songbird's crazy world

Love the name of this chain . . ."Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday, who could hang a name on you when you change with every new day . . . " It was late when we got back from the Renaissance Faire, we were starving, and Drew was still thinking about the salad bar he passed up at Volcano's Friday night. Ruby Tuesday is one of the few places around here that still has a salad bar. Drew had been a "regular" at this place awhile back, but my one experience with this chain had not been good. I have now added this place to my list of "likes". Salad bar here is pretty standard -- several choices of greens with other veggies, bacon bits, ham, shredded cheese, typical dressings. I liked the pasta salad but didn't care for the potato salad -- they should peel the potatoes when using them in a salad. We skipped the appetizer. I ordered petite sirloin with a skewer of shrimp scampi and rice pilaf. Drew ordered the petite sirloin ...

Background music:  "Take Me To The Fair" from Camelot Can you believe the NY Renaissance Faire is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year?  I used to go back when the faire was new, but got out of the habit.  Nowadays, Drew and I go every year, sometimes with friends, sometimes just the two of us. This year it was just us.  Our plan was to drive from Long Island to Tuxedo Park via the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Cross Bronx Expressway to the George Washington Bridge and Route 17 from New Jersey up to Orange County and the Faire.  Got across the Throgs Neck, found out that it would take over an hour to get across the Bronx . . .turned on the GPS and headed to the Tappan Zee instead.  Got to the Faire before the gates opened. Background music:  Disney's "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)" What I've noticed about the faire . . .30 years ago "Renaisance" encompassed medieval and Renaissance costumes.  Now it also includes elements of fantasy (faeri...

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know where I'm a-gonna go when the volcano blows." -- Jimmy Buffett Tonight we were in the mood to try something new. So we headed to Oceanside to Volcano's Burgers and Salads. It's sort of a cross between fast food and a sit down restaurant. You can order take out at the counter, or you can be seated at a table or booth and have waitress service. I loved how the tables are all dry-erase boards -- you can play tic tac toe or hangman or do a maze or word search. The menu tends to lean towards spicy foods and unusual burger toppings. Besides burgers there are also chicken sandwiches and a variety of salads, including a (pretty standard) salad bar. The fried pickles came with a moderately spicy dipping sauce. The Hawaiian burger -- swiss cheese, red onion and grilled pineapple -- was cooked to order and served with lettuce and tomato and teriyaki sauce on the side; sauce was very thick and sweet, and a l...

I don't play golf, I don't watch others play golf, I know very little about golf. I  do know a little something about Bethpage Black. It's one of several golf courses located in Bethpage State Park.    It's been the site of the US Open twice.  And this week it was the site of a PGA event. What does this have to do with me? There's no real parking facility at the state park.  So fans are being encouraged to take the LIRR to Farmingdale for shuttle bus service to the event.  The station has been decorated with red, white and blue banners all week. My train goes through Farmingdale.  I actually had golf fans on my train the other morning.    And tonight on my way home I saw all the fans on the platform waiting for the train to the city. And I saw the blimp landing at Republic Airport. A little excitement in an otherwise boring commute.

Feeling a little nostalgic tonight. I'n home alone with my two daughters, and we ordered dinner from Panera tonight. When the girls were in high school we did a lot of takeout from Panera. In fact, when Jen was admitted to URI, one of the "selling points" (to her, anyhow) was the existence of a Panera in Wakefield. And Becca was disappointed at the lack of a Panera near her school. Well, tonight we indulged again. Jen ordered the chicken caesar sandwich, prepared without onion or tomato (her special request). Becca chose from the "pick two" menu -- a small cup of soup ( she loves broccoli cheddar) and a half sandwich (bacon turkey bravo -- turkey, bacon and gouda cheese, and she asks for country white instead of the usual tomato bread). I decided to try something I never had before -- a Cuban sandwich from the panini menu. Ham, chicken, swiss, pickles, chipotle mayo . . .yum. Just enough spice to give it a kick but not overwhelming. And the b...

Street fair outside my office today. The "fried dough" booth had funnel cake, zeppole and fried Oreos. I love fried dough and powdered sugar.  And I'm rather fond of Oreos. So what could be bad, right? Should have stuck with the zeppole.  Did not like fried Oreos at all!