Well gang, it's been quite a while since I posted here, and I'm long overdue! Got a couple of trips coming up, but before I get to that, I want to comment on a few shows that Karen and I have gotten to in the last couple of months.
Back in early January, along with her sister and niece, we made our annual pilgrimage to BB King's in Manhattan to see the great Darlene Love's annual 'Love For The Holidays' show. We've been going to this show for many years now, and Darlene never disappoints us. In addition to doing her Christmas tunes, she performs all of her 'moldy oldies' as she calls them, from her time as a solo artist, as well as singing lead for The Crystals. At 75 years young, she still has those great pipes, her voice is amazing; she brings great enthusiasm and love for what she does to the stage, and the show is really wonderful. Highly recommended!
Next up, on MLK weekend, we drove up to Connecticut, to Mohegan Sun, for 'Bowzer's Rock and Roll Party'. Jon Bauman, 'Bowzer' to fans of the old group Sha Na Na, has been doing these shows at Mohegan for 16 years, and they're always fun. This year, the lineup included a few acts we hadn't seen before, so we decided to go. Tickets were very reasonably priced, I think they were $35 or $40, and we had good seats, in the first few rows of the upper level, just off to the side of the stage. Good view of the acts, the band, and a little behind the stage action as well. For those of you who many not be familiar with these shows, they're a lot like the old Murray The K or Dick Clark shows; lots of acts (10) who each do 3 or 4 songs, with the headliners doing 5 or 6 songs.
The show kicked off with 'Kid Kyle', a young man who first came to fame about 10 - 12 years ago, when, as a very young child, he sang doo wop songs in the style of Frankie Lymon. he appeared on one of those PBS doo wop specials singing with The Students. Now age 21, he opened the show doing some of those great Frankie Lymon songs. His voice, now a little deeper, still has the sound of Frankie, and he did his couple of songs well, to good audience response.
Up next, Lala Brooks, one of the original lead singers of The Crystals (along with Darlene Love). Lala sand the lead on 'Da Doo Ron Ron' and 'And The He Kissed me'. She's still got a great voice, and did the songs well, got the crowd going, and was fun to see.
Out came Freddy 'Boom Boom' Cannon, who I'd never seen prior to this show, but I had heard that he really wasn't much of a vocalist. Well, at age 76, he may look a little frail, but he sounded a lot better than I was expecting. "Tallahassee Lassie", "Palisades Park", "Where The Action Is", he nailed them all! And he really got the crowd up and rocking, a fun act with lots of energy. Not sure I could sit through a full hour of his stuff, but for 3 or 4 songs, he was great.
The Capris came out next, and I was curious to see how they sounded, since thy lost their original lead singer, Nick Santo, to cancer a few years ago. No worries, the new lead has a terrific voice, the original guys backed him up well, and the music was wonderful. They nailed "There's A Moon Out Tonight", and "Morse Code of Love". Well worth going to see if they show up in your neighborhood.
The hits just kept coming, with Terry Johnson's Flamingos, and they sounded just like the records. "I Only Have Eyes For You" brought the house down, this group was one of the highlights of the show for me. I'd seen them way back in 1976 or 1977 at the old Long Island Arena, and to me, they sounded better this year than they did back then.
The first half of the show finished up with Jay Siegel's Tokens, one of the really legendary groups of the early 1960's. We'd seen them many times in the past, and they didn't disappoint us this time. Jay can still hit the high notes on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", "Portrait of My Love", and "Tonight I Fell In Love". As one of the featured groups, they did a few more songs than the other acts did, and took the crowd into intermission with a rousing ovation.
After a short intermission, we had the final three acts, all of them real legends. Starting off with "Lightning" Lou Christie, who is always fun to watch, and if you don't think so, he'll sure remind you that he is. He did all his hits, from "They Gypsy Cried" to "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", "Rhapsody Of The Rain", "Beyond The Blue Horizon" (from Rain Man - although I like Mike Nesmith's version better!), and, of course, "Lightning Strikes". The crowd really responded to him, and I figured it was gonna be impossible for the next act to follow him. I was wrong.
Up next, Bill Haley's Original Comets. The two remaining members of the group that actually played on "Rock Around The Clock". Now, that song was recorded in April of 1954, so these gentlemen are not kids; sax player Joey Ambrose is 83, and drummer Dick Boccelli is 93 years young! Along with their lead guitar player, who actually sounds a bit like Bill Haley did, and backed by Bowzer's house band Rocky & The Rollers, these guys rocked the place like nobody else! "See You Later Alligator", "Shake Rattle & Roll", and of course, "Rock Around The Clock" all sounded terrific! And Joey and Dick sure can play! They each did solos, and were excellent; 93 year old Dick did a drum solo that was over 3 minutes long, and really rocked! It's always a bit of a gamble when you go to see acts that are real legends, but who may have passed their time; we've all seen them, and it's sad. These guys, however, can still bring it. If they pass through your area, go see them.
Sadly, the closing act, who we had really come to see, was disappointing. it's been several years since I saw Jay Black, former lead singer of Jay and The Americans. Most of you know he's been my favorite since I first saw him, way back in the early 1970's. Karen saw him in his last performance, back in November of 2014 at Westbury, where he had a really rough time, due he said, to a cracked windpipe. Bowzer announced that while Jay is actually 'retired' and no longer performs, he agreed to do this show, and only this show, for Bowzer. Jay had closed this show several times in past years, and always brought down the house. Unfortunately, upon being introduced, as he went into his traditional opening number, Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman", it was clear that he just couldn't do it. I started videotaping the song, but stopped after about 20 seconds - Jay sounded awful, and frankly, I didn't want to have that to remember him by. He struggled through a few more songs, apologizing between tunes, saying "I'm sorry, I can't sing". Fortunately, with the exception of some who walked out on him, the crowd was gracious, and gave him good applause, and, upon both his attempt at "Cara Mia", and his exit, long standing ovations. At the conclusion of Jay's set, Bowzer came out and made some very heartfelt remarks about Jay that really touched us all. As upsetting as it was to see and hear Jay this way, I was glad that I got the chance to stand up, applaud, and cheer him one last time.
