January 3, 2012 - Harrah's Noodle Bar, Cherokee, NC
Come join us in the new year. We will make our first stop at Harrah's Casino. We will be at the Noodle Bar on the 2nd floor. Their full menu is on line. See you at 6:30.
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Sunday, December 30, 2012
January 3, 2012 - Harrah's Noodle Bar, Cherokee, NC
Come join us in the new year. We will make our first stop at Harrah's Casino. We will be at the Noodle Bar on the 2nd floor. Their full menu is on line. See you at 6:30.
December 27, 2012 - City Lights Cafe, Sylva, NC
It was a cold, dark night, the kind when strange, unexplainable things happen, even to good people. The wind was blowing wild, the tree tops swaying wildly, like they had come alive, sap running strong from the electricity in the air. Who would be out in this damp dark, when everyone should be home, warm, reading a book, comforted in the knowledge their families were inside, out of harm's way. Who would venture out in that weather? No one but the Supper Club! You thought I was really gonna do that up, huh? Well, I would if I was a creative writer like Pam or one of her many, famous friends.But, just being me, that is all I could muster.
We did get together tonite at City Lights for a do over. The last time we were here, we liked to froze to death,with the only heat coming off our meal. That is, if you were smart enough to order something hot. We also had to leave early cause the power went out all over Sylva. So, our dinner got cut short. Good thing, cause I was close to feeling like a side of beef ready to be hung up. And let me tell you, being a woman in middle age.. I welcome all the cold I can get. All you women out there will know exactly what I am talking about..... you men... don't worry about it.
Anywho, it was just me, Greg,Lisa and Pam tonite. The original Supper Club. Rosemary was out of town on personal business and Beth and Robert had family obligations. We all arrived pretty much on time, with Pam and Lisa already there and ordered. The City Lights Cafe has been around for a few years. It used to be called Spring Street Cafe. I don't know when or why it changed its name. I don't think much changed other than the name. I have not eaten here much. Lisa seems to like to pretty good.
It is a small place, underneath the City Light Bookstore. Nice, cozy, with the feel of a small coffee shop where friends gather, someone plays live music, or has a reading, or just hangs out. They do have a small patio on the side for when it's good weather.
I don't think their menu has changed much, but I do know that now, they specialize in crepes. I don't know what that trend is about, but now we have two restaurants (Cork and Bean) that specialize in crepes. Are crepes a eatery trend? Are they just easy to make? Are they cheap to make? Is there a surge in crepe requests from customers? What is up with that? Maybe someone out there knows.
Anyway, Lisa ordered her usual, three salads, with Spinach Artichoke Dip, Red Pepper Hummus, and Chicken Salad , Vegan Chili and a Fat Greek Crepe. Pam ordered a pasta dish with chicken with came with a side salad. . I also ordered the three salad dish, but I got the Asian Ginger Salad instead of the Spinach Artichoke. Greg ordered the Pumpkin Thai soup, with a Fiery Ham and Cheese Panini.
One cool thing about City Lights is that they offer gluten free items. So, if you have that issue, you now have a place to eat out. They also offer organic and natural items. They have an extensive wine and beer selection as you can see from the pictures.
There is usually not many folks in City Lights at one time. Folks kinda stroll in and out and many just hang out in the front to work on their computers. They used to have live music on a regular basis, but I an not sure what that schedule is.
It was definitely warmer in there than the last time. And until toward the end of our meal, we were the only table in there. Even so, the wait to get your food is typically a while. There are usually only two folks working the cash register, cooking, serving, cleaning up, etc. So, you have to wait to get your order in, which you do as you come in the door. Then there is another wait to get your food, and you can forget getting any service after that. Those folks are just too busy. So, if you need refills, etc, you have to get up and go get it your self. So, if you are a Type A personality, impatient, in a hurry, annoyed easily, or just a plain downright irritating person who has a hard time relaxing and chilling out... don't go in here. You will be climbing the walls and cussing before its' all over with.
This is a place to chillax (as Sonja on Operation Repo says), hang out, eat some good, healthy, plain food and visit with friends or make some new ones. I will tell you.. the last time we were here, we missed the opportunity to meet Gandalf. He was in there eating dinner. AND.... he had on his Elven cloak. It was pretty cool.. but we didn't have the nerve to talk to him or ask about Frodo or any of the other Hobbits.
Back to the food.... tonite, the Red Pepper Hummus was bland. I think someone forgot to put the peppers in it. The chicken salad was good as usual. This is a favorite of mine. I will warn you.. it doesn't look like typical Chicken Salad, but it is very tasty. The Artichoke and Spinach is good too. The Asian Salad with Ginger dressing I had tonite was good too. Nothing special, but just basic goodness.
Lisa said the Vegan chili was very good. It was chunky, spicy without being hot, flavorful. She always order the Fat Greek Crepe. It must be good as it is a constant on her plate. Pam stated her pasta was very bland and needed some more spice and was also dry. We thought the pasta had sucked up all the spices and oil.
Greg really loved the Pumpkin Thai soup. It was thick, creamy with loads of flavor. His Panini was filled with Ham and Spicy Cheese in a crusty grilled bread. It was flavorful without being spicy or hot. It looked good.
