March 4, 2021

If you hadn't eaten inside a restaurant for over a year and you finally decided to dare to do so, where would you go and what would you eat?

We went to Culver's and ate deep-fried walleye (and fried onion rings):

IMG_2613 

That was on our way home after hiking the Flintrock Trail in Blue Mound State Park.

131 comments:

Quaestor said...

I'd go for something I could not easily prepare at home, like prime rib.

Jason said...

Good, but make your own tartar sauce at home and bring that.

Sammy Finkelman said...

I haven't eaten in a restaurant in far more than a year. I buy appetizing in a kosher supermarket, though, and occasionally eat somewhere at a catered meal.

So, some food I ate before.

rehajm said...

mmmm...walleye

ambisinistral said...

In Florida I've been eating in restaurants for months.

DavidUW said...

Duck confit.
Lamb chops
Grilled octopus
Mussels and fries



Leland said...

We only quit ordering out for the two week flatten the curve. No cases of COVID.

Quaestor said...

I'd get that prime rib at Keen's in Manhattan. Might as well splurge.

Dave Begley said...

Whiskey steak at The Drover in Omaha.

Lash LaRue said...

How was it? Did it meet or exceed your expectations?

Ficta said...

We love chef's tasting menus, so it would be one of those. Jaleo (in DC). Or maybe ATOMIX (in NYC). But we haven't taken a year off from dining in, and DC and NYC are still pretty buttoned up, so back in October we went to Azumi (Baltimore) (lets hear it for the advantages of having a Republican governor; he's not perfect, but compared to the nearby alternatives, he's Solon reborn).

Skeptical Voter said...

Either a steakhouse with a proper Manhattan before the meal---or my favorite local Mexican restaurant with a blended margarita. Both sorts of places are nearby--and I haven't been in either for a year. But that's California in the land of gruesome Newsom and perpetual lockdowns. I've managed to get two haircuts at my regular barbershop in the last year; on one occasion my regular barber made a home call. Otherwise I've been reverting to the Neanderthal hair style. You can grow a lot of hair in a year.

R C Belaire said...

We get take-out Culver's about once per month. No inside dining just yet.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

hot greasy fried fish. yum.

Clark said...

How could you pass on the cheese curds?

Joe Smith said...

Restaurant Gary Danko.

Five courses.

Vintage Dom Pérignon to start.

A friend's Cabernet for the main courses.

Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista for a nightcap.

Swensen's ice cream for dessert.

RMc said...

Fried food? I thought that had been banned.

Joe Smith said...

"I'd get that prime rib at Keen's in Manhattan. Might as well splurge."

Very good answer...

Freeman Hunt said...

It would have to be something I don't/can't make at home: probably bibimbap or crepes. Fried food would make that list, but fried food now makes me feel ill; something to do with middle age, I assume.

bleh said...

To me that's a crazy "what if" scenario. My first post-lockdown dining experience was at a restaurant in the Atlanta airport in early May. So yeah, I lasted less than two months. And since then I've eaten out dozens of times. Outdoors, though.

I know that the old and infirm insist that everyone else take extraordinary precautions on their behalf, and I do try to be careful by wearing masks, keeping my distance, mostly staying outdoors and getting tested often. But with each passing day I care less and less.

Jim Gust said...

I LOVE deep fried Walleye. Tavern on Grand in Minneapolis was a fabulous source--also for their grilled Walleye. I wondered how they could assure an adequate supply, they were often mobbed. I wonder how they fared? I see they reduced hours.

tcrosse said...

Tavern on Grand in Minneapolis was a fabulous source

Well, it was in St Paul.

Freeman Hunt said...

I'd rather go eat anything in a friend's house.

John henry said...

Yum, I love the fish dinner at Culvers. Did you top it off with a blueberry sundae? Their frozen custard is to die for.

Culvers is perhaps my favorite fast food restaurant, tied with Waffle House.

I stopped at a Culvers in Michigan (I think) driving back from Michigan to Chicago. It was open and packed. I went inside to use the restroom and ordered at the counter. I could have eaten there but wanted to get back on the road.