And that was the show. Three plus hours of really good entertainment, with a little touch of sadness. Bowzer announced that next year's show is already scheduled, again on MLK weekend, and Karen and I will be back - great fun!
Next up, we saw The Association out at the Suffolk Theater in Riverhead. We'd seen them a couple of times in the past year or two, as they've been celebrating 50 years together. And as we hoped, it was a great show. All the hits, plus some familiar songs that were done by other artists, all played well, with those great harmonies that the band is known for. With the exception of some minor microphone/sound issues, they did a great show.
And finally, last weekend, for Valentine's Day, we ventured to the Patchogue Theater for "A Celebration of Dino", a 100th birthday tribute to Dean Martin. Starring Andy DiMino, and an 11 piece band, the show was absolutely great. Andy looks a bit like Dean, he has a similar voice, and has perfected Dean's mannerisms. A few times, if you closed your eyes, you'd have sworn it was really Dean on stage. From carrying a cigarette in his right hand, to the ever present glass of 'booze', nattily clad in a tuxedo, 'Dean' entertained us for almost two hours, with all the classic songs, including "That's Amore", "Sway", "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime", as well as some other tunes that were popularized by other members of the 'Rat Pack'.
Dean Martin was not, of course, one of 'our' generation of performers. But you know, back in the day (I hate that expression), when we were kids, there was only one television in the house. And so, everyone watched what was on. And in our house, and in Karen's, on Thursday night, it was The Dean Martin Show. And you know what? It was a great show, and I think I enjoyed it as much as my Mom and Dad did. Dean was a great entertainer, he had terrific comic timing, he could sing almost anything (how about "Houston", a great country tune that he took into the top 20!), and the show was fast paced and funny. Dean was cool. Doubt me on that? It was Elvis Presley himself who once said to Dean, "you were cool before anyone knew what cool was!" So to be sitting in that theater, re-living a lot of those memories was great fun for both Karen and I. Couple of times we both had those damn moist eyes that seem to afflict us from time to time. At the end of the show, they announced that Andy would be back again as Dean in the next year; we will definitely be going!
That's it, the last few shows we got to, and happily, not a clunker among them! In the coming weeks, we have a couple of good ones lined up, and I'll sure do a better job of posting them closer to when they happen.
And, the road trips are starting up again. This Tuesday, Tommy and I are heading off to Detroit for an Islanders road game. We both sort of wanted to get to a game at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena this season, as it is scheduled to close at the end of the season. A new arena is being built in downtown Detroit, and so it's the last chance to see 'the Joe'. Opened in 1979, it's now the oldest operating rink in the NHL. I looked into getting tickets back in November, but the prices were crazy. Since then however, the Red Wings have fallen to the bottom of the standings, and prices have come down. While watching the last Isles-Red Wings game, when they announced that the Isles would be back in Detroit during Tom's winter break, I knew we had to go. So we'll head out early Tuesday, catch the game that night, and head back on Wednesday. Gonna stop and see my sister in law Mary and her husband Bill on the way back, they're near Cleveland, and we're going to be passing right by, so the old two birds with one stone rule applies here.
Next up, I'll be leaving on Feb. 28 or Mar. 1, not sure, to head down to Sarasota Florida for one last "Adventures of Superman" gathering. Jim Nolt, who organizes these events, has said this is the last one he's doing, and so I really want to be there. Some special guests will be there, and the fellow who runs the Super Museum in Metropolis (Illinois silly, not the comic book city), is bringing two actual George Reeves Superman costumes from the show, one of the black and white costumes, and one of the color suits. To see these in person, up close, sounds pretty cool to me. There's going to be a luncheon, a video presentation, and a few guests who knew George well, so I think it's gonna be fun. And hey, I'll get to stop at S.O.B. either going or coming! So keep your eyes on this spot for the usual trip reports in the coming weeks.
That's all for now!
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Monday, November 7, 2016
It's Not Rock and Roll, But it Sure 'Rocked'!
Sometimes, an idea pops into your head, and boy, it sounds good; then you go and do whatever it was you thought of, and it turns out to be a waste of time or a disappointment. Other times, the stars align, everything clicks into place, and your good idea actually turns out to have been just that. This is the story of one of those good ideas. Yesterday afternoon, Tom and I went out to Patchogue, to the Patchogue Theater for The Performing Arts, to see The Glenn Miller Orchestra.
Now, I know what you're all thinking, this isn't the music of my generation, and you're right. It's the music of Mom and Dad's generation, the great swing bands of the late 1930's and 1940's. But it's the music that our generation heard a lot of while we were growing up. The radio, when it wasn't tuned to 770 WABC, had one of the big band stations on, in the car, and in the house. And when our family got the huge stereo console that dominated the living room, Mom and Dad brought out the old records, and purchased new compilations of their old favorites. So I've been familiar with a lot of this music for most of my life. While I wasn't a regular listener to it, back in the mid 1980's I heard a 'new' recording called Glenn Miller In The Digital Mood.
My buddy Steve, who's a wedding DJ had bought it, and at the time, I was working with him doing weddings and parties. This was a new recording that had been put together using musicians who had been part of the Glenn Miller Orchestra through the years. It was carefully arranged to be true to the charts that Glenn used, was recorded in the huge CBS studio in New York City, and was done as a true digital project, meaning it was recorded on digital tape and transferred directly to CD and LP from that tape. The CD version of this album has such a clear, crisp sound that it was like you were in the room with the band as they played. And the songs! In The Mood...Chattanooga Choo Choo...St. Louis Blues March...American Patrol...Moonlight Seranade, all the most popular tunes from both the Glenn Miller Band, and the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band were on this record. I bought a copy on LP for Mom and Dad, and they were thrilled at the sound as well. Through the years, I played this CD a lot, and bought a few other big band cd's as well.
And of course, I'd seen the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" a few times, and seen some clips of his band on those PBS 'beg week' shows, and always thought it would be fun to actually see a big band perform. One time, must have been close to 20 years ago, the Glenn Miller Orchestra came through town, playing a free summer concert at a park nearby. But for some reason, I couldn't go; I think I was working, or maybe playing softball, And I didn't really give much thought to it through the years, until I caught a special on one of those cable channels last winter, and I decided I wanted to see this band.