We had a more serious discussion tonite. We typically don't discuss serious issues at the ASC meals. But for some reason tonite the issue of gun control came up as well as the incident at Sandy Hook. We all agreed that assault weapons had no place in the home, as they were not made or used for anything like hunting, or protection. They were made strictly for killing. However, we did not all agree that banning assault weapons would put an end to the mass killings. Some of us were of the thought that if a body is of the mind to kill folks, they are going to do it regardless if they have an assault weapon or not. Take Timothy McVeigh for instance.. and others just like him. Pipe bombs are easy to make, the ingredients and "how to" are easily found on the Internet.
However, others at the table were of the thinking that banning assault weapons would put an end to the mass killings as the killer wanted to make a name for themselves with the act, and they wanted to do it quickly, all at once.
Regardless of which side of the fence you are on in this ongoing national debate, the outcome of an individuals psychosis is a deeply saddening, useless, unnecessary result of their just plain, crazy thinking. It does seem that these type of incidents keep occurring with more frequency.
Is it just me or does it seem like folks are getting more crazy? It seems that the younger generations do not have any fortitude to deal with life, or what they deem as hardship or trouble. They seem fragile, unstable and ready to fight or kill all to readily at the first hint of insult or injury.
Anyway, enough of all that seriousness. You didn't come here for a debate or to hear us ramble on about political issues. You came to read about food, friends and fun.
We ended up meeting one of Pam's author friends, David Joy, who is a new author. Check out his book, "Growing Gills." I have to say.. he is quite cute, and personable with a beaming smile. It seems he is allergic to gluten, so comes to City Lights where he can get gluten free items. See! I told you.
Anyway, it seems this young writer has a reputation as a fish romancer...and from what I hear.. a good kisser. But as for details, no one's talking and.... and only the fish will tell if you can get them to talk.
It seems he has recently moved to the Sylva area from Cashiers. he has moved close to the river so he can continue to romance the local fishes right from his front yard, so to speak. He moved close to us after some coaxing, and we had a pleasant conversation with him about his book, new projects, and some other authors he and Pam knew.
It was overall a pleasant evening... we did miss our other members, but met a new friend. We invited him to the Noodle House next Thursday.
And..... you all are invited to come join the Supper Club also... next Thursday, January 3 at the Noodle House in Harrah's Casino. See you at 6:30.
It is a small place, underneath the City Light Bookstore. Nice, cozy, with the feel of a small coffee shop where friends gather, someone plays live music, or has a reading, or just hangs out. They do have a small patio on the side for when it's good weather.
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| WAIT!! IS THIS WHERE LOCAL FAMOUS AUTHORS HANG OUT? |
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| WHY YES... I BELIEVE SO!!! IS IT RUDE TO ASK FOR AN AUTOGRAPH? |
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| THREE SALAD PLATE -CHICKEN, RED PEPPER HUMMUS, ARTICHOKE WITH CRACKERS & TORTILLA CHIPS |
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| VEGAN CHILI & FAT GREEK CREPE |
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| VEGAN CHILI CLOSE UP |
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| CHICKEN WITH SPINACH PASTA |
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| SALAD WITH PASTA DISH |
One cool thing about City Lights is that they offer gluten free items. So, if you have that issue, you now have a place to eat out. They also offer organic and natural items. They have an extensive wine and beer selection as you can see from the pictures.
There is usually not many folks in City Lights at one time. Folks kinda stroll in and out and many just hang out in the front to work on their computers. They used to have live music on a regular basis, but I an not sure what that schedule is.
It was definitely warmer in there than the last time. And until toward the end of our meal, we were the only table in there. Even so, the wait to get your food is typically a while. There are usually only two folks working the cash register, cooking, serving, cleaning up, etc. So, you have to wait to get your order in, which you do as you come in the door. Then there is another wait to get your food, and you can forget getting any service after that. Those folks are just too busy. So, if you need refills, etc, you have to get up and go get it your self. So, if you are a Type A personality, impatient, in a hurry, annoyed easily, or just a plain downright irritating person who has a hard time relaxing and chilling out... don't go in here. You will be climbing the walls and cussing before its' all over with.
This is a place to chillax (as Sonja on Operation Repo says), hang out, eat some good, healthy, plain food and visit with friends or make some new ones. I will tell you.. the last time we were here, we missed the opportunity to meet Gandalf. He was in there eating dinner. AND.... he had on his Elven cloak. It was pretty cool.. but we didn't have the nerve to talk to him or ask about Frodo or any of the other Hobbits.
Back to the food.... tonite, the Red Pepper Hummus was bland. I think someone forgot to put the peppers in it. The chicken salad was good as usual. This is a favorite of mine. I will warn you.. it doesn't look like typical Chicken Salad, but it is very tasty. The Artichoke and Spinach is good too. The Asian Salad with Ginger dressing I had tonite was good too. Nothing special, but just basic goodness.
Lisa said the Vegan chili was very good. It was chunky, spicy without being hot, flavorful. She always order the Fat Greek Crepe. It must be good as it is a constant on her plate. Pam stated her pasta was very bland and needed some more spice and was also dry. We thought the pasta had sucked up all the spices and oil.
Greg really loved the Pumpkin Thai soup. It was thick, creamy with loads of flavor. His Panini was filled with Ham and Spicy Cheese in a crusty grilled bread. It was flavorful without being spicy or hot. It looked good.