One really cool thing about Culvers was that they had, right next to the handicapped spaced, next to the door, special reserved parking for veterans. I took advantage of it.

I don't think I've ever seen that anywhere else but I hope it catches on.

John Henry

rehajm said...

We're talking where and when? I've been out one or two times to mostly uninspiring places near to where I've been hiding.

Three things I miss: 1) I've missed two anniversary celebrations at O Ya! and the omakase menu with a bottle or two of sake. My checking account is happier for it...2) Great Italian- octopus, handmade pasta, a light pie, brined and grilled pork chop, Tempranillo 3) I used to get my haircut scheduled so I could hit Shake Shack when it opened at 11AM. I'd sit by myself at the counter with a view of the people passing on the sidewalk. Fun fun...

Ralph L said...

No carrots?

Gusty Winds said...

dare to do so

In Sussex, WI our bowling alley is packed every weekend with maskless families bowling and drinking. It's been this way since last April when the WI Supreme Court shot down Evers. Local Fish Fry joints are packed on Friday nights. Grand parents with grand-kids. Old ladies on the poker machines, no masks, drinking brandy old fashioned.

Schools have been open on-site 5 days a week since September. No outbreaks, nothing.

God Bless Waukesha County, WI. It's a little bastion of freedom, liberty, and sanity.

We're risk averse.

Temujin said...

Two restaurants in the past year. One was a Jewish deli in the Detroit area because you just can't get that food in Florida. The other was a beautiful restaurant here in my Florida town to celebrate getting our second shot (went 2 weeks after that last shot). Duck for dinner with a great California cab. It was so much fun, I had forgotten how nice that can be.

Now we're out and about.

Walleye is such a Great Lakes thing. Down here it'd be a blackened grouper sandwich. Umm!

wendybar said...

We have been going to a great restaurant near the water in New Jersey for months. No problems so far. Best Crab Cakes I have ever had too!!

Michael K said...

Had a nice birthday dinner at a nice Italian restaurant in OC. Group of 10, all family and inside dining room. Piccolino's in Mission Viejo. No Newsom Gestapo around to catch us.

We've dining inside in Tucson for months.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Either an extremely expensive, good steakhouse or Indian food.

Gusty Winds said...

Blogger R C Belaire said...
We get take-out Culvers about once per month. No inside dining just yet.

You can eat inside any Culvers around Sussex, Hartland, Oconomowoc, WI areas. Been that way since about May or June 2020. Zero detrimental effect.

Biden would call us Neanderthals.

Openidname said...

Let's spare a thought for the restaurants that have gone under, where we can never eat again.

Joe Smith said...

"One was a Jewish deli in the Detroit area because you just can't get that food in Florida."

No good Jewish delis in Florida? I would not have known/thought that.

Sure, maybe not like Katz's or Carnegie back in the day, but...isn't half the state retired, New York Jews?

Jim Gust said...

tcrosse you are absolutely correct, Tavern on Grand is in St. Paul. I was visiting in Minneapolis, and did not realize I had crossed the border.

I went to high school in Minneapolis and was in the band. When our school's hockey team made it to the state tournament, the band had free tickets to go play at the arena in support. We were all in a school bus on the way to the game.

The bass player said: "We are now entering St. Paul. Set your watches back ten years."

Funny the things you remember from 50 years ago.

Eleanor said...

Prime Rib itself is one of the easiest things there is to prepare if you can find a place that sells prime quality meat. I can pretty much make anything I want at home so for me it would be all about the ambiance. Whatever I ordered, I'd want the whole shebang. The white linens, candlelight, a bottle of wine, and a beautiful view. Or lots of "people noise", fun decorations, exotic cocktails, and a light-hearted menu. Eithe way, something that feels like a celebration.

Howard said...

Gluttony=freedom

Kathy from Boston said...

I second and third the Keen's suggestion. Can't wait for that. I'd also splurge at Marea on Central Park West for delectable Italian seafood. Here in Boston, anything Italian in the North End and a lobster roll and fried scallops at the Choate Bridge Pub in Ipswich, Mass. Kind of like Professor Althouse, I would indulge after a long hike or a beach walk on the sand at Crane Beach.

Warren Dorn said...

