First a Movie and Then PIzza Too!

Continuing with our road trip to St. Louis and Omaha to visit family.

Bonnie and Bill had returned from a wedding up in Peoria Illinois, so as usual when visiting Laurie's family in the St. Louis area we were out and about with Laurie's sister Bonnie and Bonnie's husband Bill.

We decided to take in a movie...by actually going to a real movie theater! 

I didn't note the name of the movie theater and I wasn't ready for the 'accompaniments' shown above.  Some vestiges of the above 'look' exists at our favored theater in Farragut Tennessee...but this St. Louis County theater in Missouri has taken on a multi-functional role in its attempt to attract customers, hopefully to watch movies!   Even so, the huge game room was almost empty and  the bar was devoid of any customers.  

Oh yes...we did come to the theater to watch a movie.  It was the first of Kevin Costner's planned four part exploration of the western USA.  This segment/movie is titled "Horizon - An America Saga (Part 1).  Apparently we were among the few who saw this movie during its opening week.  It was about 3 hours long and kept cutting back and forth introducing the viewers to the primary characters.  It lacked clarity and it didn't seem to conclude at a meaningful point.  Release of the second part of the "American Saga" has been postponed. 

One thing  that our little group does well is to seek out and consume varied types of food... In this instance it was time for pizza.  Dewey's Pizza is a regional chain with 25 locations in Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky.  This is the Dewey's restaurant in Webster Groves Missouri.

Laurie and I have eaten in one other Dewey's Pizza restaurant.  It was in Kirkwood Missouri.  In both restaurants the pizza kitchen was really busy!  Dewey's seems to be very popular.

Dewey's bar was almost overwhelmed and the dining room had very few tables available.  We were lucky and were seated in quick order.  As you can see, the decor is simple and colorful...with that industrial 'look' in evidence...very appropriate for an upscale pizza joint.

Using ingredients of his choice Bill 'built' and ordered his own 11" Pizza.  The items included olives, artichokes, bell peppers, onion, tomato and pepperoni.  As you will note, I forgot to take any photos until a fair amount of 'damage' was done to each pizza.  

Yours truly also built his own 11" pizza.  It included pepperoni, Italian sausage and fresh jalapenos. ($19.00) I thought that it was better than any pizzas we've found in East Tennessee...with one exception.  I really appreciated that extra 'pop' provided by the jalapenos!

Laurie and Bonnie decided to split a 13" pizza.  Dewey's features a number of 'specialty pizzas' and this one is the Edgar Allan Poe.  It featured olive oil, mozzarella and fontina cheeses, mushrooms, whole roasted garlic cloves, kalamata olives and goat cheese.  After baking, both pieces of tomato and parsley are added. ($21.75)

We all enjoyed our pizzas but no one could finish their servings.  Bill ended up with a lot of nice leftovers!  Nothing like cold pizza for breakfast!

Dewey's Pizza in Webster Groves Missouri is located at 122 East Lockwood.  They feature 15 different specialty pizzas or you can 'build your own'.  In addition Dewey's offers calzones plus 5 entree or side salads.  The company's website is found at https://deweyspizza.com/.  

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Out for Lunch in Chesterfield Missouri

Continuing with our family visits to St. Louis Missouri and Omaha Nebraska...

In St. Louis the first planned event for this portion of our trip was to pay a visit to Laurie's oldest sister, Glenda and her husband Ken.  They reside in a retirement village in Chesterfield Missouri.  Rather than just having lunch at their facility's dining room, we opted to give them a change of pace by taking them out to a local restaurant that we knew they really liked...

This is Billy G's Finer Diner in Chesterfield.  Chesterfield one of the many St. Louis suburban towns and villages.  Billy G's is the second restaurant of that name in the St. Louis area, with the other location being in Kirkwood.  They are both part of the Gianino Family of Restaurants.  There are at least 8 Gianino related restaurants in the metropolitan area.

FYI - The St. Louis metropolitan area...just in St. Louis County Missouri...includes about 90 different towns and villages.  The entire metropolitan area, both in Missouri and Illinois, contains 273 municipalities.

Billy G's in Chesterfield is a big and spacious restaurant.  I immediately noted the 'diner touch' as it features a counter with stools, reminiscent of old time diners. 

The main dining area at Billy G's is bright and colorful.  The area much larger than these two photos show.  It was very busy when we arrived...after all it was a Sunday around lunch and getting out of church time.  We weren't surprised that there wasn't any seating available in the dining room without a wait. 