We had a more serious discussion tonite. We typically don't discuss serious issues at the ASC meals. But for some reason tonite the issue of gun control came up as well as the incident at Sandy Hook. We all agreed that assault weapons had no place in the home, as they were not made or used for anything like hunting, or protection. They were made strictly for killing. However, we did not all agree that banning assault weapons would put an end to the mass killings. Some of us were of the thought that if a body is of the mind to kill folks, they are going to do it regardless if they have an assault weapon or not. Take Timothy McVeigh for instance.. and others just like him. Pipe bombs are easy to make, the ingredients and "how to" are easily found on the Internet.
However, others at the table were of the thinking that banning assault weapons would put an end to the mass killings as the killer wanted to make a name for themselves with the act, and they wanted to do it quickly, all at once.
Regardless of which side of the fence you are on in this ongoing national debate, the outcome of an individuals psychosis is a deeply saddening, useless, unnecessary result of their just plain, crazy thinking. It does seem that these type of incidents keep occurring with more frequency.
Is it just me or does it seem like folks are getting more crazy? It seems that the younger generations do not have any fortitude to deal with life, or what they deem as hardship or trouble. They seem fragile, unstable and ready to fight or kill all to readily at the first hint of insult or injury.
Anyway, enough of all that seriousness. You didn't come here for a debate or to hear us ramble on about political issues. You came to read about food, friends and fun.
We ended up meeting one of Pam's author friends, David Joy, who is a new author. Check out his book, "Growing Gills." I have to say.. he is quite cute, and personable with a beaming smile. It seems he is allergic to gluten, so comes to City Lights where he can get gluten free items. See! I told you.
Anyway, it seems this young writer has a reputation as a fish romancer...and from what I hear.. a good kisser. But as for details, no one's talking and.... and only the fish will tell if you can get them to talk.
It seems he has recently moved to the Sylva area from Cashiers. he has moved close to the river so he can continue to romance the local fishes right from his front yard, so to speak. He moved close to us after some coaxing, and we had a pleasant conversation with him about his book, new projects, and some other authors he and Pam knew.
It was overall a pleasant evening... we did miss our other members, but met a new friend. We invited him to the Noodle House next Thursday.
And..... you all are invited to come join the Supper Club also... next Thursday, January 3 at the Noodle House in Harrah's Casino. See you at 6:30.
Friday, December 28, 2012
December 13, 2012 - Brio, Cherokee, NC
This is our first stop in Harrahs' Casino, but not our last. There are numerous restaurants in the casino, but I am not sure all their names, locations or selections. But... together, we will discover them all. Since we were going to the casino, I did not dress up. I thought... .casino - casual. But all the rest of our party dressed up like we were going to the Grove Park Inn. I felt like a urchin. But those folks looked great.
This restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the casino. There are now two parking decks- one for the casino and one for the hotel. Since the renovation, getting around is very confusing. You have to pay attention to the tiny signs scattered around the outside. It is best to park in the casino parking deck and take the elevator to the restaurants. This way you avoid the outside parking lot, the bus ride to the casino, and the walk through the casino floor. Or you avoid the valet parking too. Either way, you end up at your restaurant not smelling like an ashtray.
Tonite, we were all in attendance, except for Lisa who was somewhere else. I don't remember where, but she had something else to do. Or maybe she was sick.
We all met at the casino and unbelievably, all made it with little trouble.
Brio is a very pretty restaurants. It does look like a Tuscan villa style restaurant, with inside and outside (sort of) seating. There are booths, bistro style tables, white table cloths and lots of plants.
We were seated at a large round table, which soon proved to be too little. We had to wade through the jungle of plants to get to our seats. We were seated om the outside of the restaurant, which means that we were able to watch everyone that passed and in turn, they were able to watch us.
This place is like Lulu's..... if you don't want to be seen, don't go here. Even though Brio seems to be in a hidden corner, there is a lot of foot traffic going past.
The lighting inside this area of the casino really played havoc with my attempt to take pictures. The shutter speed was so slow due to the lighting, that most of the pictures came out blurry. I apologize for that up front.
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| What is Beth thinking of? |
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| The hallway beside Brio and Pam trying to figure out the difference between the sign language "I love you", and the Rock and Roll sign. |
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| Three different appetizers -Bruschetta variety, hummus, and artichoke dip |
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| Well the jury is still out on those signs... and the discussion continues. I think Pam just didn't believe we knew what we were talking about We had a local girl for our waitress. I think she was fairly new or just unsure of what she was doing. She was pleasant enough, but was very slow....at every phase of the meal. Maybe she just had lots of tables. We spent a great deal of time perusing the menu, trying to decide what to order. There was a nice selection of appetizers, salads and main courses. In fact, there was too much that looked good. We all ordered an appetizer, which in hindsight, was a mistake. The appetizers were large enough for the entire table. So, there we were, with three large appetizers. All were good and nicely presented. I could not say which was better.... maybe one of the other folks had a favorite. |
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| CRAB AND SHRIMP FONDUTA - Bubbling hot and creamy, with Parmesan crisps for dipping |
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| BRUSCHETTA QUATTRO |
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| ARTICHOKE, ROASTED GARLIC AND SHRIMP DIP |
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| BISTECCA INSALATA -A wedge of lettuce, Gorgonzola, bacon, Roma tomatoes and creamy Parmesan dressing |
Rosemary, Beth and Robert ordered a salad. I didn't as I figured that would be way too much food. However, the salad was a bit on the disappointing side. Although the salad looks nice, I think of these types of salads as lazy salads. It consists of a quarter of iceberg lettuce (which in nutritional value is like eating air), with some bacon bits, tomatoes, and dressing on top. Not much of an effort in the salad department.
