Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Close Encounters of the Squirrel Kind

When I've been going out to feed the squirrels in the morning, they've been unusually happy to see me. If I talk to them, one of them will often bounce up and down and then head for the deck rail, where I put the seeds out.

They've been comfortable with getting very close to me. In fact, I'd say they are more comfortable than I am with the idea. I wish I could tell them apart so I could tell if I'm visiting with the same ones every morning.

I've been able to get some really sharp photos of them. Zoom in if you like fur and whiskers.

Look at those toes! Recently I sat out there for a few minutes and suddenly there were seven squirrels running around me. Somehow it's even more entertaining if they are just a few feet away than when I'm looking out the window. I just never know when they are going to decide to use me as a springboard during one of their acrobatic maneuvers.



Of course, I had to take some video, too. I'll be sure to take more if they start sitting in my lap.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Papa Mojo's Roadhouse

Yesterday my MFRs and I went to Papa Mojo's Roadhouse for the first time. Papa Mojo's is a cajun creole restaurant in Greenwood Commons, fairly near the intersection of 55 and 54. We started out with the beignets, which were excellent. I'm not sure they are quite as good as Rue Cler's, but on the other hand, I'm not positive that here was a limit to how many I could have eaten.

My Most Faithful Reader had shrimp and grits, which were apparently great. It looked good, despite all those mushrooms.

Despite my looking at the menu online beforehand, I had a hard time deciding what to order. There were just so many things I wanted to try. I ended up geting poached eggs with andouille-sweet potato hash, hollandaise sauce and fresh fruit. I chose well. Growing up, I didn't like sweet potatoes, but I've decided that they can be just fantastic in savory dishes. These were no exception. They were so tasty with the very nicely spicey andouille sausage and eggs were cooked perfectly. The fruit was excellent. All around, this was a superb meal. I took roughly half of it home and had it for lunch this morning, around 10:45am. I was eager to get back to it and it didn't need to be reheated at all.

My 2nd Most Faithful Reader had a shrimp and crab omelet. He didn't notice much of the crab, but he's much more fond of shrimp anyway, so I can't believe he minded. He seemed to be very happy with his meal.

For dessert, we had the blueberry pan dowdie, with ice cream. If you don't get the impression from the photo that it was enormous, then you need to zoom in. It was roughly the size of a large sofa. The blueberries were extremely hot, so the ice cream kept trying to get away. 20 minutes after we started eating, they were still hot. This is one amazing and delicious dessert. It's also their entry into the 2009 Best Dish in NC competition.

The service was great. Chef and Owner, Mel Melton, stopped by our table to say hello. The portions were huge and I didn't eat dinner last night at all, because it just wasn't necessary. That could be why I ate the leftovers so early this morning, but I think it's mostly because I knew they'd be good.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Blu Blogging : Catfish Dinner

I don't really like catfish. I'm a trout person. That's the very reason I went to the Catfish Dinner at Blu Seafood and Bar last week. I knew that if anyone knew how to cook catfish in such a way that I'd like it, it would be Chef Tim Lyons. Fortunately, I was right. It was tasty and not greasy, which is my normal catfish complaint.

I don't like grits, but if they are cheesy and creamy enough, I think they can be pretty good. These weren't as fantastic as what is served with their shrimp and grits, but that's really tough to beat.

I don't like cheesecake, but the no-bake chocolate bourbon cheesecake was fantastic. It was like eating a large piece of candy. Actually, this was the best part of the meal and I'm hoping it will be on their next dessert menu, so I can have more.

Once again, you can see that I am rarely hampered by prejudice, especially when it comes to food.