My wife and I have gone to different restaurants almost every Saturday for the past year. There was a month where all Ohio indoor dining was closed and we did carry-out. One you realize, for those under 65, your odds are higher dying in a car wreck driving to the restaurant than from Corona, you begin to remove the blindfold that the media and the government has created.

Jake said...

Wouldn't be f-ing Culver's, that's for sure.

rehajm said...

Down here it'd be a blackened grouper sandwich. Umm!

We were kind of forced out for my vaccinated mother's birthday. I got the blackened grouper sandwich....

John henry said...

Blogger RMc said...

Fried food? I thought that had been banned.

A lot of stuff I tried, that people said was good,
But, dang, you know, they lied, or I misunderstood;
I may he countrified, but here’s my attitude
If it ain’t fried, it ain’t food!

Oh, I’ve been stupefied, by stuff that’s steeped and stewed,
And I’ve been mystified, by things that I have chewed,
If you want me satisfied, just watch as I conclude
If it ain’t fried, it ain’t food!

They got snails, and frogs’ legs, and lobster on a leash,
With chocolate-covered ants they do get pushy;
They got squid in its ink, they got tofu and quiche,
And when the oven breaks down, they got sushi.

You know I got my pride, it isn’t that I’m rude,
But I just won’t be denied, even if it starts a feud.
Only one things qualified, when I am in the mood
If it ain’t fried, It ain't food


-Ray Jones

Sebastian said...

"you finally decided to dare"

You mean, indoor dining after vaccination--you did get your shot, right?--is "daring"?

And even before that the risk of transmission in restaurants was . . .?

Not quibbling. It was good for old people to stay away. The real destruction came from oppressing the rest of the population.

Yancey Ward said...

How many days has it been since your COVID vaccination?

DavidD said...

Our local Chinese buffet was actually self-serve yesterday.

For months it had been cafeteria-style, where you told someone what to put on your plate.

Apparently our county has downgraded the threat level.

Waiting for Gov. DeWine to lift the mask order now.

Bob Boyd said...

Gluttony=freedom

Therefore freedom = gluttony. Which pretty much sums up the left's world view.

WK said...

Ohio has been generally open for indoor dining since last May. Typically doing carry out once a week and eat-in a couple times to support businesses.... other than wearing masks to restaurants and stores and gym - haven’t changed many activities since last May.

traditionalguy said...

Great restaurants have been open for 6 months in Atlanta. The menus are not as much and the prices are up, but the food is as good as ever and service staff is top notch.

Jim K said...

Isn't Blue Mounds great? & Amen to remembering the now-closed restaurants. We have been dining out when possible though (mostly breakfast) but not with friends who are almost uniformly paranoid. But, dreaming of Texas Roadhouse!!

traditionalguy said...

On the economy trips we go to Cracker Barrel or pick up an internet ordered and paid for Jersey Mike’s Philly Cheeseteak.

Yancey Ward said...

Yes, been able to eat in here in Oak Ridge since before last Summer. Gyms open since early May with not one mask on my face the entire time, and few on any of the other members, and they skew mostly young people who are more likely to die in a weightlifting accident than they are from COVID.

Danno said...

Culver's doesn't exactly sound like Ann's normal cup of tea. I have never had a problem with them however. They copied the best things of the old A&W chain, particularly having excellent root beer. Also, cheese curds.

We have a Culver's in PCB, in case anyone gets homesick for the northern climes.

Titus said...

You can’t always get walleye at Culver’s. Love Culver’s. None out here.

jaydub said...

We generally dine out three times a week and have done so since moving to Florida six months ago.

rcocean said...

we're not really into expensive restaurants or complex meals. "Five courses" seems more like work than a meal.

Last time, we had Coco Vin which came with a salad. Coffee and desert afterwards. The Time before, Sushi and some Teriyaki Salmon. Usually, we have Mandarin Chinese - my wife's fav.

Rabel said...

Had my second Moderna vac yesterday. The first one had no noticeable effect. This one is kicking my ass.

rcocean said...

Is Culvar's like Skippers? A fast food fish place?

Mr. D said...
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Mr. D said...