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| LOBSTER AND SHRIMP FETTUCINE - Shrimp and lobster tossed with mushrooms, green onions and a spicy lobster butter sauce |
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| GRILLED SALMON - With Romano crusted tomatoes, citrus pesto, asparagus and crispy shoestring potatoes |
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| CAMPANELLE CARBONARA - Grilled chicken, crisp bacon, Parmesan cheese and sauteed spinach |
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| PASTA BRIO - Rigatoni, grilled chicken, seared mushrooms and roasted red pepper sauce |
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| LASAGNA BOLOGNESE AL FORNO -Oven baked and layered with authentic Bolognese meat sauce, Alfredo, Ricotta and Mozzarella |
All the dishes were very nice presented, with very generous portions. Too generous really. Enough to share if you are on a budget. The food was hot, bubbly, and loads of flavor. Every dish was incredible. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and some of us had to get to go boxes.
We laughed and laughed and laughed some more. We heard how Beth and Robert met, got together and ended up together. Very sweet story. We also laughed at ourselves during some of our drinking escapades, and crazy younger days. We saw tons of folks we knew from Bryson and Cherokee. We also noticed there seemed to be a great number of folks who were wearing lit necklaces. Of course, Pam and Rosemary wanted one. So we had to stop some folks and ask where they got theirs. Seems there was an employee appreciation event going on downstairs. And it seems like except for a meal, Harrah's didn't spring for much in terms of appreciation, if all the folks got was a little lit necklace. But I guess with over 3,000, you can't expect much.
We lingered at Brio as long as we could. Actually, we were just sitting trying to digest. But, alas, time passed and we had to go. We did walk around a bit trying to move some of that food we just ate. We watched the gamblers at work, checked out some boutiques through the windows and meandered our way to the parking deck.
This meal and experience were completely enjoyable. The company, meal, atmosphere were a definite do again.... SOON.
Monday, December 24, 2012
December 6, 2012 - Lulu's, Sylva,NC
Lulu's is located on Main Street in Sylva. They are still in their original location they opened in several years ago (I think). It is a cozy restaurant with the focus on fresh, handmade and organic items. There are numerous selections where you can chose no meat or tofu to add to your dish. Always nice to have choices. All their food is quite delicious. They have had the same menu since they opened, which is a bit odd. But they do offer about 3 or 4 specials each evening. These are usually quite spectacular. I typically order a special, as I have already been through their menu. But, everyone seems to have their favorite on the menu, so I guess that is one reason they don't change it.
One great thing Lulu's used to do is they would have a Mardi Gras menu. Greg and I always made it a point to hit Lulu's during that time. Gumbo, Etouffee, Jambalaya.... the list goes on. It was fantastic. But, sadly they no longer have that. I guess it was just too popular, as you had to get their early or dishes would be completely sold out.
You also usually see someone you know at Lulu's as most of the locals go there often. If you don't want to be seen, don't go here. And if you've had a spat with someone, don't go here.... until you're spat is over, cause chances are you will see them here and then you all will be glaring at each other across the room, making everyone at both tables very uncomfortable. Just saying....
We had a hard time getting together tonite. It seems that everyone had something to do.... plus it is getting close to Christmas and there are lots of parties, office functions and last minute work tasks to close out. This is especially true for Pam and Lisa who have finals, final grading, tests and presentations for their students. In fact, Pam could not join us tonite as she is at City Lights bookstore listening to stories her students had to write as assignments. Hopefully,she will get finished early and be able to come join us. Robert and Beth also could not join as due to a family function. Pam tried to rope us into coming to the bookstore to listen to the student stories.. but I think I would really rather have my fingernails pulled out. So, like the good friends we are.. we left her to the wolves.
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| THE SIDE DINNING ROOM WITH BAR IN BACKGROUND |
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| THE FRONT DINING ROOM NOOK LOOKING OUT AT MAIN STREET |
So tonite it was just me, Greg , Rosemary and Lisa. The restaurant was not crowded tonite, and we got a table in the front room. We all seemed a bit sideways due to just stuff. You ever get that feeling, where it seems you are just busy with STUFF, and on the other end, you can't remember why it was so important. Well, that is where we were at.
I had been in Asheville all day at my booth, Greg was supposed to meet in at Lulu's but ended up having to go back home and then come back. Rosemary is getting ready for Advent and Lisa is trying to finish up the semester. The dinner was a nice relief. I looked and felt like a street urchin as I was so dirty and grimy from working my booth. Or actually, I wasn't even clean enough to be a street urchin...more like a bridge troll.
I had been in Asheville all day at my booth, Greg was supposed to meet in at Lulu's but ended up having to go back home and then come back. Rosemary is getting ready for Advent and Lisa is trying to finish up the semester. The dinner was a nice relief. I looked and felt like a street urchin as I was so dirty and grimy from working my booth. Or actually, I wasn't even clean enough to be a street urchin...more like a bridge troll.