You'd be amazed, or maybe you wouldn't, at how much information is available on the internet, about Glenn Miller past and present. I signed up for the Orchestra's newsletter, and was thrilled to find out that they would be playing here on Long Island. As soon as they went on sale, I bought two tickets, figuring that I could get someone to go with me. Karen was willing to go, but she and I thought that my son Tom would really enjoy it. For those who don't know, he's a music teacher, and is also a darn good musician, who can play several instruments. So yesterday afternoon, I picked him up, and off we went.
The Patchogue Theater is a beautiful old theater, which has been lovingly restored to it's original condition. Over the years, the theater was transformed from a live performance venue to a movie house, and back again. Fortunately, when it was made into a movie theater, the operators didn't remove any of the architectural features, they just covered them up with plywood.
So when it was time to renovate, the new owners just pulled off the plywood, and all of the great acoustics that were engineered into the original theater were still in place.
The show was billed as The Glenn Miller Orchestra Salute to Veterans, and it got off to a rousing start as the band played our National Anthem. And then, into their theme song, Moonlight Serenade, and off the went, playing a great combination of traditional big band songs, as well as some military themed tunes.
The Orchestra is currently a 16 piece unit, with a 'Director', Nick Hilscher, who is also the lead male vocalist. Such a well trained and experienced band doesn't need a lot of 'direction', but Nick added to the performance with some great vocals and a good presence on stage, giving details and information about the songs the band was playing.
The female vocalist, Maria Shaeffer, is fairly new to the band, having joined them last summer. Maria has a terrific voice, very strong, yet also very well rounded. She sang fast uptempo tunes as well as she did slow songs, and even a couple of 'torch songs'. Very talented, she really sounded great both as a solo, and when she was part of the "Moonlight Serenaders", made up of three of the musicians plus Maria. They sang the parts that would have been done years ago by The Modernaires, who sang with the band for many years.
But, of course, the real stars of the show were the guys in the band. And boy, could they play! 16 talented players, from all over the country, who brought the feel of being at a 40's show alive. The band plays with very little amplification, just two microphones on either side of the band, and one for the musicians to 'solo' into at the front of the stage. Of course, back in the 40's, there wasn't much in the way of amping a full band; microphones and amplifiers were reserved for the vocalists, who would have had a hard time being heard over the sound of all the instruments playing. And so, when it was time for one of the players to solo, they'd move to the front of the stage, in front of the band, and play out into the audience. And the current band does the same thing, soloists come out to the front of the stage, play their part, then go back to their position. Very cool. And some of the solos were quite good! For the most part, the band consisted of a piano, and upright bass, drums, four trumpets, four trombones, and four saxophone/clarinet players. I was amazed at how well the guys playing the saxophones could switch over to a clarinet, and then back again, and they sounded great regardless of which instrument they played.
Even without amplification, this is one powerful band. When they played "In The Mood" and they hit the final portion of the song where the band goes all out, you could feel the intensity of the music in your chest, it was terrific! And they played a nice long show, a full hour, followed by a short intermission, and then a second full hour. Two hours long, full of songs that are truly timeless, played by musicians who obviously love what they do, and do it damn well. On our way in and out of the theater, we passed their tour bus, and I realized that these guys not only play the tunes of the great Miller bands of the past, they live much the same way - gig to gig, bus to hotel, hotel to show, show to bus. In looking at their event schedule, this band plays about 200 dates a year, traveling mostly by bus. Gotta be a rough life, and you've got to have a real love and commitment to the music and the culture to be able to do that!
To sum up, this show was a terrific one, great songs, great players, in a setting that brought all the sounds together. Tom and I left the show just amazed at what we had seen and heard. The band was off to New Hampshire last night for a show today, and then back out across the country they go. However, they're booked back into the Patchogue Theater for a date next December, a "Christmas" show, and boy, I sure do plan to be there!
Now, I know what you're all thinking, this isn't the music of my generation, and you're right. It's the music of Mom and Dad's generation, the great swing bands of the late 1930's and 1940's. But it's the music that our generation heard a lot of while we were growing up. The radio, when it wasn't tuned to 770 WABC, had one of the big band stations on, in the car, and in the house. And when our family got the huge stereo console that dominated the living room, Mom and Dad brought out the old records, and purchased new compilations of their old favorites. So I've been familiar with a lot of this music for most of my life. While I wasn't a regular listener to it, back in the mid 1980's I heard a 'new' recording called Glenn Miller In The Digital Mood.
And of course, I'd seen the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" a few times, and seen some clips of his band on those PBS 'beg week' shows, and always thought it would be fun to actually see a big band perform. One time, must have been close to 20 years ago, the Glenn Miller Orchestra came through town, playing a free summer concert at a park nearby. But for some reason, I couldn't go; I think I was working, or maybe playing softball, And I didn't really give much thought to it through the years, until I caught a special on one of those cable channels last winter, and I decided I wanted to see this band.
You'd be amazed, or maybe you wouldn't, at how much information is available on the internet, about Glenn Miller past and present. I signed up for the Orchestra's newsletter, and was thrilled to find out that they would be playing here on Long Island. As soon as they went on sale, I bought two tickets, figuring that I could get someone to go with me. Karen was willing to go, but she and I thought that my son Tom would really enjoy it. For those who don't know, he's a music teacher, and is also a darn good musician, who can play several instruments. So yesterday afternoon, I picked him up, and off we went.
The Patchogue Theater is a beautiful old theater, which has been lovingly restored to it's original condition. Over the years, the theater was transformed from a live performance venue to a movie house, and back again. Fortunately, when it was made into a movie theater, the operators didn't remove any of the architectural features, they just covered them up with plywood.
So when it was time to renovate, the new owners just pulled off the plywood, and all of the great acoustics that were engineered into the original theater were still in place.
The show was billed as The Glenn Miller Orchestra Salute to Veterans, and it got off to a rousing start as the band played our National Anthem. And then, into their theme song, Moonlight Serenade, and off the went, playing a great combination of traditional big band songs, as well as some military themed tunes.
The Orchestra is currently a 16 piece unit, with a 'Director', Nick Hilscher, who is also the lead male vocalist. Such a well trained and experienced band doesn't need a lot of 'direction', but Nick added to the performance with some great vocals and a good presence on stage, giving details and information about the songs the band was playing.