Things were locked down in Minnesota for a while. Around the first of the year, we went over to Hudson to see what things looked like. Every restaurant in town had a 2-3 hour wait. We drove a bit further to River Falls and had a nice meal immediately. At this point, most places in Minnesota are opening. We generally eat out at twice on the weekend and while many places still take down your phone number for contact tracing purposes, we've had no issues at all and not one place we've dined has had an outbreak.

rcocean said...

My thing I liked about NYC, was there always seemed to be some "Hole in the wall" place that served good food. Of course, even then it wasn't cheap, cause that's New York.

DocTeach said...

Interesting to read these comments. I guess I didn't realize how good we have it here in Georgia. If you were in my town, you wouldn't know anything out of the ordinary was going on.

The best prime rib I've had in the past year was at a gas station in Interior, SD just outside the Badlands. Cowboy Corner. Oh, it was so good.



Ann Althouse said...

"I'd go for something I could not easily prepare at home, like prime rib."

That would be deep frying, I would think!

Danno said...

Jim Gust said...tcrosse you are absolutely correct, Tavern on Grand is in St. Paul. I was visiting in Minneapolis, and did not realize I had crossed the border.

I went to high school in Minneapolis and was in the band. When our school's hockey team made it to the state tournament, the band had free tickets to go play at the arena in support. We were all in a school bus on the way to the game. The bass player said: "We are now entering St. Paul. Set your watches back ten years." Funny the things you remember from 50 years ago.

The old saying was you go to Minneapolis to play, St. Paul to pray.

Rosa Marie Yoder said...

I hope that Jewish deli in the Detroit area was Uncle Harry's Diner in Saint Clair Shores - literally the only thing I miss about SCS.

Maybe this Spring we'll once again have the pleasure of dining at Trattoria Stella in Traverse City. It's an Italian restaurant that's housed in the old mental hospital, and much of its menu includes locally sourced ingredients.

Ann Althouse said...

"How was it? Did it meet or exceed your expectations?"

Culver's is very reliable, so it couldn't exceed my expectations. I have a very low sense of taste, so great deep-frying, served very very hot is really good for me, and I got exactly that.

Ann Althouse said...

"No carrots?"

Thanks for remembering!!

MadisonMan said...

Their fried walleye is so good.

Ann Althouse said...

"You mean, indoor dining after vaccination--you did get your shot, right?--is "daring"?"

We've only had our first shot, and it was less than a week since we'd had it, so I'm not sure what level of immunity we had at that point.

We could easily have taken the food in the car, which is what we've done in the past.

I think the only restaurant food I've had in the entire year of Covid is Culver's — always in the car.

Ann Althouse said...

"You can’t always get walleye at Culver’s."

I know! I was planning to get fried chicken, and Meade was going to get the fried cod, but the counter lady — who wore a mask with a smile embroidered on it — let him know that they also had walleye. So I switched to the walleye and so, of course, did Meade. I think I heard her say something like they'd caught it fresh that morning.

MadisonMan said...

It is very very easy to make delicious Prime Rib at home. It's a little daunting because you're spending a whole boatload of money on the beef, but the actual cooking is simple, and the leftovers too (Drool)

Ann Althouse said...

"Is Culvar's like Skippers? A fast food fish place?"

Culver's 2 biggest specialties are "butter burgers" and frozen custard.

Fritz said...

After the vaccinations, my wife and I treated ourselves to lunch at 5 Guys. Best burger and fries this side of Winston Oregon's Logger Burger (and who knows if they're still in business).

Jim Grey said...

We do carry out once a week, cycling through our favorite restaurants. What I want more than a restaurant meal is a cocktail at a bar. First one I intend to have is the smoked old fashioned at this one nice bar downtown in our little suburb.

rcocean said...

"butter burgers"

That seems to be some midwestern thing that I've never heard of. I'm guessing its Hamburger with...butter. Sounds like overkill to me. But I guess its no worse than Bacon Burgers or Burgers with Mayo.

Linda said...

