Checking In Once Again - Mostly Food

It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blogsite although I do check in on other bloggers that I've followed in the past.  Nothing earth shattering here but I put together a couple of food related items with an appropriate beginning and ending. 

We've (especially Laurie) have been getting up earlier than has been our habit over the past several years.  As a consequence, Laurie captured this glorious sunrise coming up over Tellico Lake and the nearby hills.

Very recently we had enjoyed a late afternoon/early evening meal at our friends Larry and Bev's home.  Larry is also a blogger and food is a specialty. (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/) We enjoyed the company and a great meal, including Royal Red Shrimp in brown butter, Salmon Cakes and Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza. (shown above) In this case my focus is on the Focaccia Pizza.  It was delicious and I think that I ate at least 5 slabs of it... To see the recipe, just go to Larry's  (Big Dude's) blog post as follows.  You'll get to see the family dogs as well!  (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/2025/08/fresh-tomato-focaccia-pizza-pups-new-cut.html)

Larry 'twisted my arm' and I ended up taking home a big chunk of the remaining Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza.  So what came next?  I sliced the top off a slab of the focaccia and dropped in a frying pan with plentiful butter, and then I heated both sides of the above 'slice'.

After it was browned a bit, I sprinkled a bit of parmesan on the tomato side of the focaccia pizza.  Loved the color...before I took that final step prior to consumption.

I topped my slightly modified fresh tomato focaccia pizza with a couple of over-easy fried eggs. This was a very satisfying breakfast indeed!  Thanks Larry and Bev...for having us over for dinner and for sending a classy leftover home with me.

One of our friends had referred us to the Abridged Beer Company in Knoxville.  He told us that they served the best hamburger he's ever had in Knoxville!  Since we both love a good burger and we were going to be in Knoxville anyway, we decided to stop in for an early dinner.

We started out with an appetizer, in this case it was the Fried Cornbread with House Jam and Honey Butter. ($11.00) This offering was quite tasty with crusty fried outside of these cornbread 'cakes' adding interesting texture and a nice bite of flavor.  The honey butter and house jam worked too but I think I would have preferred a little more tang or pop with the jam.

Laurie ordered the Old Smokey Burger. ($17.00) It was comprised of a 7 oz. all-beef ground brisket blend, house aioli, tobacco onions, applewood smoked bacon, smoked provolone cheese, bourbon BBQ, and brioche jalapeno jam on a brioche roll.  For her side dish she opted for the potato salad.  She has repeatedly told me...and others...that this was the best burger she ever had.

My burger (no photo as it looked about the same) was simply the Abridged Burger. ($17.00) It was made up with the same brisket blend ground beef and house aioli plus fried brussels sprouts petals, white American cheese and applewood smoked bacon on the brioche bun.  I skipped the caramelized onions as I don't care for onions.

I've decided that I'm more of a purist when it comes to hamburgers.  My favorite burgers are comprised of a nice firm bun, quality beef and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese...with perhaps a smear of mayonnaise.  Laurie likes more layers of flavor.  Basically, I could barely taste the ground beef as it was overshadowed by the other ingredients.  This was a decent burger or sandwich and the bun was top notch.  The fries were too limp for my taste and $17.00 for a burger seems a bit high...perhaps justified by the layers applied to the sandwich.

Everybody has different likes and dislikes and, based on the crowd, Abridged Beer Co. is very popular.  Abridged Beer Company is located at 320 North Peters Road in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-281-5449.  You can check out their menu on their website which is found at https://www.abridgedbeer.com/.

And I'll sign off for now with this photo of our sunset last night.  We've been having great weather this month.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Eating Our Way toward Galveston!

Following our short visit to Eutaw Alabama, we got back on I-20/I-59 and continued southwest across the state line into Mississippi.  Just past Meridian Mississippi, we once again diverted onto the slower but more interesting US Hwy 11, which parallels I-59 south toward Laurel and Hattiesburg Mississippi.  Our overnight destination was the Hampton Inn in Hattiesburg.