The female vocalist, Maria Shaeffer, is fairly new to the band, having joined them last summer. Maria has a terrific voice, very strong, yet also very well rounded. She sang fast uptempo tunes as well as she did slow songs, and even a couple of 'torch songs'. Very talented, she really sounded great both as a solo, and when she was part of the "Moonlight Serenaders", made up of three of the musicians plus Maria. They sang the parts that would have been done years ago by The Modernaires, who sang with the band for many years.
But, of course, the real stars of the show were the guys in the band. And boy, could they play! 16 talented players, from all over the country, who brought the feel of being at a 40's show alive. The band plays with very little amplification, just two microphones on either side of the band, and one for the musicians to 'solo' into at the front of the stage. Of course, back in the 40's, there wasn't much in the way of amping a full band; microphones and amplifiers were reserved for the vocalists, who would have had a hard time being heard over the sound of all the instruments playing. And so, when it was time for one of the players to solo, they'd move to the front of the stage, in front of the band, and play out into the audience. And the current band does the same thing, soloists come out to the front of the stage, play their part, then go back to their position. Very cool. And some of the solos were quite good! For the most part, the band consisted of a piano, and upright bass, drums, four trumpets, four trombones, and four saxophone/clarinet players. I was amazed at how well the guys playing the saxophones could switch over to a clarinet, and then back again, and they sounded great regardless of which instrument they played.
Even without amplification, this is one powerful band. When they played "In The Mood" and they hit the final portion of the song where the band goes all out, you could feel the intensity of the music in your chest, it was terrific! And they played a nice long show, a full hour, followed by a short intermission, and then a second full hour. Two hours long, full of songs that are truly timeless, played by musicians who obviously love what they do, and do it damn well. On our way in and out of the theater, we passed their tour bus, and I realized that these guys not only play the tunes of the great Miller bands of the past, they live much the same way - gig to gig, bus to hotel, hotel to show, show to bus. In looking at their event schedule, this band plays about 200 dates a year, traveling mostly by bus. Gotta be a rough life, and you've got to have a real love and commitment to the music and the culture to be able to do that!
To sum up, this show was a terrific one, great songs, great players, in a setting that brought all the sounds together. Tom and I left the show just amazed at what we had seen and heard. The band was off to New Hampshire last night for a show today, and then back out across the country they go. However, they're booked back into the Patchogue Theater for a date next December, a "Christmas" show, and boy, I sure do plan to be there!
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Back to the Road Food!
On the trip to Nashville, both Karen and I had the chance to sample some good food. As usual, I try my best to avoid any place that I can visit here on Long Island, especially 'fast food' joints. So most of the 'usual suspects' are off the list. I do, however, visit 'fast food' places that we do not have here. Who knows, maybe I'll find one that's really good!
First night on the road found me just outside of Roanoke, VA after a good day's drive. A busy little intersection off of I-70, with lots of places to eat. Not knowing the area well, I asked the desk clerk which would be a good choice, and was told that "Angelles Diner" has good food. Also, it was 'BBQ Special' night, and they would be offering ribs, brisket, and pulled pork dinners. So off I went to find Angelles.
Not too far up the road, and the parking lot was jammed, usually a good indication that the place has good food. And yes, the place was packed, with a pretty good wait for a table. So I decided to sit at the counter, which had one seat open, instead of taking up a table that could seat up to four just for myself. Took a few minutes for the waitress to come over, but once she did, the service was friendly and quick. I chose the pulled pork sandwich dinner, which came with fries and cole slaw. Unfortunately, the counter was tight, and I didn't get the chance to get a photo of the food. The pork was fine, slightly smoky, a little sweet on the finish, served on a warm potato roll with just a dab of a rather bland bbq sauce. A few generous drops of Texas Pete sauce fixed that! The fries were good; crinkle cut, served piping hot, crispy, just the right amount of salt, no ketchup needed. The cole slaw may have been the highlight of the meal. It was creamy and had just the right balance of sweet/vinegar flavor to really balance out the pork. Most of you know I have a lot of 'texture' and 'mixing' issues with my food, and although I wouldn't care for the mouth feel of it, I bet the slaw ON the sandwich would have been good. That's the good of the visit to Angelles, now you get the bad. Sitting at the counter, I could see all the 'cooking' being done, as you can see in this photo.
The place has two half size flat top grills, four deep fryers, a couple of warming pots for sauces, but nowhere did I see an oven, or any sort of steam table. From what I can tell, the only items that got 'cooked' on the flat top were burgers, bacon, chicken breasts, grilled cheese sandwiches, and eggs. So how do they 'cook' the rest of the menu? Well, I observed an order of meat loaf being prepped. Individual slices of the loaf, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, are taken out of the fridge, placed on a plate, covered with the plastic wrap, and shoved into the microwave. And all of the 'sides', such as corn, beans, mashed potatoes, they're placed in little dishes, and zapped as well. In fact, the busiest appliance I saw there was the microwave! Now, the bbq items are smoked out back in an outdoor smoker; but so much of the food is prepped in the microwave that it's difficult to say what's being 'cooked' in this place, and what's being supplied by a food service company and just heated up. Not what comes to mind when you're talking 'diners', which traditionally do all the cooking on site. Let the eater beware, choose carefully here, or you'll be rewarded with what is basically a store bought tv dinner!
Friday night was dinner in Nashville at the Harp and Fiddle; I reported on this meal over on Facebook, so if you're interested, you can check my posts there. On Saturday, Karen joined me, and the food tour began with a place my friend Diane recommended, The Pub.
Located on 11th street, right downtown, this is a fun, lively, enjoyable English Pub. We had just finished touring the Country Music Hall of Fame, and it was lunchtime. So in we went. Light eating was our plan, since we were hoping to get bbq for dinner. So we started with a shared appy, their Bellhaven Beer Cheese spread. Nice sharp cheddar with Scottish Ale, served with pretzels, celery, carrots, and cucumber for dipping. Karen opted for water, while I spied an old friend on draft; Carlsburg! Hadn't had one of them for a long time, and it did not disappoint. Crisp, nicely chilled, good finish, it went well with the excellent cheese dip. For our lunches, we did salads, Karen had the 'Wedge", while I had the "Cranberry Pecan Salad". Took a while to arrive, but when they did, we had nice crisp fresh greens, just enough extras, and good dressings. Solid meal, just what we wanted at lunch.