How was the Flintrock trail? curious about the snow (well, really ice) conditions at Blue Mounds.

rcocean said...

you can't really make good Japanese or Chinese food at home. At least in the USA. And while I like Coco vin, its a pain to make. But I'm glad you can't make good croissants or pastries at home, without spending a lot of time, because otherwise I'd be scraffing them down all day.

gilbar said...

i've been eating IN restaurants since Mother's Day
Thank You Wyoming!

~ Gordon Pasha said...

There is a recent Culver's that opened in Boise, Will have to give it a try. I'm reliably informed that In-N-Out that will open in SW Idaho and then the universe will be back in balance here.

Lucien said...

The old lawyer in me noticed that you mentioned dining "in", not "at" a restaurant, leaving open the possibility that one had dined outside at a restaurant previously. Which kind of takes the edge off of, "what's the first thing you would order?".

But if one actually finds eating in a restaurant "daring" then the fear-mongering propaganda has worked. Sad.

Jersey Fled said...

Probably an ice cream place. My wife's favorite opens later this month. We both should be vaccinated by then.

William said...

Fried fish is hedging your bet. Deep frying has lots of calories, but fish is supposed to have less cholesterol or whatnot, so maybe even deep fried it's kind of healthy. Sure.....I have ordered take out a few times, but no sit down restaurant since last fall. I see people sitting outside eating with ear muffs and gloves on. This is not restaurant dining.

Old and slow said...

I prefer my burgers with both butter and mayonnaise. It's an Irish thing; all sandwiches must include butter.

Jersey Fled said...

Or maybe Manco and Manco in Ocean City NJ.

Best pizza in the universe.

Menahem Globus said...

Are flat sodas indicative of all Culver's or just a Florida curse? I went there twice during the several weeks lockdown in and haven't been back since because of the carbonation free drinks. Aside from the soda issue it's probably the best fast food place in the state. I think dining rooms have been open here since April although my county still only allows 50% capacity which is killing some places

Linda said...

For me it would be somewhere with a good beer on tap! I do like Culver’s onion rings, but it has been years since I have eaten there.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Walleye! Walleye! Walleye!.

David53 said...

Had fried Redfish throats last night, delish when you can find them.

Gospace said...

I've only not eaten in restaurants during the times the Dictator Cuomo et al forbade it. Now I go in, wearing may magical mask as required, sit down, take off the mask, now that I'm protected by the magical barrier around the table, don it if I have to get up to use the head, because the moment you stand you're no longer covered by the magical table barrier....

Someday Walmart and other retailers will open up their water fountains, closed now to protect us from the dreaded covid. Not sure how closing them protects us, but apparently Dr. Fauci and other experts ensure us that it's so.

Soda fountains now appear to ne mixed here in NY. At some places, I can fill my own cups, others I have to go to the counter and ask for refills- and- they give me a new cup in case the old has somehow contracted the dreaded covid.

Tank said...

Were they out of egg salad?

MadisonMan said...

I think a butterburger means the bun has been toasted in butter, that's all.

rehajm said...

During the shyte I've perfected preparing and grilling a dry aged ribeye so well I don't miss Grill 23...and we got an Ooni and I can reproduce a naples pie well enough that the family doesn't want pizza from anywhere else.

That was an error on my part...

Dude1394 said...

Just did it in Texas. Stopped into one of our favorite breakfast spots and had a delicious veggie omelet with their homemade salsa and homemade biscuits. It finally felt normal again.

Jim at said...

Meh. Didn't eat out before Covid. Don't expect to start now.

Inga said...

That looks delicious!

Jaq said...

I love fried walleye. There is something mythic about the species. In Florida people say they won’t eat fresh water fish like that, they will stick with mahi or grouper or whatever, and maybe it’s not a perfect culinary kind of fish, but when you look at the whole package, in my book, walleye can’t be beat.

Jaq said...

"The first one had no noticeable effect. This one is kicking my ass.”

Take some Tylenol and wait twelve hours and you will likely be right as rain.

Jaq said...

Fried perch is also a favorite. In Vermont they leave in the bones and you eat around them, which is pretty easy, in New York State they filet the little buggers, but recently they have been starting to filet them and leave the skins on, which gives back a little bit of the flavor that removing the bones when you fry them takes away.

JES said...

