There Are Gems All Around Us For all of you eaters and drinkers there are many gems to be had in our local area. You just have to know where to go for what you want. I can always tell a good restaurant even before the entree gets to the table by the quality of the bleu cheese dressing. I have this appreciation because I used to make my own. Some cooks seem to think there is no difference between Roquefort and bleu cheese, but the last time a restaurant tried to pass off Roquefort for bleu cheese, I spit my salad out clear across the table and got my money back. It’s bleu and it’s cheese, but it’s dark, bitter and foul tasting. For great bleu cheese dressing in Crestline, go to the Lake Gregory Inn and order a dinner salad. They make it fresh there themselves. It’s creamy and has just the right amount of little chunks of bleu cheese. For dessert, go to Chateau Gourmet and order this thing that’s a warm brownie with chocolate syrup topped with vanilla ice cream. I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s decadent and can nicely fill up three people or make one person moan and groan for a few hours. I was at the Crestline Arts Network meeting there and ordered this while everyone else was ordering dinner and wishing that they could have what I was eating. You have to go there on the right days for this—I had to have the waitress really pull some big strings to have them make this for me on a Tuesday. If you go on a weekend it will surely be on the menu. Because I lived in Germany for several years, I’m a great lover of beer. I’m not a big fan of German beer, except for Warsteiner and Bitburger, but I am fond of English beers such as Newcastle, Guinness and Harp. I also like a good deal. If you go to Round Table Pizza in Crestline, order a Newcastle with your pizza and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when they only ask for two bucks. You usually pay $4.50 for a Newcastle in a restaurant. If you’re buying beer to consume at home, don’t buy it in the supermarket—go to the Rite-Aid in Blue Jay. You’ll pay less for 12-packs of imported and American microbrewery beer than you usually pay for that awful mass-produced dishwater you see advertised on TV. I usually “Buy American,” but I can’t get on the home team when it comes to beer. If you’re looking for my favorite Bitburger and Warsteiner beers, you’ll find them across the street in single bottles at Jensen’s. While you’re there, pick up some of their hand-made, warm flour tortillas, and immediately take them home and make some fajitas. I imagine that Jensen’s has some old Mexican grandmother cooking up her family secret for tortillas in the back of the bakery every morning. They also have the best edamames—those big fat soybeans in the pods. They’re expensive, but worth every penny. I poke little holes in them and soak them in teriyaki sauce for a few hours before cooking them. If you’re a sandwich lover, go to the Alpine Deli in Blue Jay and get a T-tract sandwich. This is the best vegetarian sandwich I’ve ever tasted. If you just have to have meat, it also comes with turkey for a little more. Either way, it’s great. This sandwich has too many ingredients to mention, but I guarantee you’ll love it. If you’re looking for a little more fat content in your sandwich and bad breath that will last all afternoon, go to The Depot in Crestline and order their hot pastrami sandwich with lots of dill pickle slices, spicy mustard and red onions. For delivered pizza you can’t beat Cappelletti’s in Old Town. They are quick and accurate. I order the Mountain Special, which is loaded with meats and vegetables. Their Hawaiian and Veggie pizzas are also excellent, and you have to order their excellent antipasto salad with it. And last but not least, with Jamboree Days coming up, you can’t pass up a special treat. It is a tradition for Rotary Clubs everywhere to make tri-tip sandwiches. Our Rotary Club guys have made the tri-tip sandwich into an art form. Don’t miss it or me. I’ll be the one with the sandwich sticking out of my face. |
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