Fortunately, outdoor seating was available and given how brutal summers in St. Louis can be, we just happened to visit when the temperatures were in the 70s and humidity was relatively low.  It was perfect outdoor dining weather!

In the photo from left to right, Laurie's oldest sister Glenda, Glenda's second youngest sister Laurie and Glenda's husband Ken.  Glenda and Ken are both older than I am and I just had my 82nd birthday.  Laurie is 10 years younger than I am.  Us oldsters just keep on keeping on...

One of the attractions at Billy G's is the fact that they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Like a real old-time diner breakfast is available anytime you might want it!  Since Laurie and I frequently have breakfast for dinner, this menu was right up our alley...

After due deliberation, Glenda ordered Billy G's "Original Stack", a stack of 5 large buttermilk pancakes accompanied by whipped butter and maple syrup. ($9.99) We were stunned by the size of the pancakes and were impressed that Glenda was able to finish off 3 of them.

Ken also opted for a carb filled breakfast!  He ordered the Brioche French Toast. ($9.99) Thick-cut brioche bread was dipped in vanilla custard batter and then it was served with cinnamon, powdered sugar, whipped butter and maple syrup.  Ken was a happy camper and I must admit that this is some of the best looking French toast I've seen in quite a while.  

Laurie scanned the menu for something different...something that she wouldn't see on a typical breakfast or diner menu.  She selected the Avocado Toast. ($15.99) Crusty sourdough toast was covered with a plentiful layer of smashed avocado which in turn was covered with 2 over-easy eggs and then sprinkled with 'everything bagel seasoning' and red-pepper flakes.  As you can see, her avocado toast was accompanied with tomatoes and 'dressed' arugula greens.

As per Laurie, there was just too much avocado...overwhelming the eggs and the toast.  The other problem was that service was slow...spotty at best...and her breakfast wasn't hot enough.

I also decided to try something a bit different for my 'luncheon/breakfast'.  I ordered the Brisket Benedict. ($17.99) It consisted of a toasted English muffin, 2 poached eggs, a sizable stack of sliced brisket, arugula, and BBQ-spiced hollandaise sauce, all accompanied with an order of hash browns.

As with Laurie's breakfast, my entree should have been warmer.  The hash browns and the eggs were fine but the brisket was a disappointment.  Quality brisket is tender and moist and flavorful.  This brisket was not tender and it was pretty dry...so much for flavor.  I should have just ordered my standard breakfast...eggs, toast, sausage patties and hash browns...

Billy G's breakfast menu is quite expansive and worthy of exploration, perhaps when the restaurant isn't so busy.  The lunch and dinner menu is equally expansive...lots of variety and options.  There is an emphasis on Italian cuisine, which is to be expected with a restaurant operated by the Gianino family.

Billy G's in Chesterfield is located at 1772 Clarkson Road.  Phone: 636-778-9120.  Website: https://billygs.com/chesterfield/.  

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Another Dining Experience - Another City

Recently we hit the road again.  This time it was all about visiting family members in St. Louis Missouri and Omaha Nebraska.  Lots of food and family time but no 'back-roading' or historic sites to explore.

On our first day, the goal was to drive from Loudon Tennessee to St. Louis, about an 8.5 hour drive with stops.  No luncheon photos...but as has become our practice, we stopped at the Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers location in Paducah Kentucky.  Excellent as usual but the restaurant was packed so the wait was longer than expected. 

Our journey began on a Saturday.  We normally would have had dinner with Laurie's sister Bonnie and Bonnie's husband Bill but they were out of town at a wedding.  We'd asked them for dining recommendations close to our Hampton Inn which is adjacent to St. Louis' Forest Park and it's famous expansive and free zoo.  Drake's was new to us and it looked like a very casual venue on-line...perfect after a long day of driving.  Located in Maplewood Missouri, it was very convenient for us.  

When we entered Drake's we noted the 'garage door' decor...popular with so many dining destinations these days...as well as the bright lights and multiple TV screens.  I do believe that bar decor designers now consider the backlighting of the booze to be a requirement...just to add color and drama.

Drake's in Richmond Heights Missouri is a big restaurant and it is apparently very popular...although it was Saturday...so a crowd would be expected.  We ordered adult beverages at the bar while we waited but we were seated fairly quickly.  For once being a party of 2 worked to our advantage.  Then problem was that apparently the waitstaff was confused as regards who was responsible for our table.  Once the confusion was solved, our service was very good. 