After we'd checked in at our hotel, we headed out for dinner.  I'd done some research and Mug Shots Grill and Bar ended up as the winner for dinner...  As you can see, the interior of Mug Shots is expansive, loaded with booths, tables and chairs, a full bar and a plethora of televisions.  Industrial look on steroids!  

Well, Mug Shots does have a full bar...and after a day of driving Laurie was ready for an adult libation.  I don't believe that she was expecting her bloody Mary to come with its own appetizer! ($9.00) Note the celery, olive, onion ring and bacon...

We did order an actual appetizer, the Pow Pow Shrimp. ($12.99) Mug Shots version of this spicy shrimp appetizer was OK...no complaints, but not the best ever either.

For my entree, I ordered Caitlin's Cajun Sandwich. ($12.79) The sandwich consisted of a blackened chicken breast topped with hickory smoked bacon and melted pepper jack cheese and mayonnaise and it came with lettuce and a slice of tomato.  I asked for the lettuce and tomato to be on the side.  The sandwich was accompanied by beer batter French Fries.  This was a very nice sandwich indeed!

Despite the fact that I did enjoy my sandwich, Laurie's evening meal looked even better than mine.  She had the Buffalo Bleu Salad. ($13.49) The mixed greens were topped with crispy fried chicken tossed in Mug Shots' (** second level) mild Wang sauce.  The salad was topped with bleu cheese crumbles, hickory smoked bacon, diced tomatoes, red onion and house-made ranch salad dressing.  Laurie really liked her salad.  I was allowed a bite as well and I concurred with her assessment.

Mug Shots Grill  and Bar is a franchised operation with at least 22 locations in a 5 state area.  The Hattiesburg location is at 204 North 40th Street.  Phone: 601-271-2299.  Website: https://www.mugshotsgrillandbar.com/location/mugshots-hattiesburg/.

                             

The next morning we departed from Hattiesburg and rolled on down I-59 toward New Orleans, picking up I-12 westbound just east of Slidell Louisiana.  We hadn't had breakfast at this point so I got off I-12 after a couple of miles and followed US Hwy 190 and then LA Hwy 22 west looking for a place to eat.  Laurie got on her phone and found a likely breakfast spot in Mandeville Louisiana, right off Hwy 22 west.  Shortly after her discovery, we pulled in the parking lot at the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen... We did notice that the housing in this area was a bit up-scale.

The interior of the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen was warm and friendly...not the industrial look that we're so tired of.  There is a diner style counter, high tables and chairs and plenty of well-spaced tables with standard seating.  The staff was very friendly and talkative...

The menu at Crazy Pig was both mind boggling and daunting.  The daunting part was trying to figure out what to order!  This isn't your typical breakfast menu, that's for sure!  I ordered the Schnitzel with a hand hammered chicken fried pork cutlet, topped with two over-medium fried eggs, a side of sausage gravy and a grilled biscuit, all accompanied by a choice of grits or breakfast potatoes. ($17.99) It was a great breakfast although I will say that our home-made sausage gravy at home is superior to the Crazy Pig's. 

Among the other house specials one can find the Booya Biscuit, a fried egg with cheddar cheese, praline bacon and a fried green tomato on a grilled biscuit.  Another option is the Sticky Chicken, fried chicken with cane syrup and whipped butter on a grilled biscuit.  The south sure does like sweet!

After Laurie perused the menu, she decided to go for a 'benedict', not just any old 'usual' benedict but in this case Crazy Pig's Pontchartrain Benedict.  This version involved two poached eggs over crab cakes, resting on slices of tomato all on an English muffin with Hollandaise sauce. ($17.99) Laurie likes crab but she has had several experiences with crab cakes that are more 'stuff' than they are crab.  These crab cakes were mostly tasty crab meat.  She sided her breakfast with grits and she thought that the entire meal was excellent...

