Just Desserts?

The result of the election in Alabama yesterday caused a general sigh of relief in most of the country outside the Beltway, but for the current leadership of the Republican Party, it's probably the worst possible outcome.

We rank-and-file Republicans -- I still count myself as a member of that embarrassed band -- have long known that the party has been hijacked by angry libertarians. I'd say most of us have reacted by tut-tutting, more or less openly, and by quietly voting for Democrats more often; I know that's been my response, being not really politically involved.  But the loss of what should have been a sure Republican senate seat points up the scruples of much of the party leadership. To be sure, there were those, like Mitch McConnell, who initially criticised the party's candidate. That small clique of Republicans can at least claim to have some fundamental principles in line with the mainstream of America.

But too many -- far, far too many -- Republican office-holders in this political stageplay have demonstrated that, for them, power is everything. No sin is too reprehensible for these people to overlook where even a bit of political control is available.

Had the Party organization reacted to the (thoroughly believable) allegations against its candidate in a proper way, even at the cost of a senate seat, it would have come out of the election with a shred of integrity intact. Instead, taking its cue from the angriest people who, cynically, claim the mantle of Republicanism, the Party rallied 'round the flag-cloaked sleaze produced by that angry crowd, and lost. And now it has neither senate seat nor integrity.

El Mariachi
1442 North Broad Street
Tazewell, Tennessee

It may be, as other reviewers on Zomato.com have

what's that mean?

claimed, the best Mexican food for miles around. The style is Guerrereño, which is not as familiar to me as other distinct varieties of Mexican cooking. It was good, though. The salsa -- one of the most important aspects of any meal in a Mexican restaurant -- was fair, as were the tostadas; not great, but not bad. I ordered one of the lunch-menu burritos, filled with ground beef and cheese and served with beans, rice, salad and crema. The portion was large enough to satisfy without being as large as I'd have expected for the price (which was otherwise reasonable). The beans seemed unusually light, which I found gratifying; the rice was not as highly seasoned as Mexican (or "Spanish") rice generally is. I'll put that down to the culinary style of Guerrero. The service was okay; the atmosphere was reasonably pleasant and the place seemed clean. It was well after the lunch rush, about 2pm, so I suspect the servers were feeling that I'd interrupted their down-time. On the plus side, there was Mexican music playing lightly and no sound coming from the televisions (which were showing a SEC football match; my Lord, do those teams play EVERY day? It was probably a re-run.)

 

Pete's Place
2460 East 1st Street
Blue Ridge, Georgia

This place has a prosperous look to it, and a prosperous feel. I got there just about the time the after-church crowd from the early service starts to clog the parking lot, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it took so long for my order to arrive. At least the waitress made it a point to refill my glass and bread basket during the wait, a courtesy not always extended by harried servers.

what's that mean?

Having had a conversation earlier with a guy who had just learned how to fly-fish for trout in a nearby stream, I decided it'd be a good idea to order trout. And so I did: grilled trout on a house salad. The fish was clearly fresh, marvelously so, and very nicely seasoned and perfectly grilled. If the kitchen had hewed to the wise maxim that nothing in a salad should be larger than a lady's mouth, the meal would have been perfect. That rul

e, even today, is good policy mostly honoured in the breach, but let's be honest: you cannot efficiently cut a thin slice of red onion (or just about anything else) served in a bowl atop many varied ingredients. You get inadequate support under the item you seek to cut, and just push it down into the mix, which moves aside to slop out of the bowl.

 

Clarence's Drive-In
on the main road, near the freeway exit
Unicoi, Tennessee

I ordered the veggie omelet and a doughnut. The omelet was uninteresting; badly needed something to bind the innards, like a little cheese. The veggies were sautéed in oil and too much of it. But the doughnut was outstanding: home-made, hot from the fryer, a little sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and the doughnut hole perched on top. I won't say it made up for the omelet, but it sure helped.

what's that mean?

The coffee was good, too, and the service was down-home how-ya-doin' cheerful.

 

The Egg & I
6121 Harbourside Center Loop
(a shopping center on Hull Street Road)
Midlothian, Virginia

My main gripe with chain restaurants is their tendency to dumb down the food on offer to conform to their conception of the general palate. This chain, or at least this outlet -- I've only ever been to one other, in Texas -- carries that tendency almost beyond comprehension. I ordered a dish called the Parisian Benedict, which should, from the description on the menu, have been a rich composition of flavours and textures. 'Twas not so: instead, it gave new scope to blandness, a scope near beyond comprehension. And the coffee was really bitter, too, more than even a double-dose of salt could correct.

what's that mean?

Beyond that, the ambience was pleasant and the service was good. I thought the prices were a little high, even before I'd tasted the food.

 

Bistro on Main
8 North Main Street
Lexington, Virginia

A very pleasant bar and restaurant on one of the main downtown streets of a charming burg. Excellent service, and interesting menu, and reasonable prices for an upscale-tending bistrot. When I looked over the lunch menu, my New Orleanian heritage kicked in and forced me to order an oyster po-boy.

what's that mean?

Many people say you shouldn't order seafood when dining inland, especially people from coastal areas. But I found the best oysters of my life in the Rocky Mountains behind Denver -- no, not THAT kind of oyster; regular oysters -- and also the most expensive. The lesson I drew from that experience is that money trumps distance. And so it is here: the oysters were excellent, the preparation was very good, and the presentation, with a nice handful of well-prepared fried potatoes and a very good coleslaw, was likewise very well done. The only upsetting thing was that the sandwich was served on a small, soft round bun, which the purist in me regards as an almost unpardonable breach of propriety. A po-boy must -- MUST, I say -- be served on a crusty baguette. If it wasn't so damned good I'd really have to mark them down for that offense. (Imagine the appropriate emoticon here.)

 

Cafe Bosna
5751 Old Hickory Boulevard
Hermitage, Tennessee

The food more than makes up for the third-world ambience and irregular service in this "European" cafe. The menu features some German, some Turkish, some Balkan dishes. I chose to start with a butternut squash soup, followed by a cabbage salad and burek. 

What's that mean?

The soup was ... Oh. My. God. Buttery. Sublime. The texture was creamy without being thick, the seasoning was deft. Absolutely top quality stuff. The cabbage salad, with a very light dressing and a few interesting other veggies thrown in for colour, was also in the top quartile of its class. The burek, a mix of ground meat and shredded potato seasoned and rolled into a long tube of phyllo, then wound into a spiral and served in a thin white sauce, was heavenly as well. 

Prices were spot on.