So what to order?  Drake's menu is fairly large and diverse so study was required... 

For my dinner I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich with French fries. ($15.49) The sandwich came with lettuce, tomato and pickles with a Creole mayonnaise on a butter toasted bun.  It was very good and, as you can see it was huge!  The fries were OK but not special.  The only issue with the sandwich was that it was really messy to eat.  I ended up using a knife and fork on part of it.

I'd also been tempted by the Fried Bologna Sandwich but I'm glad I made the choice I did.  Laurie was a bit tempted by the Turkey, Swiss and Avocado Grill. Other options on the menu include a number of starters, dinner salads, chili, smashed burgers (including a vegan version), Steaks and related combos and a number of 'Favorites" including salmon, chicken and fish tacos plus beer battered cod.

The biggest surprise on the menu was the Asian flair portion of the offerings... It includes Sushi, Tempura Shrimp, Dumplings, Nigiri (including eel and flying fish eggs) and a selection of sashimi.  This part of the menu is why I chose Drake's in the first place.  Laurie loves sushi and sashimi and the menu also included a variety of items that I tend to favor...hence my sandwich.  

Laurie ordered a Half Aqua Sushi Platter. ($27.99) I suspected that the platter would be large and the waitress didn't really describe it fully.  With 8 California Rolls, 8 Tempura Shrimp Rolls and 8 Tuna Spring Rolls, Laurie's mind was blown.  At a little more than a dollar each, this would be a good buy for 2 people for dinner or for a group as a starter.  

In any case, given Laurie's current diminished appetite, there was no way she could finish this huge platter of food.  I will give her credit as she did put a good dent in the offering.  I skipped half of my sandwich bun and almost all of my OK French fries to help with this massive platter.  Even with my help, we couldn't consume all of the food that was presented.  FYI, it was very good but I've had enough sushi to last me for a while...

This Drake's location is found at 8135 Dale Avenue in Richmond Heights Missouri.  When I looked up the restaurant I discovered that there is a Drake's location in Knoxville...less than 30 miles from our house.  We'll be checking it out soon.  Website: https://drakescomeplay.com/.  

Drakes is part of the Bluegrass Hospitality Group LLC based in Lexington Kentucky.  Some of the best food we've had in the last couple of years was at this company's OBC Kitchen in Lexington.  

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Wings Anyone? A Return to the Past...

As I've previously mentioned, we've been developing a list of restaurants/dining options in and around the Knoxville Tennessee metropolitan area.  The list consists of restaurants that are new to us or ones that we haven't revisited in a number of years.  Both of us are continuing to add to our 'dining destinations to do' goals.

In this instance, I chose a chain restaurant that we hadn't eaten at in about 12 years.  During our last visit, in that instance at the Knoxville location, the restaurant was tired and lacked much of interest on the menu.  This chain of restaurants is celebrating its 41st anniversary this year and I had visited its first location in Clearwater Florida back in the mid-1980s. 

This is the Hooters restaurant and sports bar in Alcoa Tennessee.  It is closer to our home in drive time than is the Knoxville location.  I always loved Hooters' chicken wings and the burgers were OK...but the menu lacked much variety.  Back in the day, the key attraction was the Hooters 'girls' in their skimpy outfits plus the wings and the beer.  

I did note that the menu was more diversified than we remembered and that was a plus.  So Laurie and I decided to give Hooters another try... 

The decor is still pretty bright and shiny with lots of orange evident...a good color for a sports bar/restaurant in the University of Tennessee Volunteers' territory!  

The photos above provide proof that Hooters is a sports bar...lots of televisions everywhere.  It was early afternoon on a Saturday so the restaurant was only moderately busy.  There was a good mix of customers on hand...a few younger guys, some older guys, couples, 2 or 3 families, etc.  Back in the early days Hooters was populated mostly by guys, groups of guys and guys who dragged their girlfriends to the venue to 'enjoy the chicken wings'.  

This was our server... Her name is Alexis.  She was friendly, helpful and efficient and she had a great smile.  By today's standards her outfit is modest...a big change from the costumes or outfits worn by Hooters servers back in the 1980s and early 1990s.  

Now onto the food and the expanded menu...

With Laurie's appetite being significantly impacted by her current prescription medications, she orders modestly and often can't even finish small meals or appetizers ordered as meals.  She went 'wild' and ordered a large Pineapple Margarita ($12.00) and then backed it up with a Fried Chicken Caesar Salad. ($12.99) She really enjoyed the adult beverage and was quite happy with her salad too.  Note: This salad can be ordered with either fried or grilled chicken.