Off we went to the hotel, unfortunately, although we got there almost an hour after 'check in' time, our room was not ready. The hotel made up for that with a couple of free drinks and appetizers, so we each had a Bloody Mary, which was outstanding. We later found out that the secret was the mix they use, a brand called "Zing Zang", which is surprisingly, low in both calories and sodium. It's apparently available at Wal-Mart and Target, so we're now in search mode!
Dinnertime came, and we set out to try Martin's BBQ, a highly rated place in Nashville. The line, however, to quote A Christmas Story, stretched all the way back to Terre Haute! We knew there was another location, out in Nolensville, so we headed out that way. Of course, when we got there, the line was just as long, and since we had tickets to the Grand Ole Opry, we chose to move on and grab a burger at Highway 55.
This is a franchise place, fairly new, and it's kind of nice. Clean, bright inside, decorated with faux Route 66 and 'cruisin' articles, it had the look of a place that only recently opened.
Found a table, and over came one of the very young folks working there with menus and a welcoming smile. Of course, burgers are the reason you come here. Karen opted for the "Andy's Cheeseburger" special, which came with fries and a drink. The waitress was happy to substitute half an order of onion rings for half the fries, which was nice. The burger actually came out looking like this shot from their menu.
I went for the bacon cheeseburger with fries. Like most places the burgers are all cooked the same way, well done, but they're not dry. Both burgers were juicy, hot, and well topped. The fries were thin crinkle cut, and were pretty good, as were the onion rings. Unfortunately, someone behind the line must have missed the 'bacon' on my order, 'cause there was none on my burger. When the waitress came over to check on us, we mentioned this, and within a few minutes, the Manager of the place was over, apologizing and offering us coupons for our next visit. Good service. We decided to treat ourselves to a small custard before we left.
Custard is really popular in the midwest, and there are chains that feature it predominantly on their menus. It's sort of like soft serve ice cream, but has egg in it, which gives it a softer texture and a more rich taste. Toppings were included, Karen had hot fudge and peanut butter cups, while I got cherries. Good way to top off a meal which we both enjoyed. Since this is a franchise, and a fairly new one, I'd say if you spot one of these places, it's worth a visit.
Sunday morning rolled around, and we had definite plans for breakfast in mind. One of those places that we don't have here on Long Island, the legendary Waffle House!
It's been a long time since I stopped at one of these places, I think it was when Billy was in the Marines and I visited him in Jacksonville NC, we went there for breakfast. We were up and out of the hotel by 8, and the place was already packed. This location was on the small side, there were only 3 tables and the counter. Fortunately, there were two stools at the counter, so we grabbed them and sat down. Got our menus, and gave them the once over.
Of course, breakfast is sort of their specialty, and they serve the full breakfast menu 24 hours a day. Coffee came, good, but not spectacular; hot, but a little on the weak side. Freshly brewed however, as we watched new pots being brewed the entire time we were there. We decided that we had to get a waffle; after all, the name of the place is.....Karen got hers with bacon, crispy, and I chose sausages. One of the fun things to do at this place is to watch the team behind the counter get the orders done. I counted 7 people working at this little place, and they were like a well oiled machine.
One person doing waffles; one cooking the eggs; one doing hash browns and other sides; one doing meats. And everyone pitching in on coffee, drinks, working the register, and cleaning up. Let me tell you, these people work damn hard, and are always moving. The fact that these tiny shops serve as many people as they do, and remain pretty darn clean is a testament to the employees. The food arrived, hot, and well cooked. The waffles? Well.....to be honest, not the best waffles in the world.
Karen's was a bit soft, with no crispiness to it; mine was better, but both lacked something in the flavor department. A little Vanilla in the batter would have gone a long way. Served with 'buttery spread' (?) and 'maple syrup', overall, they were okay. Karen's bacon was indeed 'crispy' and had good flavor, while my two small sausage patties had just the right amount of pepper to give them a little bite. For the first meal of the day, it was fine, and now we can say we've been, and don't have to return for a while.
After a bit of shopping for Halloween things for the grandkids, we went back to the hotel for a bit, where we had a cup of coffee and sat outside in the courtyard, enjoying the sun and the summer like weather. Around 11:30, my buddy Wayne texted us that he was at the hotel, and asked if we'd like to get lunch. A bit later, we met him, and headed back out on the road, to make a third attempt to eat at Martin's BBQ out in Nolensville.
This time, the food Gods were on our side, as we had just a short wait to order. At Martin's, you order at the counter, and a waitstaff brings the food out to your table.
Typical bbq stuff, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, with sides such as slaw, mac and cheese, green beans, bbq beans, the usual. Wayne chose the loaded baked potato, a huge spud topped with brisket, cheese, bacon, whatever they seem to have had lying around got tossed onto this bad boy. And, served with a pancake! Karen and I got a rack of baby back ribs, green beans, hush puppies, and house made potato chips. Wayne chose "Stewart's Cream Soda" for his drink, while I got "RC Cola"; both served ice cold in glass bottles. Wayne enjoyed his briskety potato. The brisket was moist, tender, well smoked, and needed very little sauce. Our ribs were, pretty good, but they'd been overcooked a bit. The meat had no 'tug' to get off the bone. In fact, while we were trying to cut the ribs apart, most of the meat just fell off into the plate.
Flavor was good, but not great; after all we'd heard about this place, I have to say, we were a little disappointed in it. The green beans, canned, were overly salty; for me to say that, you know they were too salty! The hushpuppies were pretty good, but, like the ribs, they'd been left in the fryer about a minute too long, as the outside was well past the 'golden brown and delicious' stage.
Flavor and texture were good, however, they were fine. The best item we had was the potato chips. They were crisp, warm, and had a touch of bbq seasoning on them. Overall, I'd go back, but I'd sure pass on the place if the line was as long as we saw over the weekend.
