Ad Hudler - Ad Libbing

Yes, thank you, but where is my ENTREE?
Friday, November 7, 2008

I used to research restaurants before visiting a city, looking for the trendiest, tastiest spots. ("You're going to San Antonio? Oh, well, then you simply HAVE to eat at Nahvo!!"). I always appreciated the creativity of a great chef who would pair ingredients in a way my tongue had never experienced.

Recently, my wife and I took a friend to dinner. She chose a trendy Italian restaurant. Afterward, as we drove home, I said, "It was good, but it wasn't $300-good. Ouch. I'm sick we spent that much money."

Yeah, our days of fine dining are over ... and for several reasons.

1. Cost.

2. The novelty is running dry. It's hard to surprise your palate these days. What hasn't been tried? "Oh ... arugula and raspberries ... how interesting. (Yawn)."

3.

Yep. Size. They just don't give me enough food. I'm a big guy. I need more than a sliver of carpaccio and a sprig of organic somethingorother. There have been times in the past when, after a fine-dining experience, I've stopped and ordered a Whopper with cheese in the Burger King drive-through.

4. The best restaurants are often the cheapest. Look for ethnic mom-and-pop operations tucked into the strip malls of America. THAT'S where the good food is: Korean, Cuban, Vietnamese, Italian, etc. Some of my favorite "restaurants" also sell Lotto tickets and air fresheners for your car.

4 Comments:

waverly3 said...: You are sooooo right. Discovered a great place in Jax this week: San Marco Grille. Owner's wife is from Cape Coral and is a doc (homeopath, I believe... she does acupuncture) with offices next door. Very convenient. Ha! Nothing fancy. Food is excellent. Very fresh. Kind of basic but with a twist. Currently only serves lunch but is expanding. An artist friend treated my mother and me to a feast-of-a-lunch there ... she eats there several times a week and barters her art for meals. She and the owners have become great friends. Next time you have a "Broadcast House Channel 4" interview, this is where you should have lunch, as it's only 5 minutes away. Cheers!; November 9, 2008 11:56 AM
waverly3 said...: Forgot to give you the URL so you can see the menu:
sanmarcogrille.com; November 9, 2008 11:57 AM
Ad Hudler said...: Oh, man, that's exactly where I ate when I came through town on tour. Very good food, and a very good martini.
Jax has really become a nice place over the past ten years.; November 9, 2008 12:07 PM
Ad Hudler said...: Wait...maybe I have the wrong place. This was for dinner ... and it was just blocks away from the Hampton Inn downtown. Looks like it used to be an Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips...same place?; November 9, 2008 12:08 PM