After perusing the menu, I decided that I wanted some variety.  Also I wanted Laurie to try something other than her salad... Consequently I ordered the Buffalo Platter. ($19.99) This sampler platter would serve as an appetizer for a party of four.  It included 6 original buffalo style wings, 6 boneless 'wings' and 6 of the original style Hooters wings.  The 'boneless wings' and the original style wings were tossed with my choice of sauce.  With 15 varieties of sauce to chose from, I went for the Buffalo Hot Honey and the General Tso's.  I wasn't adventurous enough to try the "Ghost Pepper Sauce".  I loved all of it...but Laurie wasn't crazy about the Buffalo shrimp she tried.

Back to the menu.  In addition to a plethora of appetizers/sharables, wings come in the original breaded style, smoked, roasted, naked and something called "Daytona" style.  Burgers are still on the menu as well as a number of sandwich options including a Philly Cheesesteak.  There are fried pickles, cheese curds and chili.  A number of different tacos are offered including shrimp, fried cod and of course, chicken.  The menu even included snow crab legs.

This Hooters location is at 1099 Hunter Crossing Drive in Alcoa Tennessee.  To learn more about the menu, just go to https://order.hooters.com/menu/alcoa.  We will return!

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

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave 

Dinner with Friends at a Popular Local Restaurant

Our friends Sue and Steve like to try new restaurants and so do we.  I've developed a list of potential dining options, included venues that Laurie and I have never been to as well as some others that we decided that we should revisit.

The Patio Italian Restaurant across from the Monroe County Courthouse in nearby Madisonville Tennessee fit the latter category.  We hadn't eaten there in a long time, but we understood the the menu had been upgraded a bit so it was time to check it out.  As per their  website, The Patio Restaurant bills itself as a full-service restaurant that offers Italian food and American meals, but looking further on the website, they also mention Greek and Mediterranean food.

At first glance, one has to ask themself, where's the patio?  It must be at the rear of the building....

Wrong again!  The patio for The Patio Restaurant is under a large overhang under the second level of the building.

This is what greets diners as they enter the restaurant!  Obviously cakes, cheesecake and cannoli rule this display case.  Unfortunately, this is about as close as we came to any desserts following our meals.

The indoor dining area was spaced nicely with lots of room between tables.  The area could use a little more Mediterranean/Italian decor as it was a bit non-descript.  

Now onto the dining options and what everyone ordered...

While I know what Laurie and I ordered for dinner, I've lost track who ate what between Steve and Sue.  One of them ordered the Baked Eggplant Parmesan. ($10.00) This consisted of fresh eggplant breaded and fried until golden, then covered with marinara sauce and then topped with a blend of cheeses.  This entree came with a side of spaghetti.

The other meal ordered by Steve or Sue was the 10 oz. Chopped Steak. ($12.00) The fresh ground beef patty was covered with sauteed onions, mushrooms and provolone cheese.  Diners have a choice of sides including mixed vegetables, rice, French fries, spaghetti or scalloped potatoes.

Both Sue and Steve said that they enjoyed their meals.

Laurie has been eating light meals lately and in this case, it was light enough that no leftovers came home for me to later apply my 'waste not, want not' philosophy as regards food.  She ordered the Gyros on Pita. ($8.75) A blend of beef and lamb was sliced and layered on the pita bread and then it was served with lettuce, tomatoes and onion.  Tzatziki sauce was on the side.  Laurie needed 2 containers of the sauce...75 cents for the extra sauce.

Laurie gave positive feedback from the authentic tasting gyro meat, adding that the tzatziki sauce was good but as the norm for Tennessee, it lacked the garlic 'bite' that we enjoy.

For my entree I went with the Alfredo Carbonara. ($12.00) Creamy Alfredo sauce mixed with ham and bacon was served over the fettuccini pasta and I added grilled chicken to the mix. ($2.25) I truly enjoyed my meal.

The menu at The Patio is fairly extensive, featuring chicken, salmon, shrimp, filet beef tips, vegan dishes, spaghetti, lasagna, sandwiches, salads and a plethora of appetizers.  Service was good and the food was above average for Italian cuisine in East Tennessee.  It is a nice local neighborhood dining venue.

The Patio Italian Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 AM until 8 PM.  The restaurant is located at 107 College Street in Madisonville Tennessee.  Their website is https://the italianpatio.com/.  