How southern can a benedict be?  How about the Whole Hog Benny, with the poached eggs, pulled pork and a sausage patty, all topped with Hollandaise sauce and bacon!  Another option would be the Voodoo Crawfish Benny, with the poached eggs, fried green tomato, crawfish tails and Voodoo sauce on a grilled English muffin.

While the Crazy Pig Southern Kitchen isn't inexpensive, it is special compared to most breakfast venues we've visited in recent years.  Interesting menu and fine breakfast fare!  This restaurant is located at 4700 LA Hwy 22 in Mandeville Louisiana.  Phone: 985-264-6655.  Closed on Mondays.  Website: https://www.crazypigkitchen.com/.

On to Galveston!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

On The Road Toward Galveston

Back in March of this year, Laurie and I had decided to take a road trip, with Galveston Texas and Natchitoches Louisiana as our primary destinations.  Galveston because of its history and the HGTV show, "Restoring Galveston" and Natchitoches because of its history and the varied attractions in the area near the city.  So off we went!

When it was time for lunch, Laurie pulled up the nearby dining possibilities on her phone...and we stopped at Sadie's Diner in Vance Alabama.  Vance has a population of a bit over 2,000 residents but it is best known for the only Mercedes Benz plant/assembly line in North America.  It should be no surprise that Sadie's Diner is located at 10565 Daimler Benz Boulevard in Vance adjacent to the big Mercedes facility... 

FYI, the plant itself is located on 1,000 acres of land that was donated by the state of Alabama.  The land was part of the deal that helped win the contract with Mercedes.  The property features multiple test tracks...both road and off-road options.  The Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center includes a free museum that features cars produced throughout the company's history.  Plant tours are also available for a modest fee.

Based purely on it's size, Sadie's is not a true diner.  Expansive would be the best description of its interior dining areas.  The counter itself is basically a huge "S" with squared corners and my best guess is that it would seat about 40 customers at one time.  Tables...they have tables!  The second photo shows only about 60% of the tables at Sadie's.   Not unexpectedly, the walls were decorated with Mercedes-Benz signs, photos and even hubcaps.   

We don't eat breakfast before leaving on a road trip.  We take coffee and we hit the road.  breakfast on days.  Fortunately for us, Sadie's serves breakfast all day!  Since it is our favorite meal, our decision making was easy.  We both ordered "Trim 1", 2 eggs over medium, hash brown potatoes, a biscuit and meat... Laurie went for the bacon and I chose sausage. ($10.99 each) Our meals were OK, not famous but decent.  The problem was the service... We got very little attention from our waitress, coffee must have been in short supply, and the kitchen either decided to go on break or the waitress forgot to turn in our order.  It took 'forever' for us to get our food.  As you might have noticed from the photos of the dining areas, it isn't like the restaurant was overwhelmed with customers!  

Sadie's Diner is apparently owned and operated by Sprint Mart, a service station, convenience store corporation that features fresh food for traveling clientele.  This was the line waiting in the store segment next to Sadie's, waiting to pick up to go items.  To learn more about Sprint Mart and Sadie's Diner, you can go to https://www.sprintmart.com/sadies-diner/.

Once we passed Tuscaloosa Alabama on I-59/I-20, we were tired of driving on the 'super slab', (aka 'expressway', 'freeway' or Interstate highway), so we jumped off and followed part of US 11 south and west toward Mississippi.  It runs parallel to the Interstate.  Along the way, we came to the town of Eutaw Alabama.  Eutaw is the county seat for Greene County Alabama.  The county was named after Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene of Rhode Island.  The town was named for the Battle of Eutaw Springs, the last engagement of the American Revolutionary War in the Carolinas.  Greene County's population as of the 2020 census recorded 7,730 residents, and it has the lowest population of any county in Alabama.  In 2023, the population was estimated at 7,341, a 5% decline in only 3 years. 