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| SALAD WITH HOMEMADE SCHEZWAN DRESSING - YUMMY |
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| HOMEMADE BREAD... CAN YOU SAY DOUBLE YUMMY? |
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| SALAD WITH HOMEMADE GORGONZOLA DRESSING... CAN YOU SAY YUMMY?! |
On a side note - Greg, Beth, Robert and I had just finished taking a glass blowing tumbler class at the Jackson County Green Energy Park a couple of night before Lulu's. It was great fun and we all came away with a handmade glass tumbler...or in my case.. thimble. The glass studio furnaces are powered from the methane gas produced at the landfill. This is only one of a handful of glass studios like this in the country. How cool is that? The JCGEP is a very neat place, offering different classes in glass blowing, blacksmithing, and others. The classes are reasonably priced and you can even rent the studio for independent practice if you wish. Beth and I had stopped by a couple of days earlier to pay our fee and were able to watch a some ladies in action making Christmas ornaments and stemware. We were very excited about the prospect of coming away with a nice, hand blown glass for use in our home.
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| OUR HANDMADE CREATIONS... STARTING FROM LEFT.. GREG, SUSAN, ROBERT AND BETH (THEY HAD TO MAKE MATCHY MATCHY ONES) As you can see from our end results, the final product did not match up with what was in our heads as what our glasses would look like. Glass blowing is very hard and involved numerous steps to achieving your product. There is a lot of blowing involved; yes, but also a lot of slinging, rolling, blowing, cupping, tonging (that's tonging, not tonguing) blowing, heating, blowing, paddling and blowing. Let me just say for the record, it takes a big set of lungs to blow glass. We all felt like our lungs, hearts and eyeballs were going to burst from the strain of blowing..... all except for Greg,who had to be told to quit blowing or he would blow the bottom out of his glass. That comes from all the singing he does. He has big lungs. The rest of us, on the other hand, apparently have lungs the size of peas. We got to choose what colors we wanted our glasses and of course the lovey dovey newlyweds had to make matchy, matchy ones. So cute.. We all had a great deal of fun and hope to take another class soon. |
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| MARINATED SHRIMP SKEWERS WITH COUSCOUS & ASPARAGUS. |
OK, back to the dinner at hand. Tonite, I ordered one of Lulu's specials, and while I can't remember the official name for it, it was marinated shrimp skewers with sides of couscous and grilled Asparagus. The shrimp was very good, with loads of flavor. The couscous was a shock at the first bite. I love couscous and was anticipating a nice, taste filled bite of warm couscous. But, what I got was cold couscous...like a salad. I tried it again later just to be sure I didn't like it and sure enough... I didn't like it cold. The asparagus was OK..a bit bitter. I guess from it being out of season. Lulu's has terrific specials and they change almost every night. But, my weird tastes aside... the meal was good.
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| PESTO PASTA WITH TOFU |
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| PESTO PASTA - PLAIN |
Greg and Rosemary order the Pesto Pasta. Greg got tofu with his. It is one of the regular menu items, and is standard fare for Lulu's. It is tasty, colorful and you can opt for Tofu, or Chicken. Very good dish. Nothing fancy, but still a favorite. I believe that is Spinach Linguine. I was too tired to find out the details.  |
| SALMON, RICE AND BLACK BEANS Lisa ordered another menu staple. The grilled salmon with cream sauce, rice and beans. Again.. nothing fancy, but still a good hearty dish with loads of flavor. One of the favorites too. As you can see from the dish presentations, Lulu's does offer some mighty tasty fare. The presentations are nicely done... with some being downright pretty. They offer a large selection of organic foods, which I try to buy as often as possible. That is why I shop at a regular basis at Earth Fare in Asheville or Amazing Savings in Asheville. That reminds me... I need to get my Christmas turkey ordered from Earth Fare. Not frozen, fresh, local, organic.. how can you beat that? But... a word of caution, you just about have to be a millionaire to eat healthy. What is wrong with that picture? Only the wealthy deserve to be healthy? I think there is a bigger issue at hand here, but I will let the reading audience go with that. We had a nice surprise tonite towards the end of dinner. Pam called to see if we had eaten yet. Her readings at City Lights did not last as long as she thought. We told her to get on down and she could at least drink some tea with us. She was down in a jiffy and sat and talked with us awhile. She reported on her class readings, which were not as erotic or gross as some in the past. I had brought a small token dessert which were truffles and turtles. We each sampled a truffle, with some being better than others and the turtles really were not that good. But I got them at TJ Maxx, so what can you expect? I packed up the leftover chocolates and sent them home with Pam, who had not had anything to eat. Nothing like some store bought chocolates, which have been in transit or on a shelf for months to tide you over til your next meal. Can you say Yummy? Well... onwards to our next destination. Brio- one of the restaurants in Harah's Casino in Cherokee. Come join us! Sorry for being so behind. Its not like I have a life that makes me get behind. It just takes a lot of energy to blog. Also.. if any of you readers have any comments, please post them. Its' always nice to get feedback. Later! |
Saturday, December 15, 2012
November 29, 2012 - El Pacifico, Jackson County, NC
This is our first stop in Jackson County! Whew! I thought we would NEVER get out of Swain County and there isn't that many restaurants in Swain. Technically, we are not really finished with Swain as we still have to hit The Fryemont Inn in the spring when they open back up. Lisa has never been to The Fryemont Inn, which I can't believe. She is a native from WNC and TFI is such a historic landmark. I thought everyone had been to the TFI at least once.
