Burgers & Bakery...

Laurie and I went out to buy some stamps at the Post Office and then drop off our 2010 income tax materials at the tax preparers office...then I asked Laurie where she wanted to go for lunch.

She remembered a store/gas station at a country crossroads that we'd passed many times. The store was always busy and, other than the crowds, the place was a bit of a mystery, as there was no sign indicating that the place served food.

So we went inside... As before, Hall's was very busy! Hall's is about 60% restaurant and 40% corner grocery store. Lot's of workmen were having lunch. We ordered at the counter and grabbed a table. We both ordered the hand formed griddle fried double cheeseburger and we split an order of fries. The burger was very nice and the fries were OK. The owner and staff were very friendly and they checked to ensure that we enjoyed our lunch... To pay, you just go up to the register and let the cashier know what you had...it's the honor system.

I found a couple of reviews for Hall's on the Internet. One was from a granddaughter who said that she loves her Papa & Nana's food! Both reviews focused on the biscuits...one as a sausage biscuit and the other as a biscuit and gravy. We'll definitely have to try breakfast! The Charles R. Hall Grocery Store is located at 4500 Sweetwater-Vonore Road, Madisonville, Tennessee 37354. Phone: 423-442-3083.

Since just a couple of days earlier, I'd came across a new bakery listing on the Internet for Madisonville and since we were close by at Hall's, we decided to check out the College Street Bakery.

Located at 126 College Street in downtown Madisonville, this bakery was recently started up by Mark & Ulrich Asmann. Interestingly, both are graduates of the University of Tennessee Culinary School at Knoxville. We spoke to Ulrich and learned that he's originally from New York City and that they'd recently moved to Madisonville from St. Petersburg Florida. Growing distressed over the living conditions and declining infrastructure in our major metropolitan areas, they drove north until they came through Madisonville...which he decided was the first place that 'felt right' to him.

The good news is that, because they couldn't find any good bread in the area, they decided to open a bakery. As you can see, we bought a loaf of White Sandwich Bread, a Danish, a Cinnamon Roll and two herbed Ciabatta rolls. So far, so good! The Ciabatta rolls were enjoyed with Big Dudes pulled pork, (http://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/), last night and they held up very well. The Danish and the Cinnamon Roll were enjoyed with our coffee and juice for breakfast this morning. The sandwich bread toasted up nicely for chicken sandwiches this evening.

We hope that College Street Bakery prospers, providing us with bread and treats for years to come! The menu includes bagels, rolls, a variety of muffins (large & small), various pastries and cookies, coffee cake, Bundt cake and lemon pound cake. Breads include White, Italian, Challah, Whole Wheat, Rustic and Ciabatta. Phone: 423-442-1214. Hours: Tuesday - Thursday from 7 AM to 5 PM, Friday from 7 AM to 6 PM and Saturday from 8 AM to 6 PM.

Best Bakery In East Tennessee...So Far!

One of our search objectives, as we cruise through East Tennessee, is to find the best bakery products possible. To date, VG's Bakery in Farragut and Tellico Grains in Tellico Plains have been favorites, both having specialties that we really appreciate. VG's has it's great English Muffin Bread and Tellico Grains has terrific cookies!

But we now have an overall Winner! The only problem is that this bakery is too far from the house... The amazing cinnamon buns and the great pretzels shown in the first two photos were just a warm up for the breads available. Having moved here from Chicago...where local bakeries still abound and good bread is king...this is what we've been looking for!

The Bluff View Bakery & Pasta Kitchen is located at 217 Spring Street in the Bluff View Art District of Chattanooga. Phone: 423-265-5033, ext. 490. For their Website: Go to http://www.bluffviewartdistrict.com/ and click on the Bluff View Bakery logo in the upper right hand corner of the page.

The Bakery & Pasta Kitchen supply many local restaurants and stores in Chattanooga...and they retail their baked goods at the front of the bakery. The smells wafting through the air were fabulous. In addition to the pretzels, (ours coated in Asiago Cheese), and the 2 cinnamon rolls for our breakfast the following day, we also picked up a loaf of Sourdough and a Asiago Cheese Boule. Everything was just excellent!

How about the selection available at the Bluff View Bakery! It's a long and very inspiring list of artisan baked goods! There's Ciabatta, Roasted Garlic Ciabatta, a Country Loaf, Striato, Levain, Sourdough, Focaccia, white or wheat soft rolls, Rye/Pumpernickel, cheese dinner rolls, French baguettes, a Bread Bowl, Cinnamon Raisin, Tomato Basil, Asiago Cheese Boule, Jalapeno Cheddar Boule, Honey Wheat, Multi-grain, Challah and four different types of bagels...

There were so many choices that it was very hard to make our decisions. The good news is that whenever we have guests for a few days, or if some neighbors want to go exploring with us, Chattanooga will be on our schedule...as will the Bluff View Bakery!