Dinner on Sunday was just a salad for Karen, and a bowl of onion soup for me in the hotel restaurant. Both were acceptable, with Karen's salad being the better of the two choices, as the onion soup was served lukewarm (heated in the microwave, I'd bet), and was rather bland. Dessert, however was good, a nice warm peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream Nice light dinner after two filling meals earlier in the day.
Monday's breakfast and lunch were supplied by the hotel to all of us who were doing the CPO Instructor School. Nice buffet at breakfast, eggs, bacon, potatoes, oatmeal, fruit, cereal. Pretty much whatever you liked. Lunch was a "Mexican" buffet, with salad, corn and bean relish, tortilla soup, and both chicken and beef fajitas. Both meals were just fine.
Dinner on Monday found us back at The Pub, as most of us from the Education Committee took our friend Connie Sue out for her birthday. There were 18 of us, and the staff at The Pub did a great job, given that they had about two hours notice that we were coming in. Since I reviewed this place at lunchtime on Saturday, I'll just say that all the food that was ordered that night was very good. Karen and I shared an appetizer, a 'Scotch Egg'. For those who don't know, this is a hard cooked egg, which is surrounded with sausage meat and then deep fried. Served with a little spicy mustard, it was a great starter, we really enjoyed it. And the Carlsburg was again terrific!
Tuesday morning came, and with it, Karen had to leave to get back to NY and a desk full of work. We again had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the hotel, as we were teaching all day, and had a meeting at dinner time. However, I did slip out at lunchtime, since I had the afternoon off, and got my own lunch. Imagine my delight as we had been driving around the area by the hotel and spotted this:
Yeah, it's Jack. You've all heard about this enough from me, so I'll sum up the lunch in two words: Monster Tacos!
Back on the road Wednesday to get home, so nothing much to say about the food on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I stopped for the night in a very small town in West Virginia, and food choices were poor; McDonald's, Taco Bell, two convenience stores, and KFC. I caved, and went to KFC, only because for a limited time, they've brought back their 'Nashville Hot Chicken'. I'd tried this last summer and it wasn't bad. Three white meat tenders, doused with a pretty good hot sauce, served with dill pickles and a biscuit. Served the purpose, filled me up, and off to bed I went.
On Thursday, I'd timed my trip so that I would get home mid-afternoon, providing the traffic wasn't totally lousy. That put me on I-78 in Pennsylvania late in the morning, and after a quick stop for gas, had me passing route 100 in Trexlertown right at 12 noon. Some of you know what that means, I was at the right spot, at the right time, for a PA classic;
Yocco's Hot Dog King! This is a small chain, four or five locations, that's been around for 50+ years. They serve a very unique dog, a local variation of a chili dog. There's a sign that explains it pretty well:
Well done for sure, the dogs here have a real 'char' to the outside of them. A 'Medford' dog doesn't seem to be anything special, they're rather small, decent texture, but, like most dogs outside of the NY area, on the bland side. The charring of the outside definitely helps with the flavor. I got two 'with everything', a small order of fries and a drink. Total cost, $6.30, very reasonable.
The chili sauce is applied by quickly dipping the dog into the chili pot. It's applied very thinly all over the dog, as opposed to most places, where they dollop the chili on top of the dog. I pulled back the bun on one of these to give you an idea:
Looks icky, doesn't it? Yeah, it does. So here's tip number one; don't pull the bun back on a Yocco dog! Squirt a little mustard on it, as I did, and leave it like this:
Then just put your brain on hold, and enjoy it! The steamed bun is warm and has good flavor, decent texture, and goes well with the dog. The dog, as noted, a bit bland, but works well with the chili sauce, which is mild and more on the style of Cincinnati chili, savory, but not like hot Texas red chili. The onions are mild and add a nice crispness to the whole deal. You can get cheese on your dog, but from past visits I know it's just a slice of white American (which is just wrong; American cheese should be yellow) placed under the dog, not worth the .50c upgrade. However, you do need the mustard; without it, it's just not as good. The fries were thin crinkle cut, hot, crispy, just fine. I should note that on this visit, the dogs were good. Last time I was here, they hadn't been cooked quite enough, they were not really hot, and didn't have enough 'char' on them. I was disappointed, but this time, all good. Yocco's has a cool side dish for those of you who've had enough fries. They serve Pierogies!
And there you have it, the long tale of the food to and from Nashville. Fun trip, it was great having Karen with me for part of it. She's a great traveling companion, she puts up with all of my nonsense, is willing to eat at places she probably wouldn't visit herself, and supports all of my trips, blogging, and interests. Now time to give my stomach a bit of a rest before I venture out on the road again!
First night on the road found me just outside of Roanoke, VA after a good day's drive. A busy little intersection off of I-70, with lots of places to eat. Not knowing the area well, I asked the desk clerk which would be a good choice, and was told that "Angelles Diner" has good food. Also, it was 'BBQ Special' night, and they would be offering ribs, brisket, and pulled pork dinners. So off I went to find Angelles.
Not too far up the road, and the parking lot was jammed, usually a good indication that the place has good food. And yes, the place was packed, with a pretty good wait for a table. So I decided to sit at the counter, which had one seat open, instead of taking up a table that could seat up to four just for myself. Took a few minutes for the waitress to come over, but once she did, the service was friendly and quick. I chose the pulled pork sandwich dinner, which came with fries and cole slaw. Unfortunately, the counter was tight, and I didn't get the chance to get a photo of the food. The pork was fine, slightly smoky, a little sweet on the finish, served on a warm potato roll with just a dab of a rather bland bbq sauce. A few generous drops of Texas Pete sauce fixed that! The fries were good; crinkle cut, served piping hot, crispy, just the right amount of salt, no ketchup needed. The cole slaw may have been the highlight of the meal. It was creamy and had just the right balance of sweet/vinegar flavor to really balance out the pork. Most of you know I have a lot of 'texture' and 'mixing' issues with my food, and although I wouldn't care for the mouth feel of it, I bet the slaw ON the sandwich would have been good. That's the good of the visit to Angelles, now you get the bad. Sitting at the counter, I could see all the 'cooking' being done, as you can see in this photo.
