Here in Texas

Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes - Sun 10/17/2010

Wow.  We all got stuck in Denton traffic.  Who knew Denton could have so much traffic on 360 on a Sunday afternoon?   2 cars and 1 motorcycle (a big motorcycle, Texas size).  Three groups of friends, ex-coworkers and new friends made the trip separately.  We ended up meeting about 45 minutes late but we didn't care.  The weather was nice and 2 of the antique stores were open!  I guess I should explain that we had 3 native Texans, 1 transplant from the far northeast that behaves like a Texan, 2 Yankees (they still require brown gravy and won't touch biscuits and cream/milk gravy - weird huh?) and 1 Californian (yes she's a carnivore too).  LOL the gravy discussion reared it's funny little head during the meal too - I can't help but feel sorry for people that miss the wonderful flavor of cream gravy  period!  But not to like gravy and biscuits - HORROR!

The service was not quite as good and friendly as usual.  They even forgot the story about the potatoes.... boiled in rosin sap so don't eat the potato peel or the paper wrapper, and they certainly didn't tell us about the potato butter... these are important parts of the experience and a good thing to know anyway.

The menu changed from the last time we were here.  The veggies weren't being served family style anymore.  And since we were early for Sunday evening, we had to pay extra for the potato - not that anyone minded ... I hadn't driven so darn far that I was going without having eaten a potato!  I don't know why I like them so much but I do.  I love them.

My filet (medium) was very good.  Everyone else's must have been good as the plates were all empty - there were other filet's, ribeye's and the lone chicken fried ribeye!  Several got (and really enjoyed) the mac and cheese.  It must have been good as the noise level disappeared after all the oohs and aaahs when the food appeared.  And it didn't really pick back up until dessert!

Oh yes dessert was ordered.  I got the apricot fried pie to go and others had a sample of everything else - pecan pie (served warm and then licked off the plate - where was my camera?), red velvet cake (really red but it disappeared off the plate too and an apricot fried pie.  I was disappointed to see the fried pie so thin however, after getting home and waiting a while so my stomach had some room, I heated mine in the oven and then devoured it.  It was really good - it had whole apricot and not just little bits of apricot in the filling.  Superb!

Afterwards, all 5 of the girls rambled through the 2 antique shops that were open while the guys 'talked shop' on one of the courthouse benches (shop talk my foot!).  We had a great time.   And the drive home went by much quicker than the drive up!

So the great moral of the story?  Everyone bonds over food - even those Yankees and a Cal-i-forn-i-a chick can behave themselves (well, you know we Texans always behave).  LOL we joke about it, recognize our differences (ok well yes we do give the Yankees a hard time) and have a great time.  And it's that kind of character that always allows us to do the best job with what we have as a team!