Can you believe these many racks of fresh bread!? What a great sight... Now we'll have to check out the pasta products that the Bluff View Bakery & Pasta Kitchen also makes from scratch. All we'll have to do is to plan for a lunch or dinner right next door to the bakery...at Tony's Pasta Shop & Trattoria. I'll report on the results as soon as we make the drive down to Chattanooga one more time...

Trains...Now & Almost Gone!

On a back roads trip through Central Georgia this past year, we went to the city of Social Circle, mostly to check out a restaurant that we'd eaten at several years earlier... While the restaurant was a big disappointment, we did have a good time touring the back roads near the town.

This is the former Georgia Railroad Co. depot in Social Circle. It was built in 1913 and, as you can see, part of the building has been demolished. The depot now serves as a line office for CSX.

Excellent photos of the other end of this depot, as well as a treasure trove of photographs of most, if not all, existing Georgia railroad depots may be found on-line at http://www.railga.com/.

Here we have two CSX locomotives in the 'yard' at Social Circle. One is a GM Electro-Motive SD-40 and the other is an SD-40-2. Both engines generate 3,000 H.P. It's hard to comprehend, but over 5,200 of these SD model locomotives have been built.

After our meal time letdown, we drove along some country roads, checking out the sights while simultaneously looking for a couple of railroad depots along the way.

Near Monroe Georgia, we stumbled across this rail facility belonging to Rail Trusts Equipment, Inc. It appeared to be a combination reconditioning facility and the train version of an auto junk yard.

There were several locomotives in various conditions and states of repair scattered around the property. We photographed these 3 units but there were many more.

Apparently, our instincts were very close to the truth. Rail Trusts Equipment, Inc. is based in Jacksonville Beach Florida and adjacent to their on-line title, they've listed 'locomotives, rail cars & parts'.

They customize, re-market, buy, sell and lease railroad rolling stock. Although this find looked a little depressing and while we're sure that some of the locomotives on site were destined to be 'harvested' for parts, many of these units are reconditioned and leased to rail companies throughout North America. For some great photos of reconditioned units, just go to http://www.railtrusts.com/.

Wild Wing Cafe...

This is the Wild Wing Cafe off of Campbell Station Road at I-40/I-75 in Knoxville. Despite it's location at major crossroads, it's buried behind motels and other retail operations and you almost need a map to actually get to it the first time you drop by. Wild Wing Cafe is a cross between a casual family restaurant and a sports bar/restaurant.

The menu at Wild Wing Cafe is huge, with 7 pages full of food to explore and choose from... We were there for lunch but we couldn't resist these "Boom Boom Shrimp". They were terrific and we could have eaten another platter of them...but it would have spoiled our appetite for our 'main dishes'. Other appetizers included 'Hot Shots', spicy sausage and cheese pastry, and 'Buff Chips', crispy fried chips sprinkled with bleu cheese crumbles & southwest ranch for dipping. There is literally a full page of appetizers to choose from.

Honestly, we didn't get past page 2 of the Wild Wing Cafe's menu... Laurie ordered the 'Ultimate Nachos', spicy taco beef, queso and pico de gallo topped with mixed cheeses, black beans, jalapeno peppers, lettuce, sour cream and salsa. It was very good.

The menu runs from Tex-Mex to BBQ to Wraps and, of course, it includes wings! There are no less than 34 different sauces that you can have your wings tossed in! We'll order some the next time for sure... There are also salads, soups, sandwiches and burgers featured on the menu.

I ordered the 'Baja Fish' Soft Tacos. The taco shells were stuffed with flaky white fish, lightly fried & drizzled with honey lime cilantro marinade. Very nice!

Wild Wing Cafe is located at 11335 Campbell Lakes Drive in Knoxville TN. Phone: 865-777-9464. Website: http://www.wildwingcafe.com/. This is a good place for casual family dining or just a casual meal, especially if you'd like a lot of variety to choose from. Prices are very reasonable.

Railroad Depots in the South...

Going through my files, looking for railroad depots we've photographed in the last year or so, I came across several options to post. For this posting, I chose three depots in relatively close geographical proximity with each other...


This is the former Florida Railroad Company, later Seaboard Air Line rail Depot in Fernandia Beach Florida. (Just north of Jacksonville) Built in 1899, this very handsome depot was the east coast anchor to the first east-west rail line across Florida. The other end was at Cedar Key.


I wasn't able to find the date that this big handsome former Atlantic Coast Line railroad depot was built in Waycross Georgia. Now called 'The new Union Station', this facility was renovated in the 1990's and it's now the home for the Chamber of Commerce and the Waycross Developmental Authority.

Now owned by CSX, the Waycross Depot is also the hub for the RICE railyard...one of the railroad's largest switching facilities. In addition, a major locomotive repair shop is based in Waycross. For those wondering where CSX evolved from, it was an ongoing process for many years involving many different railroad companies. The CSX name came to life with the merger of the Chessie System and the Seaboard Coast Line.