There are 3 buildings on the courthouse side of Courthouse Square, not including the courthouse itself.  Unfortunately, the first photo above is of the newest building located next to the courthouse.  Built in 1931, this was the County Library and it was replaced with a new facility in the 1990s.  Other buildings literally in the square are the Grand Jury Building (1842) and the Probate Office (1856 with a second story added in 1938)

The second photo above is the actual Old Greene County Courthouse.  This two-story Greek Revival style building was the county's seat of government from 1869 until 1993.  The prior courthouse was burned to the ground in 1868.  Most historians feel that it was a deliberate act of arson by the KKK.  The fire destroyed paperwork pertaining to about 1,800 suits by freedmen against the planters and the fire took place just prior to the suits being acted on.

This historic plantation house is located at Mesopotamia Street and Kirkwood Drive in Eutaw.  Named "Kirkwood" or the Foster Mark Kirksey House, construction on this Greek Revival style home with Italianate influences, began in 1858.  The original owner/builder was Foster M. Kirksey, a planter, elected official, an agent for the Confederate government, a cotton factor and a commission merchant. (1817 - 1906) Construction was halted by the start of the American Civil War...leaving several features of the house incomplete.  Kirksey, who served as Sheriff from 1845 - 1848, was a significant part of Greene County history for more than 50 years.  As for the house itself, the balcony railings, cupola, and a few other minor features were completed by a couple in the 1970s who wanted to restore the home.

That's all for now... Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Popular Local Diner for Breakfast...

Bonnie and Bill's visit continues... They expressed interest in eating breakfast out one morning and since that is our favorite meal and we love breakfast out too, off we went.

We love diners!  Unlike the eastern and northeastern part of the country, there aren't too many diner style restaurants in the Knoxville area.  Laurie and I chose Nick and J's Cafe for our breakfast.  It is one of the most popular restaurants in the area.

How popular is it and how favorably do customers rate Nick and J's Cafe?  On TripAdvisor it is ranked #6 among all of Knoxville's restaurants.  On Yelp, customers have recorded a 4.6 out of 5.0 rating.  With over 2,100 reviews, Nick and J's scores 4.8 out of 5.0!

Like many diners, the walls are covered with memorabilia, as well as photos of customers and local celebrities.  Both counter service and booths are available for diners.  The atmosphere is bustling and friendly.  The wait staff is efficient and friendly...and most of them seem to have been working at Nick and J's Cafe for some time.

Laurie ordered a breakfast that was a break from her norm, which usually involves eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast.  She did order a side of bacon with her 3 pieces of cinnamon maple French toast with powdered sugar and strawberries. (Total = $18.99) Laurie gave high praise for the quality of the bacon and she really enjoyed her French toast with its topping.

I followed Laurie's example, ordering a breakfast item that I rarely chose...  These 3 plate-size buttermilk pancake behemoths came with butter and maple syrup. ($10.50) They were thick and had a little crust or flat top griddle 'edge' to them.  I really liked them...but this was just too much food for even me.  I managed to finish about 75% of my plate.

Laurie's sister Bonnie ordered the Deluxe Pancakes. ($11.99) They came with your choice of blueberries, strawberries or chocolate chips with whipped cream.  Her choice is obvious based on the photo...unless you're color blind.  She was a little worried that a blueberry compote would just be layered on top of the pancakes and she was pleased that actual blueberries were actually mixed in the batter.  She skipped the whipped cream.  She could only finish about half of her pancakes, but her husband Bill had a few bites too.

Bill went 'southern' for his breakfast.  This was the Clifty Farm's Country Breakfast. ($13.99) It included a slab of country ham, 2 eggs your way, toast or a biscuit and gravy and seasoned or 'dusted' home fries.  Bill ordered his eggs 'basted' but Nick and J's doesn't do 'basted' so he had to settle for scrambled.  We warned him that the ham would be pretty salty...and it was...but he seemed to like it.  His toast was on the side.  

In our opinion, the only negative is that Nick and J's doesn't offer hash brown potatoes as an option instead of 'home' fries.  In retrospect, it is one of the reasons why we didn't order our usual breakfast items.  I will note that a lack of hash browns hasn't hurt Nick and J's business...