Anyway.. here we are at El Pacifico right outside of downtown Sylva. It's in the middle of fast food lane on 107 going towards Cullowhee. Greg and I used to go to El Pacifico quite a lot but it got too noisy from all the Sorority girls screaming and talking we finally quit going. That was pre - Sazone. Now with Sazone, we never even think of going anywhere else for Mexican. Most, as I am sure you can attest, are all the same with the same menu, same presentations, same prices, and same taste. Really nothing special or different. Sazone is cut above the rest and there is no comparison.
Anyway.. back to El Pacifico. The same folks that have this restaurant have the one in Cherokee next to Food Lion. It just opened a few months ago and I can't think of the name of it. We will have it on our Jackson County list though. The menu is quite extensive and the food here is fairly good. Lots of melted cheese as you can see from the plates photos. Same rice and beans as any other Mexican restaurant.
We were joined tonite by Robert and Beth. I really can't believe they came back with us after the roachfest at Anthony's. I thought that might have scared them off. But brave souls will persevere. Plus I think they were already in Sylva at Walmart.
We were lucky to have everyone present tonight.... even Pam and Rosemary
Luckily tonite, there were no sorority or fraternity gangs out at El Pacifico. Typically there are slews of screaming, laughing, flitting girls in EP, and its hard to eat a nice, quiet dinner. That is one reason Greg and I quit going.. that and the introduction of Sazone into the area. But while the food is OK.. once you have eaten fresh Mexican, you just can't go back to eating the same old, same old served in all the other Mexican restaurants. The food at EP is OK and you do have a very extensive menu, with some items not found in other Mexican restaurants around the area. The Chili Colorado is one such dish, as is the Santa Rita, and El Diablo.
Like most Mexican restaurants in the area, this one is also run by a family and so you do have the same employees there as you did several years ago. Consistency is nice in a restaurant.. or at least I think do.
One of my big pet peeves in a restaurant is present here.. can anyone guess what it is? The first right answer will win a prize, chosen just for you. No just kidding..... anyway the answer is TV's!!! and not just one of them, but THREE.... yes, count them THREE. However, the strange part of this is.... they all are tuned to Spanish speaking channels.
I didn't realize that the majority of EP's clientele were Spanish speaking. OR... maybe they are for the staff to keep from getting bored during their shift. OR, maybe it is a subtle slap back around the "Speak English" issue. Regardless.. there they are... blaring away with a soap opera, sports and sports. We happened to be sitting near the soap opera channel and at some point we got sucked into the electronic void. Yes, we started watching. Or at least Beth and I did. We happened to be on that side of the table facing the TV and were closest to the radio waves....so there we were watching a bunch of unnaturally beautiful Latino women interact with some not so great looking Latino men.
That was the start of the downhill slide towards silliness. We started making up dialogue based on what we were watching. The others got sucked into our game and the dinner took a hard left into a reverse TV charades.
There was one man on there who bore an uncanny resemblance to the "Stay thirsty, my friend " man who stars in the Dos Equis beer commercial. We also noticed there was a great deal of hitting, slapping, punching, and general violence among the women. Every scene one or more of them were in a fight with each other or one of the men. We also noticed that the men didn't typically hit the women..they just sort of shook them violently. I don't know if these women were typical of Latino women, but they were tough, beautiful and didn't take no crap from anyone - men or women.
We also all felt sorry for the grandpa Dos Equis man as he was crying for most of his scenes. But anyway... we could have kept this up for a long time as we were getting quite hysterical about our improvised lines. It would make a good party game.
Our food was pretty good. I have had the Chili Colorado several times in the past and it is always good. This time it didn't seem to have the quality as in the past.. lots of gristle and fat on my meat. But the taste was satisfactory. The Santa Rita was good and the fresh jalapenos topped off the dish nicely. The other dishes, with the exception of the El Diablo were standard fare on a Mexican menu.. .and those who ordered them stated they were tasty, and filling. Nothing spectacular, but acceptable. The El Diablo is a huge meal. It comes with many sides, such as lettuce, rice, beans, chili sauce and chipotle sauce. Robert didn't care for the chili sauce, but did like the main dish. It was a lot of food, but he was a trooper and plowed forward.
Our group was large tonite, and we had a lot of fun laughing, talking and getting to know Robert and Beth a bit more. We do hope they will come back. We were some of the last ones leaving of course....we didn't order any dessert. The selection was basic as in most Mexican restaurants and I think Pam secretly wanted Dairy Queen.
We called it a night and our next stop will be Lulu's. It is located on main street in Sylva and has a long history of really good organic food.
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| EL PACIFICO OUT SIDE PARKING LOT |
This is our first stop in Jackson County! Whew! I thought we would NEVER get out of Swain County and there isn't that many restaurants in Swain. Technically, we are not really finished with Swain as we still have to hit The Fryemont Inn in the spring when they open back up. Lisa has never been to The Fryemont Inn, which I can't believe. She is a native from WNC and TFI is such a historic landmark. I thought everyone had been to the TFI at least once.
Anyway.. here we are at El Pacifico right outside of downtown Sylva. It's in the middle of fast food lane on 107 going towards Cullowhee. Greg and I used to go to El Pacifico quite a lot but it got too noisy from all the Sorority girls screaming and talking we finally quit going. That was pre - Sazone. Now with Sazone, we never even think of going anywhere else for Mexican. Most, as I am sure you can attest, are all the same with the same menu, same presentations, same prices, and same taste. Really nothing special or different. Sazone is cut above the rest and there is no comparison.