The place has two half size flat top grills, four deep fryers, a couple of warming pots for sauces, but nowhere did I see an oven, or any sort of steam table. From what I can tell, the only items that got 'cooked' on the flat top were burgers, bacon, chicken breasts, grilled cheese sandwiches, and eggs. So how do they 'cook' the rest of the menu? Well, I observed an order of meat loaf being prepped. Individual slices of the loaf, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, are taken out of the fridge, placed on a plate, covered with the plastic wrap, and shoved into the microwave. And all of the 'sides', such as corn, beans, mashed potatoes, they're placed in little dishes, and zapped as well. In fact, the busiest appliance I saw there was the microwave! Now, the bbq items are smoked out back in an outdoor smoker; but so much of the food is prepped in the microwave that it's difficult to say what's being 'cooked' in this place, and what's being supplied by a food service company and just heated up. Not what comes to mind when you're talking 'diners', which traditionally do all the cooking on site. Let the eater beware, choose carefully here, or you'll be rewarded with what is basically a store bought tv dinner!
Friday night was dinner in Nashville at the Harp and Fiddle; I reported on this meal over on Facebook, so if you're interested, you can check my posts there. On Saturday, Karen joined me, and the food tour began with a place my friend Diane recommended, The Pub.
Located on 11th street, right downtown, this is a fun, lively, enjoyable English Pub. We had just finished touring the Country Music Hall of Fame, and it was lunchtime. So in we went. Light eating was our plan, since we were hoping to get bbq for dinner. So we started with a shared appy, their Bellhaven Beer Cheese spread. Nice sharp cheddar with Scottish Ale, served with pretzels, celery, carrots, and cucumber for dipping. Karen opted for water, while I spied an old friend on draft; Carlsburg! Hadn't had one of them for a long time, and it did not disappoint. Crisp, nicely chilled, good finish, it went well with the excellent cheese dip. For our lunches, we did salads, Karen had the 'Wedge", while I had the "Cranberry Pecan Salad". Took a while to arrive, but when they did, we had nice crisp fresh greens, just enough extras, and good dressings. Solid meal, just what we wanted at lunch.
Off we went to the hotel, unfortunately, although we got there almost an hour after 'check in' time, our room was not ready. The hotel made up for that with a couple of free drinks and appetizers, so we each had a Bloody Mary, which was outstanding. We later found out that the secret was the mix they use, a brand called "Zing Zang", which is surprisingly, low in both calories and sodium. It's apparently available at Wal-Mart and Target, so we're now in search mode!
Dinnertime came, and we set out to try Martin's BBQ, a highly rated place in Nashville. The line, however, to quote A Christmas Story, stretched all the way back to Terre Haute! We knew there was another location, out in Nolensville, so we headed out that way. Of course, when we got there, the line was just as long, and since we had tickets to the Grand Ole Opry, we chose to move on and grab a burger at Highway 55.
This is a franchise place, fairly new, and it's kind of nice. Clean, bright inside, decorated with faux Route 66 and 'cruisin' articles, it had the look of a place that only recently opened.
Found a table, and over came one of the very young folks working there with menus and a welcoming smile. Of course, burgers are the reason you come here. Karen opted for the "Andy's Cheeseburger" special, which came with fries and a drink. The waitress was happy to substitute half an order of onion rings for half the fries, which was nice. The burger actually came out looking like this shot from their menu.
I went for the bacon cheeseburger with fries. Like most places the burgers are all cooked the same way, well done, but they're not dry. Both burgers were juicy, hot, and well topped. The fries were thin crinkle cut, and were pretty good, as were the onion rings. Unfortunately, someone behind the line must have missed the 'bacon' on my order, 'cause there was none on my burger. When the waitress came over to check on us, we mentioned this, and within a few minutes, the Manager of the place was over, apologizing and offering us coupons for our next visit. Good service. We decided to treat ourselves to a small custard before we left.
Custard is really popular in the midwest, and there are chains that feature it predominantly on their menus. It's sort of like soft serve ice cream, but has egg in it, which gives it a softer texture and a more rich taste. Toppings were included, Karen had hot fudge and peanut butter cups, while I got cherries. Good way to top off a meal which we both enjoyed. Since this is a franchise, and a fairly new one, I'd say if you spot one of these places, it's worth a visit.
Sunday morning rolled around, and we had definite plans for breakfast in mind. One of those places that we don't have here on Long Island, the legendary Waffle House!
It's been a long time since I stopped at one of these places, I think it was when Billy was in the Marines and I visited him in Jacksonville NC, we went there for breakfast. We were up and out of the hotel by 8, and the place was already packed. This location was on the small side, there were only 3 tables and the counter. Fortunately, there were two stools at the counter, so we grabbed them and sat down. Got our menus, and gave them the once over.
Of course, breakfast is sort of their specialty, and they serve the full breakfast menu 24 hours a day. Coffee came, good, but not spectacular; hot, but a little on the weak side. Freshly brewed however, as we watched new pots being brewed the entire time we were there. We decided that we had to get a waffle; after all, the name of the place is.....Karen got hers with bacon, crispy, and I chose sausages. One of the fun things to do at this place is to watch the team behind the counter get the orders done. I counted 7 people working at this little place, and they were like a well oiled machine.
One person doing waffles; one cooking the eggs; one doing hash browns and other sides; one doing meats. And everyone pitching in on coffee, drinks, working the register, and cleaning up. Let me tell you, these people work damn hard, and are always moving. The fact that these tiny shops serve as many people as they do, and remain pretty darn clean is a testament to the employees. The food arrived, hot, and well cooked. The waffles? Well.....to be honest, not the best waffles in the world.
Karen's was a bit soft, with no crispiness to it; mine was better, but both lacked something in the flavor department. A little Vanilla in the batter would have gone a long way. Served with 'buttery spread' (?) and 'maple syrup', overall, they were okay. Karen's bacon was indeed 'crispy' and had good flavor, while my two small sausage patties had just the right amount of pepper to give them a little bite. For the first meal of the day, it was fine, and now we can say we've been, and don't have to return for a while.
After a bit of shopping for Halloween things for the grandkids, we went back to the hotel for a bit, where we had a cup of coffee and sat outside in the courtyard, enjoying the sun and the summer like weather. Around 11:30, my buddy Wayne texted us that he was at the hotel, and asked if we'd like to get lunch. A bit later, we met him, and headed back out on the road, to make a third attempt to eat at Martin's BBQ out in Nolensville.