Nick and J's Cafe is located at 1526 Lovell Road right at the interchange/exit with the Pellissippi Parkway aka TN Hwy 162 just north of I-40/I-75.  It's open for breakfast and lunch Monday - Saturday.  Phone: 865-766-5453.  The restaurant was named after the owner/operator's children, Nickolas and Jordan.  Learn more and check out the menu at https://knoxvillerestaurantstn.com/.  

I just had to include a photo of the Laurie 'original' charcuterie board that we recently put together for a neighborhood gathering.  It featured 6 types of cheese, salami, sweet ham, pepperoni, grapes and Bear Jam. (The jam includes blueberries, elderberries, apples and raspberries) Not shown...a basket of crackers and toast rounds, a bowl of olives and another bowl featuring pickled mushrooms.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Almost Gone! A Local Landmark...Hall's TN Hwy 322

Our entire neighborhood and, for that matter our entire quasi-retirement community, has changed dramatically in the almost 16 years since we moved to East Tennessee from Mt. Prospect Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.  I say quasi-retirement because although most residents are either retired or are still working but nearing retirement, there are a growing number of family's that have taken advantage of our open (no gate or age limit) community as it has expanded.  

In any case my point is that change is inevitable.  We can either roll with the changes or we can give ourselves ulcers fretting over what used to be... This is a post about what is close to becoming a special place 'that used to be'.

The building is fairly non-descript.  The sign reading "Hall's" is actually written in cursive, something that is now longer included in curriculum of many schools. (Our youngest grandson uses an app to translate the notes we send him in cursive) Yep, those are gas pumps and we know folks who won't eat at any place that pumps gas....and Hall's does serve food.  In this case the pumps are no longer functional.

Thanks to "The Connection", our village newspaper, I have this photo of the Hall family.  From the left we have Will and Kari Hall Phillips, Erin Hall, Kelly Hall, Helen Hall, Charlie Hall, Chris Hall, Jennifer Hall, Ryan Hall and CJ Hall.

Charlie and his bride, Helen, bought this building back in the mid-1960s and in 1965, it first opened as a local grocery.  Hence it's alternative local name, "Charlie Hall's Grocery and Restaurant".  

Customers order at the counter and when your food is ready, the friendly staff or family member brings it to you.

There is a lot of seating at Hall's.  The restaurant is a landmark, a meeting place, a family place for the community.  It's frequented by truck drivers, construction workers, farmers, and retirees from nearby retirement communities.

When larger grocery stores opened in the area, Charlie decided to focus on the restaurant business...a smart decision that allowed he and Helen to raise their family and put two sons through college.

Laurie and I stopped by for a late breakfast, falling directly between the early morning breakfast crowd and the lunch rush.  Note some of the grocery style racks along the walls and at the back left of the last photo above.

Hall's isn't open on Sundays or holidays.  But every Sunday and holiday, the Hall clan traditionally gathers here for a family dinner. 

When's the last time you saw a sign like the one shown above?  A breakfast platter for $5.49!  

We skipped the breakfast platter special, going our own way instead.  Laurie ordered the biscuit and sausage gravy with bacon and an over medium egg.  That gravy had a little bit of a bite to it and, as per Laurie, the bacon was perfect.  

I ordered 2 slices of toast with 2 over medium eggs, a large sausage patty and hash browns.  It was all good... Want to guess how much our breakfasts cost?  With tax but before our tip, the ticket came to $14.00.

We do love the old time ambiance and more importantly, the feeling of family and community at Hall's.  Charlie is 82 or 83 now and he's lost his fight with the Tennessee Department of Transportation.  It was strike and deal with TDOT or have the right of eminent domain used to take the property.  Charlie has sold the property and the end of a community landmark and anchor is near.

As with most government projects, this highway 'improvement' project has taken a long time to come to fruition.  First funded in 2014, it's been in the works for about 11 years now.  For videos about Hall's Restaurant and it's approaching demise, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr4tQJDNtp8, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPJ1YlWY0Mw.  You'll meet Charlie, Helen and a number of loyal customers.

