We had to have a change of plans this week. We were originally supposed to go to Rivers End in the Nantahala Gorge, but because we were rained out of the Outdoor Drama on Tuesday, we just decided to kill two birds with one stone and go to the drama and to eat on Thursday. Paul's was on our Swain Co. list anyway, so we voted to go there and then on to the drama since it was closer than Rivers End. We felt we would be hard pressed to get from the Gorge to Cherokee in time.
Next week we will be back on schedule and at Rivers End. I hope we get through Swain Co. before tourist season ends, cause some of these restaurants close up for the season. And we just heard that Nantahala Village has closed early due to foreclosure. There must be a black cloud or old Indian curse on that place. The original one burnt to the ground several years ago and now this. It has changed hands numerous times and has just never been the fabulous place it was before the incineration. The old place was quite beautiful too. Like something you would see in a scary movie.. the old haunted inn that held too many secrets, and came alive at night ( and not in a good way). Sorta like the one in The Shining. A lot like The Fryemont Inn in Bryson City.
Anyway... back to the night. We met early because Paul's has the reputation of being a little slow. We wanted to have plenty of time for a relaxing meal and to visit and cut up as usual without being rushed. We all met in one of the renovated sections of Cherokee that the tribe owns and zipped right over to Paul's in my car. When we got there, the parking lot was all goobered up. Not sure what was going on with that. They had half roped off and the section across the road was full. Lucky for us, a car was pulling out so we zipped in the vacated space. The parking gods were with us that night.
The current Paul's is a new building. Their old building burnt down. (Hmmm.. is there a trend here?) The current one while nice, is obviously a modular home that has been modified. But it is a nicer looking building than the ones surrounding it. Paul's is located in a strip of Cherokee that really needs some renovation. There are many empty, dilapidated buildings, weedy overgrown parking lots, and huge dinosaurs, bears and other over sized creatures left over from the 60's. These critters have definitely seen better days.... the bears are balding, the dinosaur has broken pieces, and many are covered with kudzu. Shop signs are falling down and left abandoned. The entire section has the look of a town that is trying to hold on to a sliver of vitality with its fingernails while slowly being drug into a sinkhole of despair by its ankles. Every so often you will see a nice business like Paul's or Dairy Queen, but it is hard to tell if the town is being remodeled or if these are the last vestiges of a thriving town and they are just hanging on with tooth and nail. Regardless, the tribe or Chamber of Commerce really needs to address it.
Paul's is locally owned by the Ensley family. They are all members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Paul Ensley and his wife work there most days. Paul also used to have a booth at the annual Cherokee fair and specialized in frybread and roasted corn. I have not seen them there in the last couple of years, so it may have gotten too much for them. Their children also used to work in the restaurant and booth, but haven't seen them around in awhile. I have not been to Paul's in about four years, and the first thing I noticed was the change in wait staff. All the ones that had been there for awhile were gone.
We had the choice of sitting on the porch or inside. I am really glad we chose inside, cause partway through our meal, we started getting wafts of cigarette smoke through the door. Someone was smoking on the porch. There is nothing I hate worse than trying to eat while someone is smoking. I hate that worse than TV in a restaurant or limp french fries.
The place was fairly full, but not overcrowded. Our waitress was quick to get our drinks and our orders and she was not in the least flustered about our special requests.Like I mentioned, I have not been to Paul's in about 4 years and immediately noticed a difference in the menu. It seems they have cut down drastically in terms of selection and there have been some additions in the wild game department. They now offer Rabbit (which I can't stand - too stringy), Buffalo, Frog Legs and Pheasant (never had that). They had Buffalo burgers, which are getting quite popular in these parts, and a Buffalo Ribeye dinner (which was quite pricey - about 24.99 pricey). The selection of sandwiches had been narrowed down considerably and the Appetizer selection had been increased to include Fried Pickles, among others.
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| FRIED PICKLE APPETIZER |
We all ordered tea; sweet and unsweet. The tea was brewed and was very, very good. Some of the best tea I have had. There is an art to making southern tea and most restaurants are just a bit (some by a football field) off the mark. And in spite of what McDonald's advertises, that is NOT southern tea. Neither is Bojangles.
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| PHILLY STEAK SANDWICH WITH FRIES |
Greg ordered the Ribeye Steak sandwich and a baked potato.
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| RIBEYE STEAK SANDWICH WITH BAKED POTATO |
Lisa ordered a hot dog and fries. I think she thought we were at Nabers. Or maybe she was just having fond memories of Nabers.
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| LISA HOTDOG WITH FRIES |
Pam was the adventurous one tonite. She ordered the Buffalo Burger with Fries and a Fried Pickle appetizer. I have never eaten Fried Pickles and I have to say, they were quite good. A bit tangy and they were served with Ranch and Chipotle sauce.
