Quo Vado?

I ventured to the Blue Ridge Mountains this weekend to spend some time away from the furor that is the office and the malaise that is the house. I had a great driving trip; Vodka (the new car's name) performed well. The most striking part of the trip though was the two dinners I enjoyed. I made it a point of not stopping at a chain for anything more than tea or Diet Coke, so dinner I played by ear.

I arrived in Waynesville on Friday later than I'd planned and went for a 'scenic tour' just to see what was around. Don't ask me how I got to Clyde's - all I know is that Vodka had the only out of state plates in parking lot. It was a diner, in the best sense of the term. From the guy telling people to take a seat where they can find one as they came in to the daily special. I had the Friday Night Fried Chicken Special (they offered a fish too). Oh, my, it's a good thing momma never cooked like that or I'd be 300 pounds instead of 200 pounds. I even licked my fingers. Better than the chicken and the yeast rolls however, was the lemon icebox pie. To die for. Tart and sweet and all around good. I even learned from the ketchup bottle that the foul condiment was "a natural source of the antioxidant Lycopene." [Lesson Learned: Don't take the seat right near the door unless you can handle having strangers watch you eat fried chicken.]

Saturday, I drove around with a purpose never achieved (aiming to go to the Blacksmith Festival in Spruce Pine, somehow ended up in Bat Cave - go figure) and was grateful I'd made reservations at the Old Stone Inn for dinner. As the only solo diner in the room, I did feel a bit lonely as everyone else enjoyed their companions. The food was most excellent. I started the meal out with the New Orleans Style Shrimp. It was just the right amount of spicy to be interesting and not overwhelming. I probably broke a southern dining law or two by eating straight out of serving dish; but, eh, I'm from Indiana. Nerves struck shortly after I ordered the Rack of Lamb - I'm not used to dropping that much on a food I'd never tried before (the agony of eating Bambi and frugalness combined, I'm sure). The lamb was delicious, definitely something I'd order again in the right establishment. Desert provided the icing for a wonderful meal. The White Chocolate Bread Pudding was a bit heavy after such a rich meal; but, I loved every bite. Sadly, for my Mother anyway, I couldn't bring myself to try the zucchini - there are some ruined foods that may never recover from the tortures of my childhood.

So, there were two meals. One upscale the other mainline and I enjoyed them both. That's what I call progress.