Anyway.. back to El Pacifico. The same folks that have this restaurant have the one in Cherokee next to Food Lion. It just opened a few months ago and I can't think of the name of it. We will have it on our Jackson County list though. The menu is quite extensive and the food here is fairly good. Lots of melted cheese as you can see from the plates photos. Same rice and beans as any other Mexican restaurant.
We were joined tonite by Robert and Beth. I really can't believe they came back with us after the roachfest at Anthony's. I thought that might have scared them off. But brave souls will persevere. Plus I think they were already in Sylva at Walmart.
We were lucky to have everyone present tonight.... even Pam and Rosemary
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| INSIDE DINING ROOM |
Luckily tonite, there were no sorority or fraternity gangs out at El Pacifico. Typically there are slews of screaming, laughing, flitting girls in EP, and its hard to eat a nice, quiet dinner. That is one reason Greg and I quit going.. that and the introduction of Sazone into the area. But while the food is OK.. once you have eaten fresh Mexican, you just can't go back to eating the same old, same old served in all the other Mexican restaurants. The food at EP is OK and you do have a very extensive menu, with some items not found in other Mexican restaurants around the area. The Chili Colorado is one such dish, as is the Santa Rita, and El Diablo.
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| SUE ENCHILADAS |
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| POLLO FUNDIDO OR AS WE CALL IT... THE FUN CHICKEN |
Like most Mexican restaurants in the area, this one is also run by a family and so you do have the same employees there as you did several years ago. Consistency is nice in a restaurant.. or at least I think do.
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| CHICKEN ENCHILADAS |
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| CHILI COLORADO....MAYBE IN HONOR OF THE LOCATION.. MAYBE THIS SHOULD BE RENAMED... CHILI CULLOWHEE |
One of my big pet peeves in a restaurant is present here.. can anyone guess what it is? The first right answer will win a prize, chosen just for you. No just kidding..... anyway the answer is TV's!!! and not just one of them, but THREE.... yes, count them THREE. However, the strange part of this is.... they all are tuned to Spanish speaking channels.
I didn't realize that the majority of EP's clientele were Spanish speaking. OR... maybe they are for the staff to keep from getting bored during their shift. OR, maybe it is a subtle slap back around the "Speak English" issue. Regardless.. there they are... blaring away with a soap opera, sports and sports. We happened to be sitting near the soap opera channel and at some point we got sucked into the electronic void. Yes, we started watching. Or at least Beth and I did. We happened to be on that side of the table facing the TV and were closest to the radio waves....so there we were watching a bunch of unnaturally beautiful Latino women interact with some not so great looking Latino men.
That was the start of the downhill slide towards silliness. We started making up dialogue based on what we were watching. The others got sucked into our game and the dinner took a hard left into a reverse TV charades.
 |
| BEEF BURRITTO - BETH WAS EATING LIGHT TONITE |
There was one man on there who bore an uncanny resemblance to the "Stay thirsty, my friend " man who stars in the Dos Equis beer commercial. We also noticed there was a great deal of hitting, slapping, punching, and general violence among the women. Every scene one or more of them were in a fight with each other or one of the men. We also noticed that the men didn't typically hit the women..they just sort of shook them violently. I don't know if these women were typical of Latino women, but they were tough, beautiful and didn't take no crap from anyone - men or women.
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| THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS... SANTA RITA |
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| ROBERT WAS EATING FOR BETH..... THE EL DIABLO |
Our food was pretty good. I have had the Chili Colorado several times in the past and it is always good. This time it didn't seem to have the quality as in the past.. lots of gristle and fat on my meat. But the taste was satisfactory. The Santa Rita was good and the fresh jalapenos topped off the dish nicely. The other dishes, with the exception of the El Diablo were standard fare on a Mexican menu.. .and those who ordered them stated they were tasty, and filling. Nothing spectacular, but acceptable. The El Diablo is a huge meal. It comes with many sides, such as lettuce, rice, beans, chili sauce and chipotle sauce. Robert didn't care for the chili sauce, but did like the main dish. It was a lot of food, but he was a trooper and plowed forward.
Our group was large tonite, and we had a lot of fun laughing, talking and getting to know Robert and Beth a bit more. We do hope they will come back. We were some of the last ones leaving of course....we didn't order any dessert. The selection was basic as in most Mexican restaurants and I think Pam secretly wanted Dairy Queen.
We called it a night and our next stop will be Lulu's. It is located on main street in Sylva and has a long history of really good organic food.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
November 15, 2012 - Anthony's, Bryson City, NC
Well, as you have probably guessed, we are not at Fryemont Inn. When I called, Thursday was already filled and they closed the week of Thanksgiving. Also, Pam had a conflict and asked us to go to Anthony's instead of Fryemont Inn so she could go with us to Fryemont Inn. But since they close next week, we just reconciled to ourselves that we would have to circle back around next spring and hit the Fryemont Inn when they reopened,. So.... in the spirit of camaraderie, we decided to hit Anthony's in Pam's absence. But although we would miss Pam, we had two new members. Beth and Robert agreed to join us on this night. We were glad to have them and thoroughly enjoyed their company. The laughs, conversation and good times were not in short supply this night,
However, we didn't leave before we talked, laughed and told stories on ourselves. We missed Pam, but were glad to have Beth and Robert join us. All in all, the food portions were very generous, the presentation was nice,
On a side note... I did see the Health Director about a week later and told her about the roaches. She stated she would pass that on to the inspector. She also stated those buildings in that area were very old. and if one had a problem they bugs just moved from one building to the next via the ceiling and walls.
