As per my Saturday post, I had a mellow day. Was going to leave the house at 11, but then I got totally swept up in a So You Think You Can Dance marathon on MTV. Left at 1.
My goal was to walk down to the office so that I could print some stuff out. On my way, I stopped at the Gap and got some new jeans. My current favorite ones are starting to get torn up. I have another pair that’s too big, and another that is sometimes too small (they currently fit but after last night’s dinner, which I’ll get to in a minute, they might not for much longer).
Also stopped in Clark’s and got some brown boots. Yay! My old ones are really worn out and uncomfortable. I think I’ve gotten some good use out of them. These new ones should last a long time (at least I hope so given the price tag).
Wanted to run 8 miles, but I was totally pooped after 6. I think I was going a little faster than I usually do, and also it was quite humid.
Sunday I left the house early and went to write my my favorite Starbuck’s. Then In the afternoon I met up with YP to see a free taping of Showtime at the Apollo in Harlem.
It was an interesting first-time experience. I had had the impression that all of it was amateur, but the first half was an apparently well-known singer neither of us had heard of, a comedian, and this child prodigy jazz pianist.
Unlike on American Idol, all of the amateurs could actually sing, and the boo’ing from the audience seemed not so much about talent but taste (ie, the whiter the music, the louder the boos). And then after the boo’d performer was kicked off the state – by a spastic, tapping Savion Glover look-alike – the host would mercilessly make fun of said of performer.
It seemed mean to me, but, let’s face it, no meaner than American Idol or any of those shows.
Afterwards we went to dinner at Spoonbread near Columbia, a sort of hole-in-the-wall Southern place. The only real Southern food I’ve had is the spread SG’s mom made at a party years ago, and at that time I couldn’t get enough. Since then I haven’t had anything to write home about.
The Spoonbread dishes – southern fried chicken, jerk chicken, and Louisiana catfish are just a few examples – were all under $16, and came with 2 sides and corn bread. YP got a veggie spread, which was actually more like a carbalicious spread (mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and black eyed peas), while I got the “falling off the bone” short ribs. We also got the Spoonbread punch, which is light and fruity.
We sort of had to wait a long time for the food. Neither of us minded, between the view of Central Park and our waiter’s bodacious booty. (You could bounce quarters off that thing.) When our entrees arrived, bodacious booty and all, it was well worth the wait.
Everyone who is a vegetarian must convert back to meat-eating RIGHT NOW in order to try the short ribs at Spoonbread. Melt-in-your-mouth tender and subtly flavored (ie, not too salty). My two sides were the mac and cheese, which was also delish, and the collard greens. What better way to eat your veggies than with pieces of pork?
I was only able to dig through half of the sizable portion. I could have eaten more, just for the taste, but wanted to save room for dessert. Red devil’s food cake for YP, peach cobbler for me.
Again, the food took a long time coming out, prompting jokes like, “What are they doing? Baking the cobbler from scratch in there?” but they may well might have been. Piping hot, melty, fresh, and not too sweet. Just the looks of our dessert made the young girls at the next table turn around and practically bury their noses in our plates. Mmm, sanitary.
Tonight I get to relive the whole experience as I go facedown in my leftovers.