talked it to the open can and snagged it.

This ferocious beast, this mountain lion, Cat Kong...might weigh all of a pound, and half of that would be fuzz. It was TINY. HOW could anything that small make so much noise for so long?!

I gave Jason's friend a $10 bill I'd intended for the collection plate. He earned it. The Universe will understand. He took the wee beastie with him, in a box, with the rest of the tuna. As it departed, it was eating with single-minded determination, punctuated with little grunts. It was absolutely adorable, and I've never been so glad to wave good-bye as I was to that box!

I'm really glad I didn't have to take a baseball bat to the wall, which was my back-up plan.

Now I'm going to catch a nap before heading over to J's this evening. Sweet, silent night!

.

Thank you Mother/Father/God, IT'S OVER

Now that it's OVER, I can tell y'all about the ordeal I've been going through the last few days. I didn't want to discuss it and get everyone stirred up, but now I can.

It started around Monday. I kept hearing a cat meowing. I thought it was outside my bathroom, no big deal. Cats love my yard, and as long as it's JUST naging around my yard, I really don't care, although we all know Fluffy is NOT a cat person.

As Tuesday rolled around, and I kept hearing this mewing, I went outside to take a look, and saw nothing. Nothing in the yard, nothing in the tree...but I could hear it---and my roof needs some holes repaired.

See where this is going?

Uh-huh. It had gotten under the eaves and managed to work its way inside the walls. There was only one way for that to happen---my two bathrooms are back-to-back, and there's a gap between them so the pipes will fit.

I could hear it behind the sink. Jason the Yard Guy was coming to mow on Wednesday, and I reckoned he could help me get the damned thing out. Don't look at me like that: I haven't had a decent night's sleep in five days. They call it caterwaling for a reason.

Jason came out, couldn't see it, because it was between the walls, doncha know, and surmised, because I'd also heard it behind the stove.... Okay, let me digress briefly for an architectural tour of Chez Fluffy. As I mentioned, the bathrooms are back-too-back. On the other side of the hall bath is the kitchen. Spanning the hall bath, which is somewhat larger than the master bath, is a standard cast-iron tub, circa 1958. Jason theorized that the beast was using the curved tunnel of the tub to migrate between the space behind my sink and the space beside my stove (which backs up to the hall bath).

He promised to come back with a humane trap the next day. Thursday. Except the Universe laughs when we make plans; his drainfield imploded, and he's been working on it ever since.

Meanwhile, the screaming banshee started in every time I used the toilet, every time I rolled over in bed---constantly. I wanted to wrestle this cougar down and twist its head off. I tried telling myself, "Oh, the poor thing is probably scared to death!", but honestly, after the first couple days and nights of sleep-deprivation, I didn't care.

Now, while I wanted to end it, I certainly didn't want it dying behind the wall. The occasional mouse is bad enough. And I know that dying of hunger takes longer than dying of thirst. So I did a little MacGyvering. There are chrome rings covering the holes where the water pipes from the sink taps go into the wall, and one of them is loose.

Using a funnel, two straws and some duct tape, I fashioned a spout I could use to pour water into
the gap between the walls. My compliments to whoever put that wall up---I've poured at last a gallon in there, and not had it leak.

Jason is still busy with his own woes, but he sent a friend of his to help me out. He dragged the stove away from the wall, confirmed that there is indeed access to the bathtub from the space behind the stove, and we could both hear Cat Kong.

I surrendered a car of tuna and dug out a little battery-operated fan to waft the succulent aroma in its direction. Jason's friend is more of a cat person than I am. He sweet-talked it to the open can and snagged it.

This ferocious beast, this mountain lion, Cat Kong...might weigh all of a pound, and half of that would be fuzz. It was TINY. HOW could anything that small make so much noise for so long?!

I gave Jason's friend a $10 bill I'd intended for the collection plate. He earned it. The Universe will understand. He took the wee beastie with him, in a box, with the rest of the tuna. As it departed, it was eating with single-minded determination, punctuated with little grunts. It was absolutely adorable, and I've never been so glad to wave good-bye as I was to that box!

I'm really glad I didn't have to take a baseball bat to the wall, which was my back-up plan.

Now I'm going to catch a nap before heading over to J's this evening. Sweet, silent night!

.