Well.. that unofficially finished off Swain County for the Supper Club. We still have The Fryemont Inn but we will circle back around next Spring. Next on the agenda.... Jackson County. We have the list ready and the camera is ready. And more importantly......we are ready. Our first stop... El Pacifico.
Well, as you have probably guessed, we are not at Fryemont Inn. When I called, Thursday was already filled and they closed the week of Thanksgiving. Also, Pam had a conflict and asked us to go to Anthony's instead of Fryemont Inn so she could go with us to Fryemont Inn. But since they close next week, we just reconciled to ourselves that we would have to circle back around next spring and hit the Fryemont Inn when they reopened,. So.... in the spirit of camaraderie, we decided to hit Anthony's in Pam's absence. But although we would miss Pam, we had two new members. Beth and Robert agreed to join us on this night. We were glad to have them and thoroughly enjoyed their company. The laughs, conversation and good times were not in short supply this night,
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| OUTSIDE ANTHONY'S. TAKE OUT WINDOW AND TABLES OUTSIDE. Anthony's has been in Bryson for several years. As far as I know, it has been in the same place all that time. it is located near the train depot and gets a lot of traffic from the train riders. The parking is a bit tight as the parking lot is very small and is shared by other businesses. But there is parking on the street and in the Dollar General if they are closed. The only thing about parking in the parking lot ... well a couple of thing.... is that it's dirt with large mudholes if it rains. Also, since no space are designated sometimes folks park all crazy. Also,. there is at times, spill over from the bar next door and often things can get a bit exciting with fights, etc. Anthony's is basic Italian with the standard fare such as Pizza, Pasta, Salads, and Sandwiches. As a note, their Pizza is consistently very good. Nice crust, wide variety of toppings. The only drawback is that they use canned mushrooms instead of fresh. I love mushrooms and this is a great disappointment. They do offer a nice variety of subs/sandwiches, and pasta dishes. According to Anthony, he makes his own pasta sauce. You can choose to get a salad which is not bad. Typically fresh, but I have had one that was not once or twice. As you can see from our salads this night, they were fresh. Anthony's does not make their dressings. |
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| SALAD WITH RANCH DRESSING |
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| SALAD WITH THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING Greg and I have both had several of their past dishes, and my favorite is the Chicken Marsala. I have had this dish at several other Italian restaurants, and this one is my favorite. I especially like the tiny pasta. On another side note, Anthony's does make their tiny, buttery rolls and believe me when I tell you... you can't eat just one. |
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| CHICKEN MARSALA WITH ROLLS |
Naturally, I ordered the Chicken Marsala. I hadn't had it in a very long time and was not in the mood for a pizza. Greg ordered Spaghetti and Meatballs. This is one dish that Greg has not had and so he was venturing into unknown territory. He didn't finish the dish as he said it had no flavor. The sauce was apparently bland. So that was a disappointment to him.
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| SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS |
Robert order the . He mentioned that it was good. Lots of flavor.
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| SPINACH MANICOTTI Beth ordered the Spinach Manicotti. She also said hers was good. Certainly filling as it was a big portion. |
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| PASTA ALFREDO ( WITH HAIR) Now on to Rosemary. She ordered the Pasta Alfredo and apparently that night she ordered an unadvertised special as she found a hair in her dish halfway through her meal. And apparently,she didn't want to share as she didn't tell us until the end of the meal. And her a pastor!!! I thought they taught stuff like being unselfish in the church. So I guess you could say she got a bonus with purchase. |
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| MANICOTTI Lisa got the Manicotti. She said her was good too. So, I guess only Greg and Rosemary were the only ones disappointed that night. At least as far as the food goes. Now... on to the real interesting part of the meal. While we were eating, we noticed Anthony's health rating on the wall,which you can see in the photo below. It was an A, and we started discussing the different ratings and really what that means, Apparently the health inspector had not been to Anthony's in a while because while we were eating, Lisa and Greg noticed a baby roach climbing the wall. Greg discreetly got up and killed it. Then while we were pondering that unexpected sight, we noticed several others on other walls. They were all babies and all toward the top of the walls. Not being an expert on the habits and lifestyles of roaches, especially the babies, I was not sure what that meant, other than Anthony's had a roach problem. We discussed telling the waitress, and decided in the end to tell her so the issue could be addressed. She promptly told the owner,who chalked up the issue to the old building. Now.. the building is very old and is near the the river and several other very old buildings. I am sure that if Anthony's has roaches, the other buildings do too. Anyway, we finished our meal in some haste before we had parachutists drop in our food. |
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| MAIN DINING ROOM WHERE WE SAW LITTLE GUESTS SCURRYING UP THE WALLS |
However, we didn't leave before we talked, laughed and told stories on ourselves. We missed Pam, but were glad to have Beth and Robert join us. All in all, the food portions were very generous, the presentation was nice,
On a side note... I did see the Health Director about a week later and told her about the roaches. She stated she would pass that on to the inspector. She also stated those buildings in that area were very old. and if one had a problem they bugs just moved from one building to the next via the ceiling and walls.
Well.. that unofficially finished off Swain County for the Supper Club. We still have The Fryemont Inn but we will circle back around next Spring. Next on the agenda.... Jackson County. We have the list ready and the camera is ready. And more importantly......we are ready. Our first stop... El Pacifico.
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