That's all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.  I am slowly beginning to figure out my photo issues but it is taking longer than I thought.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Yard Maintenance and Improvements

This little trip through part of our yard...front and one side...is all about trying to maintain and improve its appearance and its function.  Have no doubt that this is not something that I enjoy spending money on!  Ten years ago, I could have done much of this work myself, but that is no longer the case.

The colorful loropetalum bushes in front of our house have survived another winter... They looked like the December cold snap had finally killed them off...but here they are in all their 'glory'.  The problem is that they have grown too tall and they're getting harder to trim back, at least as far back as far as Laurie wanted.  Her goal was that they should be below the porch railings.  We had other yard related projects that needed attention as well so we called a local service to deal with all of them.

So the 2 man crew cut the loropetalum bushes way back...I mean way back!  They also spread a new layer of mulch around them.  I guessed that this severe trimming in the spring might just kill the bushes...

But Mother Nature has taken hold and those scraggly dead looking remnants of the original loropetalum bushes, are making a major comeback.  Of course they have had a little human help from Laurie with extra water and some plant fertilizer... 

Then there was that other loropetalum next to our "Little Gem" magnolia tree.  The loropetalum had pretty much taken over that side of the flower bed and Laurie wanted it gone...

And...she got her wish!  That overgrown loropetalum is gone and an opportunity to plant flowering plants has been exposed.  FYI, cutting down the big loropetalum hasn't killed it either.  We now have a 6" shrub springing from the old root system.

Along one side of our driveway, we have a forsythia bush that seems to grow faster and higher than anything else in our yard.  The flowering Texas Star quince at its right, one of Laurie's favorites, was also expanding quickly.  We usually trim these bushes ourselves but since the landscaping team had power tools, they had this assignment too...

Then there were the more significant projects on our playlist!  The rock lined drainage strip along side our house had pretty much become a series of dams rather than a conduit for water to run off whenever we had a major rainstorm.  It was clogged with debris too which didn't help.

This is a close-up of our rock filled drain.  Between the impact of roots from a tree that was no longer there, the accumulation of dirt and plant waste and the shifting rocks over the last decade, the flow of water was blocked in several places as it flowed toward the back of our property. 

So the real effort was the removal of all the rocks and then ensuring that there actually was a channel for the water to follow.  Next the team laid down some waterproof sheeting to inhibit plant growth.  Finally they had to replace all the rocks...and before they were done they actually needed to bring in a small load of additional stones.

And this was the completed lined and rock filled drain... Interestingly the owner of the yard service company came back to take a look a few days later after a major rainstorm.  He wanted to make sure that it functioned as it should... 

FYI, during the rebuilding of the drain, we learned that the company that had built it in the first place had not lined it with the waterproof sheeting.

In the previous photos that showed the side of the house and the stone filled drain, you might have noted the plantings off to the right side, also surrounded by a bed of rocks.  The team that installed this rock feature did lay down the waterproof sheeting needed to keep the weeds at bay.  However, since this area is sloped, all the mulch washes away after a heavy rainfall.  We needed a solution...

The options were to terrace the bed or to install rock barriers or dams to retain the mulch near each of the bushes we have planted here.  We're hoping that it does the job for us as terracing would be far too expensive.  After a couple of good rainstorms, this solution is doing its job.  

The overall project was expensive but then just about everything is these days.  Maintaining one's home is an investment in the future...but it can hurt at the time!

The center of attention in this older photo is not the rock bed in the center of the picture but rather the broken up rock at the right side.  Late last year a tree company took down a hickory tree between our home and our neighbors that was on its last legs.  Despite Laurie warning them not to drop the logs onto the big rock right below them...and to lower them instead, they went ahead and dropped a big log on that rock, shattering it. 

The owner of the tree removal company had promised Laurie that they replace the shattered rock with a new one in the spring.  She had to remind them but it finally happened... The 'new' rock rests in the shattered remnants of the old one.

One last photo!  Every year these colorful cone flowers pop up around the giant boulder in our front yard.  They are very cheery and they attract the bees and butterflies.  When I was out in the yard the other day, I counted 11 bees of one type or another busily doing what bees do.  When the blooms die out the finches swarm the plants to feed on the seeds.  Now we have a few cone flowers popping up in the woods next door.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them... Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Now back to my efforts to straighten out my multiple photo files.  If the photos end up in the 'wrong' file, I currently have to move them to another file just in order to drop them into whatever blog posting I'm working on.  The next publication date is up in the air...

We hope that your summer is going well!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave and Laurie