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| BUFFALO BURGER WITH FRIES |
Our food was not too long in coming. I did have to send my Fries back for recooking as they were limpish and not at all like potato chips. They were quite pale. (See picture). But, when you have food issues like me, that is just par for the course, and not a big deal. However, when they came back, they were nice and crunchy and very brown. Thank you to the cook.
My sandwich had generous portions of the Philly steak, mushrooms and onions on it. It was a bit greasy, but not grossly so. Everyone appeared to enjoy their food, except Lisa, who only ate half her hot dog. She has not been feeling well lately, which has caused her to not have much of an appetite. But her hot dog was huge anyway, so half was a pretty good meal. Her little dogs will get a treat tonite from the leftovers. The chili on her dog did not look homemade, but who knows. She also had Fries which were not cooked to death like mine. Lisa likes her fries pale and limp.
Pam seemed to enjoy her burger and stated it tasted just like a regular burger to her. Buffalo can be quite dry in restaurants, if they don't know how to cook it. It doesn't have any fat in it, so it is leaner and doesn't have that great fatty taste you associate with beef burgers. Often it is too dry as it is cooked wrong. I really like Buffalo meat and my daddy and I would always to to Asheville when we were having a family reunion or gathering and get a roast for the occasion. It is a pricey meat, but well worth the extra spent. Plus, its much healthier for you than beef.
Pam was wondering what a Indian Taco was, so we explained it to her.She has eaten Fry Bread at my house and understood the concept. There happened to be a woman who ordered an Indian Taco beside us and we asked if we could take a picture of hers. She was very accommodating.
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| INDIAN TACO
I personally don't like Indian Tacos cause they are too big and the Fry Bread ends up really soggy. Did I mention I have issues with soggy food too? That is why I won't eat cereal, pancakes, waffles, French Toast, Biscuits and Gravy or Indian Tacos. I will eat the stuff as long as its separated, however. An Indian Taco is nothing more then a piece of Fry Bread with chili, onions, lettuce,tomatoes, and cheese on top. It will fill a plate and is quite heavy... not to carry, but in your stomach.
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| COCONUT CAKE HALF EATEN |
We talked about the election and how stupid Mitt Romney seems to be. Lisa was sharing with us the story of him stowing his dog on top of his car in a dog crate and traveling that way. Who does that? Luggage falls of the top of cars all the time. So would a dog in a crate, since its not aerodynamic. What a ninnie! Lisa and Pam said they would pay good money to see me in the car behind Mitt with that dog strapped on top. What?
We also talked about the Cherokee clan system and Greg threw in his two cents about his tribes' band system. I found out something tonite about my husband. He belongs to the Skidi band, which in his language means Wolf. I belong to the Cherokee Wolf Clan. So, I wonder if that means we are intertribally incestuous?
Today was the anniversary of Elvis' death and Pam had on her commemorative earrings. We talked about going to Graceland next year for this anniversary, but Pam and Lisa were not up for the challenge of the crowds. So, we agreed to go to Graceland at some point,when its cooler. We all love Elvis and Greg's mother was also very fond of Elvis; playing his records over and over and watching his movies. I still watch Elvis movies and will record them if I have to leave the house. I love Elvis movies and have some CD's in my car. Love Me Tender ............
We gave Pam some background information on the outdoor drama, but really couldn't comment on this years performance since this was the latest rendition and none of us had seen it. The play stayed the same for many, many decades and recently underwent some artistic renovations. Some of the feedback was not positive, and so for the past 5 or 6 years there has been a different take on the story. Some were more artistic than others and some stuck more to the old story, complete with inaccurate historical facts. So, we were all in for a surprise tonite.
I tried to get some good pics of the inside of Paul's, but it was always fairly full while we were there. I tend to get a bit nervous when taking pictures inside the restaurants. I think one day some patron is going to accost me and demand I turn over my camera for invasion of privacy or because he's some celebrity in disguise and doesn't want his picture sent to the Enquirer. And really.. who wants their picture taken when they are fixing to take a bite of food anyway? But I did manage to get a couple of shots off on the way out the door.Oh yea.. just one more note... Paul's does have clean bathrooms.
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| THE BAR AREA WITH A TV |
Join us next Thursday, August 24th at 6:30 pm at Rivers End in the beautiful Nantahala Gorge.
On a side note.. the drama stunk. The entire first half (there is an intermission) was so Disneyfied (Pam's word - and an accurate one) that the seriousness of the history was completely drowned by the silly, amateurish dancing and loud, comic voices of the actors. The second half was a complete opposite. It was QUITE serious, and you finally got the story, but it was marred by yet another silly, ballet type leaping dance that was supposed to convey jubilation at the Cherokee's survival and success in spite of the hardships and forced removal. The artistic quality is missing its mark by a long shot and the history was yet again, misrepresented or misinterpreted. There didn't seem to be many locals in it as in past years either. I was quite disappointed by it. We all agreed to come again next year, if its changed. If not, we're staying far away.
Also, the seats have been changed and they are quite high. So no matter how tall you are, your feet will dangle. An odd predicament to be in. I felt like Edith Ann.
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