This time, the food Gods were on our side, as we had just a short wait to order. At Martin's, you order at the counter, and a waitstaff brings the food out to your table.
Typical bbq stuff, ribs, brisket, pulled pork, with sides such as slaw, mac and cheese, green beans, bbq beans, the usual. Wayne chose the loaded baked potato, a huge spud topped with brisket, cheese, bacon, whatever they seem to have had lying around got tossed onto this bad boy. And, served with a pancake! Karen and I got a rack of baby back ribs, green beans, hush puppies, and house made potato chips. Wayne chose "Stewart's Cream Soda" for his drink, while I got "RC Cola"; both served ice cold in glass bottles. Wayne enjoyed his briskety potato. The brisket was moist, tender, well smoked, and needed very little sauce. Our ribs were, pretty good, but they'd been overcooked a bit. The meat had no 'tug' to get off the bone. In fact, while we were trying to cut the ribs apart, most of the meat just fell off into the plate.
Flavor was good, but not great; after all we'd heard about this place, I have to say, we were a little disappointed in it. The green beans, canned, were overly salty; for me to say that, you know they were too salty! The hushpuppies were pretty good, but, like the ribs, they'd been left in the fryer about a minute too long, as the outside was well past the 'golden brown and delicious' stage.
Flavor and texture were good, however, they were fine. The best item we had was the potato chips. They were crisp, warm, and had a touch of bbq seasoning on them. Overall, I'd go back, but I'd sure pass on the place if the line was as long as we saw over the weekend.
Dinner on Sunday was just a salad for Karen, and a bowl of onion soup for me in the hotel restaurant. Both were acceptable, with Karen's salad being the better of the two choices, as the onion soup was served lukewarm (heated in the microwave, I'd bet), and was rather bland. Dessert, however was good, a nice warm peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream Nice light dinner after two filling meals earlier in the day.
Monday's breakfast and lunch were supplied by the hotel to all of us who were doing the CPO Instructor School. Nice buffet at breakfast, eggs, bacon, potatoes, oatmeal, fruit, cereal. Pretty much whatever you liked. Lunch was a "Mexican" buffet, with salad, corn and bean relish, tortilla soup, and both chicken and beef fajitas. Both meals were just fine.
Dinner on Monday found us back at The Pub, as most of us from the Education Committee took our friend Connie Sue out for her birthday. There were 18 of us, and the staff at The Pub did a great job, given that they had about two hours notice that we were coming in. Since I reviewed this place at lunchtime on Saturday, I'll just say that all the food that was ordered that night was very good. Karen and I shared an appetizer, a 'Scotch Egg'. For those who don't know, this is a hard cooked egg, which is surrounded with sausage meat and then deep fried. Served with a little spicy mustard, it was a great starter, we really enjoyed it. And the Carlsburg was again terrific!
Tuesday morning came, and with it, Karen had to leave to get back to NY and a desk full of work. We again had breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the hotel, as we were teaching all day, and had a meeting at dinner time. However, I did slip out at lunchtime, since I had the afternoon off, and got my own lunch. Imagine my delight as we had been driving around the area by the hotel and spotted this:
Yeah, it's Jack. You've all heard about this enough from me, so I'll sum up the lunch in two words: Monster Tacos!
Back on the road Wednesday to get home, so nothing much to say about the food on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I stopped for the night in a very small town in West Virginia, and food choices were poor; McDonald's, Taco Bell, two convenience stores, and KFC. I caved, and went to KFC, only because for a limited time, they've brought back their 'Nashville Hot Chicken'. I'd tried this last summer and it wasn't bad. Three white meat tenders, doused with a pretty good hot sauce, served with dill pickles and a biscuit. Served the purpose, filled me up, and off to bed I went.
On Thursday, I'd timed my trip so that I would get home mid-afternoon, providing the traffic wasn't totally lousy. That put me on I-78 in Pennsylvania late in the morning, and after a quick stop for gas, had me passing route 100 in Trexlertown right at 12 noon. Some of you know what that means, I was at the right spot, at the right time, for a PA classic;
Yocco's Hot Dog King! This is a small chain, four or five locations, that's been around for 50+ years. They serve a very unique dog, a local variation of a chili dog. There's a sign that explains it pretty well:
Well done for sure, the dogs here have a real 'char' to the outside of them. A 'Medford' dog doesn't seem to be anything special, they're rather small, decent texture, but, like most dogs outside of the NY area, on the bland side. The charring of the outside definitely helps with the flavor. I got two 'with everything', a small order of fries and a drink. Total cost, $6.30, very reasonable.
The chili sauce is applied by quickly dipping the dog into the chili pot. It's applied very thinly all over the dog, as opposed to most places, where they dollop the chili on top of the dog. I pulled back the bun on one of these to give you an idea:
Looks icky, doesn't it? Yeah, it does. So here's tip number one; don't pull the bun back on a Yocco dog! Squirt a little mustard on it, as I did, and leave it like this:
Then just put your brain on hold, and enjoy it! The steamed bun is warm and has good flavor, decent texture, and goes well with the dog. The dog, as noted, a bit bland, but works well with the chili sauce, which is mild and more on the style of Cincinnati chili, savory, but not like hot Texas red chili. The onions are mild and add a nice crispness to the whole deal. You can get cheese on your dog, but from past visits I know it's just a slice of white American (which is just wrong; American cheese should be yellow) placed under the dog, not worth the .50c upgrade. However, you do need the mustard; without it, it's just not as good. The fries were thin crinkle cut, hot, crispy, just fine. I should note that on this visit, the dogs were good. Last time I was here, they hadn't been cooked quite enough, they were not really hot, and didn't have enough 'char' on them. I was disappointed, but this time, all good. Yocco's has a cool side dish for those of you who've had enough fries. They serve Pierogies!
And there you have it, the long tale of the food to and from Nashville. Fun trip, it was great having Karen with me for part of it. She's a great traveling companion, she puts up with all of my nonsense, is willing to eat at places she probably wouldn't visit herself, and supports all of my trips, blogging, and interests. Now time to give my stomach a bit of a rest before I venture out on the road again!
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