I had lunch at another restaurant in Mount Horeb today and it was packed. For a year now there have been no, repeat NO, inside diners. It must be over.

Clyde said...

A visit to Culver's is not complete without cheese curds!

tcrosse said...

My inner midwesterner sure does miss Culvers.

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann Althouse said...

“ That seems to be some midwestern thing that I've never heard of. I'm guessing its Hamburger with...butter. Sounds like overkill to me. But I guess its no worse than Bacon Burgers or Burgers with Mayo.”

I think it just means the bun is buttered. I should try it, but I always go with deep fried stuff.

“How was the Flintrock trail?”

I wore Katoola spikes and it was still hard to do the stair areas, which were thick with snow. No steps, just an incline. Don’t try it without spikes. I had trekking poles too, and they were needed.

Readering said...

In SoCal probably still a month or so from inside dining. I think I will start with steak.

Art in LA said...

Aren't onion rings always fried? I do love onion rings. Onion rings remind me of tempura.

No Culver's in California I don't think. Culver City is nearby though.

Skippy Tisdale said...

About 50 places that are no more. Seriously. I worked in downtown Minneapolis for over 20 years. Had lunch at restaurants everyday, about 95% of which are no more. And truth be told more than the food, I miss the great people who provided it to me. When the pandemic hit, I was lucky enough to be in a position to retire. But those wonderful restaurant workers were not.

rehajm said...

I just checked and there are Culvers near where I live. Might have to check it out!

Michael said...

I have eaten out regularly the last year. Georgia, Florida, Texas. No earring out in the closed and dismal NYC where I have spent a few miserable days.

stevew said...

Mrs. stevew and I have been dining out regularly since June of 2020 when we moved to Maine. During the early lockdown days we were getting take-out from our favorite haunts in MA that were offering it. So, sorry, I don't have experience relevant to the post question.

Inga said...

Hmmmm, where would I go and what would I eat?

Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro. A huge Porterhouse, hot spinach salad, cheese cake with chocolate ganache for dessert.

gadfly said...

If you travel anywhere close to Paducah, KY - stop at Patti's 1880's Settlement Restaurant in nearby Grand Rivers for the most unbelievable 2" pork chop that you have ever eaten.

gilbar said...

gadfly said...
If you travel anywhere close to Paducah, KY - stop at Patti's 1880's Settlement Restaurant in nearby Grand Rivers for the most unbelievable 2" pork chop that you have ever eaten.

oh Sure! NOW you tell me!
i went through Paducah Twice last week; and both times wondered about Patties

gilbar said...

Patti's

AndrewV said...

I haven't decided where to go yet. Most restaurants around here that were high on my list to go when indoor dining reopened have gone out of business in the last year. So I'm going to have to find a place that's survived.

Mark said...

First place I went was back in the summer. An Irish place. Alone. I think it was in Gettysburg.

Another place around that time was the Hawk and Dove. With a group of friends I hadn't seen in a long time. About seven of us.

bagoh20 said...

I Never took off work, and went to restaurants and bars regularly most of the year when allowed, and mingled pretty freely with friends and relatives at home and on outings. Most people I know did the same. Nobody in that circle, or any extension of it that I know of got sick. A single person in my home tested positive, but the rest of us never did.

My lady and I are flying to Maui next week for my first vacation in over four years. I have to get tested before the flight to get in. Wouldn't that suck after all this exposure to finally catch it now and lose all my reservations. That's a lot of money on the line with a high false positive rate, and we also have to pay $138 each for the test. They won't accept any other reliable test center but their own network.

n.n said...

Baby-back ribs

effinayright said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
effinayright said...

Fried clams at Farnham's, in Essex, Mass. To die for.

Bring a 12-gauge to ward off the sea gulls.

(Also useful against greenhead flies in mid-July to mid-August).

https://tinyurl.com/esz6auar

paminwi said...

Never had the prime rib at Keen’s. Have had the tenderloin and it was fabulous!
Eating dinner out last summer outside, this winter not as much. We prefer lunch if possible.
Though now we are vacationing in Florida and eating out regularly.
Have flown on planes multiple times in 2020 & 2021- March, June, August, September, November, December, January and now March. All to visit and then babysit my new grandson.
Took the advice of a commercial airline pilot - fly on the first flight of the day - the plane is as clean as it’s going to be.
Not going to stop living my life - I ignore Fauci cuz he’s not a reliable source.