Halls is slated to close on July 24 of this year.  Laurie and I plan to enjoy a couple of Hall's famous burgers before then.  Hall's is located at 4500 Sweetwater Vonore Road near Madisonville Tennessee.  They are open from 5 AM until 3 PM Monday through Friday and from 6 AM until 3 PM on Saturday.  Phone: 423-442-3083.

I thought that I'd end this posting with a silly photo of a silly dog who desperately wants a belly rub from Laurie!  Fiona lives next door to us with her buddy Shrek.  The only thing that Fiona likes better than a belly rub is a treat...

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

More Ready-to-Eat Entrees + Beauty

We are continuing to explore easy to prepare meal items.  In this edition, there were no losers among our selections, although we do have favorites.  Goal = meals with little, zero or minimal preparation... Snacks count too!

We bought this pack of 18 Stonefire Mini Naan Originals at Costco... As described by Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads, these mini naans are "delicious, fluffy, versatile and downright unforgettable, it's made to upgrade every meal, from breakfast wraps to midnight snacks".  Laurie and I concur and we've already used them with breakfast eggs, garlic dip, Bar-B-Que and more

Instant pulled pork!  The downside is that there isn't any 'bark' from smoking the meat.  The upside is that you have 2.5 lbs. of pulled pork to do with as you'd like.

Del Real's carnitas/pulled pork is not strongly seasoned so the good news is that you have multiple options with the 'right' addition of seasoning or sauces.

For this meal, Laurie paired some of Del Rio's pulled pork with one of Stonefire's mini-naans, adding a simple salad as her side.  She used BBQ sauce with her pork and she liked it a lot! 

We've enjoyed a couple other meals using Del Real's carnitas/pulled pork.  No surprise that I toasted a bun, covered it with shredded cheddar cheese, nuked it in the microwave and then slapped a couple of over medium fried eggs on top!  Great breakfast!  This product was purchased at Costco.

I don't know if its any healthier or worse than the salty snacks that we usually go for, but lately we have kept some sliced stick salami and pepperoni in the fridge...along with sliced sticks of cheese.  Cabot Creamery's 3 year naturally aged cheddar is one of our 'go to' cheese options. It has a distinctive flavor and it holds up well when sliced in 'sticks' or strips.  Yet another Costco purchase.

We have never found a garlic dip that was worthy of the name...until now!  Most anything labeled as containing garlic here in East Tennessee barely qualifies as 'garlicy' in our estimation.  A bit of Toom Garlic Dip and we knew that we had a cure for those pesky vampires.  I'll bet you can guess where we bought it!

Yes, this bag of Daphne's Beef and Lamb Gyro Slices was indeed purchased at Costco.  It contains 2 packages of meat.  I chose to heat up the meat in my frying pan with a little butter and pepper.  We both like a little char on our gyros.

It is hard to find gyros, (lamb and beef combined), anywhere here in East Tennessee.  We were very happy with the way that Daphne's gyros turned out.  Laurie plated her gyros on another one of those mini naans with mixed greens and cherry tomatoes.  The tzatziki sauce was very nice but lacked the garlic hit that we were used to back in Chicago.  We'll add garlic to the sauce/dip the next time.  The brand was Hannah's Tzatziki - Greek Style Yogurt Dip.

I thought that I'd end this post with a non-food photo.  That very pretty and delicate looking flower above is from a Spotted Wintergreen...a native wildflower that some bird...or more likely the wind, probably planted for us.  This small perennial evergreen herb is native to eastern North America and Central America.  Lucky for us, this plant is very tolerant of acidic soil and shade...both of which describe much of our backyard everyday.  The Creek Indians called it "pipsisikweu", which translates to "breaks into small pieces".  This was because it allegedly had the ability to breakdown gallstones.  Another use by Native Americans was to use it's leaf tea to treat rheumatism and stomach problems.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave