Good Eats

Yesterday Arthur and I went out to Olive Garden for a date night. We did the Two for $25 meal deal, which included soup or salad, bread sticks, our entrees and a dessert to share. I am not a huge fan of ravioli or tortellini stuffed with cheese, but one of the selections was ravioli di portabello, so I decided to try it for something different. I really enjoyed it, enough to comment on it several times after dinner. It had a smokey cheese and tomato sauce with garlic. I also tried the rosato sparkler, which was a rose wine with cranberry juice and a splash of ginger ale. That had a good, tart flavor. I always wonder if we will get enough to eat when I see the "two-fer" entrees arrive, but we had more than enough to feel full. As usual, I had extra salad to try to balance out the pasta!

At the St. Joe parade today we got a coupon for half an order of onion rings at the Tumbleweed Tavern in St. Anna. Since it was fish day, I suggested to Arthur that we go there for dinner. Kind of a make-up thing for the Joe burgers we did not have after the parade! I do not remember what the name of the bar was before it became the Tumbleweed Tavern. We used to drive past it on our trips up to Flensburg so we were familiar with where it was, but we never stopped in. We opted for the fish sandwich rather than the fish dinner, since the fish sandwich was deep-fried and the dinner fish was not. Also, the dinner came with vegetables, and we are not big fans of restaurant vegetables; they are usually over-cooked. Suffice it to say that we could have split one meal between us. The sandwiches were huge! The fish alone was probably the equivalent of eating two planks of pollack from the Watkins Legion fish fry. Then there were the buns, lettuce and potatoes. The buns were toasted and  buttered. We also received a slice of lemon and tarter sauce on the side. Arthur had the French fries. I decided to pay to upgrade to the side of garlic taters just to try them. I was expecting pre-seasoned tater tots, and instead I got tater tots loaded with minced, sauteed garlic - tons of it. I took one look at it and thought, there would be gastrointestinal repercussions of the foulest kind after this meal! The flatulence, that is. Garlic is great for the heart, and also good for promoting healthy bacteria in the colon! Fortunately for my husband, I only ate a few, and brought the rest home for another meal some other time. Then there was the half order of onion rings. My first thought was to ask the waitress what they did to make the breading stick to the onions, but I refrained so she would not have to reveal any trade secrets. The onion rings had a good beer flavor. Both the fish and the onion rings were piping hot, so much so that we had to eat slowly in order not to burn our mouths. I like my restaurant food hot, so appreciated it. The dining area had a beautiful mural reminiscent of the lakes, hills and farms of the Avon area. The owner of the restaurant introduced herself to us, and told us she and her husband purchased the bar about a year ago. They are slowly working on improving the decor. When we were there we were almost alone, so it was difficult to judge how the noise would be if it were full, but the drive to St. Anna was an easy one, and the fish was as good or better than other fish fries we go to. The price was very reasonable for fish, $8.99. The drinks were also very reasonably priced, $1.75 for a bottle of MGL, and $1.25 for a can of Ginger Ale. They have a clean, sandy volleyball pit in the back, and an enclosed porch with cushy patio furniture for drinks. It looked inviting.

My humble opinions, as ever! Bon Appetit!