The last stop on this posting is in Folkston Georgia. This photo was pulled from the Folkston website. This is the train viewing platform in Folkston. Built in 2001, the platform hosts train fans/fanatics from around the country and beyond. It's equipped with seating, lights for evening viewing, ceiling fans and a scanner to monitor train communications. There are also bathroom facilities, picnic tables and a grill. Roughly 60 trains per day 'funnel' past this location, hence the name, "The Folkston Funnel".

Of the 60+ trains per day that pass through Folkston to and from Florida, 8 of them are from Amtrak...and one of those is the famous east coast 'car train'. Also, every evening during the workweek, a Tropicana 'Juice Train' heads north to New Jersey.

This is the restored Folkston Railroad Depot, located just across the tracks from the viewing platform. This building is home to the Chamber of Commerce and a railroad museum. (Monday - Friday - Free) Every October, as part of the annual Folkston Okefenokee Festival, the Orlando Society of Model Railroaders sets up an elaborate model train layout in the museum.

Native Americans...

The following four pictures are photos of pencil drawings of Native Americans. They were drawn by my brother, Robert (Bob) Thomson. In my opinion, this first drawing is the best of the grouping...climaxing years of Bob's efforts to enhance his drawing skills. They are amazingly detailed, almost like a photo, only softer...

I didn't know that this drawing existed until this past summer, when one of my cousins gave it to me during a visit to Michigan. I wish that I had one of the early drawings of twigs and leaves that Robert had drawn when he was about 9. Sadly, all we have are photos...

Bob's primary medium over the years was oil paint. Two of my previous postings featured some of his work. "Railroad Art" was posted on July 18, 2010 and it featured a large painting of Union Station in Kansas City. The same posting also featured a painting depicting a classic diesel 'stream liner' passenger train coming down the tracks. The first painting is in the private collection of a art & antique dealer in Kansas City but the whereabouts of the second painting is unknown.

My second posting of Bob's works was back on September 18, 2010. It was entitled "Ships From the Past" and it included a pencil drawing of the tugboat 'Goliath' as it guided a tramp steamer into port. That drawing is part of my collection of family artworks. Also posted on the same blog was an oil painting of the 'William S. Mitchell", a Corp of Engineers side-wheel paddle boat, also know as the death dredge. That painting is also part of the antique/art dealers collection in Kansas City.

As for these four drawings, the first and third are in my collection and my son has the second and fourth sketches in his collection.

As time goes on, I'll post more of Robert's art work. Unfortunately, most of Bob's works were sold or lost, many in a fire at his home a few years ago. In recent years, poor health has hampered his ability to draw and paint... Hopefully, he'll soon be able to once again pick up the pencil and the paintbrush, both for his personal satisfaction and ours...

Gourmet Market...

On one of our trips in 2010 to visit our family in Northern Ohio, we stopped at the West Point Market in Akron. I'd stumbled across this store while just cruising the Internet.

West Point Market is a 25,000 sq. ft. gourmet food store that is celebrating it's 75th Anniversary!

In addition to the retail store, West Point Market also provides catering services and it operates a sizable mail order business. The market is at 1711 West Market Street in Akron Ohio. The website is: http://www.westpointmarket.com/. Phone: 330-864-2151.

There are several very upscale specialty departments within the market. The wine section is certainly one of the outstanding examples... There are over 3,500 different labels in this section of the store! Other departments not pictured in this Blog include high quality produce, a gift shop plus gift and floral baskets.

In one corner of the store, we found the 'Beside the Point Cafe'. We didn't eat there...too early in the day...but the cafe features made from scratch soup, salads and sandwiches. Everything is made using the quality products sold elsewhere in the store.

The West Point Market's website features the "What's-In-Store" Newsletter. This publication outlines what's going on in the store along with featured products. In January 2011, the big event was a 'Red Wine Tasting' that was held in the Cheese Shop.

Having lived in Chicago for so many years, we are devotees of great bread and other baked goods. That need was definitely fulfilled by the market's baked from scratch breads, muffins, scones and other sweets. Just the good smells were a treat! Speaking of sweets, the market also has a large chocolate shop...and lots of other candy too!

We were on our way back down to East Tennessee and we didn't have our cooler with us. Too bad, as the butcher shop featured terrific looking meat of all varieties and cuts. They only carry USDA True Prime and Upper Choice cuts. The store also has an extensive seafood counter. Nearby, there is a big deli section as well as a large selection of ready-to-cook entrees. One item available is 'Porketta', a seasoned skin-on pork belly, rolled and tied around a pork loin, and then roasted.

This was our favorite department! The Cheese Shop at the market features almost 400 cheeses and they encourage tasting. This shop also has sausages, salami, pates, mousse, truffles and foie gras. The biggest challenge for us was trying to decide what to buy that we could carry home! Actually, that was a problem throughout the store... The specialty foods alone include over 12,000 products and ingredients! This is a great stop for any road trip... The West Point Market isn't far off I-77 on the west side of Akron.