Avert Yer Eyes

Okay, No one in the world needs to eat this much pork. I was recently in Georgia and found this sandwich on the menu at Dreamland Barbeque.

I was so very full by the time I had less than half the sandwich gone, I just had to give up. Oh well.

UPDATE: I think a better title for this may be "I can Haz Heart Attack?"

99 Problems

Chad and I went to Spyro's today for a New Year's Brunch.

The food was exceptional as always, but the atmosphere was somewhat less than ideal.

At a booth diagonal from us, probably ten feet away, a woman sat having a meal with her mother. She seemed to be recounting all of her entire life's journey, beginning with the fact that she wanted her mother to "downsize" and move out of the house and into an apartment or senior living community.

She also thanked her mother for helping her during her own financial crisis. She was a 62 year old divorcée who apparently lost her job and was living in her mother's spare room. Her mother seemed extremely devoted to her, to the point of absurdity.

The daughter carried on and on about how she doesn't like egg whites and how her mother was so good to eat the white and save the yolk for her, so on and so forth.

Then she kept talking about her problems with money and how she would have been okay had she only been allowed to "touch" her ex-husband's retirement fund. Apparently the evil ex-husband specifically forbade her from getting one red cent in the divorce decree. I had to admire the man's foresight.

Chad and I did our best to keep to ourselves as the lady went on and on for the entire 40 minutes we were there. Finally, we both finished eating and I begged Chad to go in my exasperated, "are you about ready" tone.

In the car on the way home, we both promised each other we'd never let the other end up like that woman.

A Friendly Review

The Friendly Fox is the yum.

The relatively new eatery on South Wayne is a true gem. I went Saturday for a late lunch after doing some holiday shopping. I had the turkey wrap and a coffee. It was the most refreshing meal I'd had in weeks.

The food tasted unbelievable, and while the brewed coffee doesn't quite measure up to my high "firefly or die" standards, it's still quite good.

At South Wayne Avenue and West Foster Parkway, it's only a few blocks from my house. It will be nice to take a quick ride down there on my bike when the weather permits. The cafe is located in an historic edifice with a nice angle-cut front door that evokes days gone by.

The warm wood furnishings and carpet make one feel at home, and there are sofas and tables, with the unique chance to sit on sofa-like cushions in the window sill. Unfortunately, the window faces north and it was overcast, but just imagining basking in the sun on a brighter day gave me something to look forward to.

There was a gentleman taking advantage of free wi-fi and there was a TV graciously stowed above the door and out of everyones way. The unfortunate part was the basketball game on the screen was much too loud for a quiet Saturday afternoon.

In an adjacent room, a half dozen or so armchairs waited patiently for patrons craving the quiet. The location would make an ideal spot for pondering the workings of the universe with a group of philosophers or catching up on the Harry Potter novels.

The staff was helpful but a little slow for people who work in a coffee shop, but it may have been the fact it was late in the day. Another drawback is a single unisex restroom, though it was large enough to divide later, if the extra facility is demanded.


In what has become a very competitive premium coffee society, the Friendly Fox has come armed with tons of tchotchkies for loyal customers to purchase as souvenirs. If you want to flaunt your coffee independence by wearing a Friendly Fox sweatshirt into Starbucks, you may want to bring some extra cash, as they are a little on the pricey side.

Overall, the Friendly Fox's respectable brews and resplendent foods make it absolutely worth a visit. Four out of five stars.

Address:
4001 South Wayne Ave., Fort Wayne, Indiana

For more, visit Cindy Larson's article at The News-Sentinel.

(This review also available on my pro blog, Featured Writer)

tomorrow's dinner and last weekend's beverage

Tomorrow, I am supposed to go to Red Lobster to celebrate my friend's birthday. I haven't set foot in a Red Lobster since 1998, so help me Diety.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what to order? I at least know that white wine goes with all seafood. Maybe that's why I'm not too keen on it. I prefer red.

Speaking of Red wine, (and I'm not being paid for this) I was at Andy's last weekend for Battlestar Galactica and wine. I picked out a Yellow Tail Pinot Noir. It was sooooo good and it was the first time in a long time I hadn't gotten sniffly from alcohol.

We also watched Torchwood from BBC America. It's the lame spinoff from the reinvented Dr. Who, complete with Russell Davies' over-the-top affectations. I didn't quite care for it, but the plot point that all of the secret agents are randy bisexuals was an odd, literally queer, twist. The name of the episode was, I kid you not, "They Keep Killing Suzie." I must agree with Andy that it's the best title ever for a television episode.