MountainMan said...

My wife and I passed our 2 weeks from our 2nd Pfizer shot on 2/16. We went to a nearby Texas Roadhouse that night, first time we had been out to a restaurant together since all this mess started. I had been out a couple of times last June when I accompanied our son to Dallas for some surgery. Otherwise, we have been doing drive-through or takeout a couple of times a week. We have 2 Culver's now near our home in GA and we go there once or twice a month. Love their burgers, fish sandwich, fries, and cheese curds. Also the custard.

We are at our TN home now. Covid almost gone here. They don't have Culver's here but we have been to Freddy's for drive through. Wen to one of our favorite local seafood places for lunch today and going out for breakfast in the morning. Sullivan County (Bristol/Kingsport), where we have a home, is still on mask mandate. But nearby Washington (Johnson City), Carter (Elizabethton), and Unicoi (Erwin) counties all ended mask mandates last weekend. Some establishments still requiring them, though.

We got back to GA next week. Slowly, things for us are returning to normal. Both GA and TN are pretty busy, everyone wearing masks as required, but everything open.

Curious George said...

"tim in vermont said...
I love fried walleye. There is something mythic about the species. In Florida people say they won’t eat fresh water fish like that, they will stick with mahi or grouper or whatever, and maybe it’s not a perfect culinary kind of fish, but when you look at the whole package, in my book, walleye can’t be beat."

I fish, and fresh walleye is the best. It needs to be fried. I dip it in egg, and then into Shore Lunch Original batter, then into a CI frying pan with hot oil. Cook to browned.

Eat it with Malt Vinegar.

Thistlerose said...

I didn't stop eating in restaurants for a year but in January for my birthday we had a family get together in a newly opened Italian restaurant in Dallas. It was full even with the mask rules that they enforced. Some how we managed to have three different families, who have jobs interacting with the public, get together without masks for hours and no one died. Must be a Texas thing.

By newly opened I mean a new restaurant that was not there a month ago, not a restaurant that had not allowing people to enter and now were.

wildswan said...

Inga, I'll check Bartolotta's. I'm going to look around again and see what's open here in Paranoia Gulch, now that vaccinations have started. But I want the place to be filled with happy laughing people, not hunched strangers, separated, gulping, masking if they come up for air, served by masked figures. That's what I got the last time I ate out, I won't mention the place which is working hard to make it.

Steve Pitment said...

We have been traveling from Minneapolis to Hudson for months because restaurants in Wisconsin have always been open - really open, not the every 3rd table crap- amazing somebody that lives in Wisconsin hasn't been in for a year.

Biff said...

Here in Connecticut, my first indoor, sit-down restaurant experience since February 2020 was in December. It was a spur of the moment sort of thing; I happened to drive past the local greasy spoon diner around 7 AM, and I decided it was time for steak and eggs, sunny side up, with hash browns and toast. Even though it's easy enough to make that at home, it was spectacular!

MadisonMan said...

My lady and I are flying to Maui next week for my first vacation in over four years
I really like Maui. If you want to freak out while driving, try Kahekili.

dstori said...

If I was in Mad City, my choice would be: "Smoky's" When was the last time you were served a "Relish Dish?"
Carrot Sticks, Celery Sticks, Radishes, Green Onions! Ranch Dressing for dipping.

Skippy Tisdale said...

Louisiana Chioppino at the Pelican Club in New Orleans.

Skippy Tisdale said...

Well, it was in St Paul.

Minneapolis's prettiest suburb.

Skippy Tisdale said...

tcrosse you are absolutely correct, Tavern on Grand is in St. Paul. I was visiting in Minneapolis, and did not realize I had crossed the border.

We Minneapolitans need a fucking wall, but the City Council keeps challenging it via the courts.

Anonymous said...

The 'Burrito muy Grande' van on Appleway is pretty good. Sometimes the health nazis make them move, so it could be on 4th St. They serve Tacos, as the name suggests.