Father's Day

I woke up at the usual time (5:30 AM). I had a cup of coffee while I wandered around, planning the morning. Then I made scrambled eggs and toasted English muffins. I ate the eggs Southern-style, topped with red hot sauce and finished my meal with another cup of coffee.

Now it's time to clean Newt's tank, yet again. This time, instead of replacing them, I am washing the rocks in my biggest stock pot. Once the water is running clear, I plan on boiling them on the stove to try and kill the algae.

Midway through the project (about 9:15 AM), the phone rang. It was Acenter, Carla's Mom, wishing me a Happy Father's Day. Thanks! Back to work, the stones are boiling on the stove (for a minimum of 10 minutes - they look like dried beans actually. I keep wanting to add the ham hocks!) and I am washing off the plastic plants, filter, etc. Once the stones were done, I put the pot on the patio and ran cold water into it to both rinse and cool the stones off. Finally everything was done, pans and bowls washed and Newt was back in his tank just before 11:00 AM.

Now I am cleaning the house. Riese just called to wish me Happy Father's Day, too. I finished with the dust mopping and am mopping the kitchen floor. It got trashed this morning, from me walking back and forth from the wet patio to the bedroom. Letting that dry, I shaved and showered for my mystery trip. Jake and Carla are taking me somewhere for Father's Day, but they won't tell me where! I got dressed and put my feet up for a bit, tired from all the standing this morning.

He had sent me several "clues" which were basically an image of boxes. I couldn't understand what the hell I was looking at. Finally, after the 5th clue, I realized it was a photo, but blown up. So, I reduced it to 25%. I could see it was a chef, but the picture was two small to make out his face. So, this morning he sent me three photos of a wolf, a picture of a street gang and a hockey puck. Duh!

I have had many chef heroes, since starting down this foodie road. But my first inspiration was Wolfgang Puck. I loved his early Food Network shows, where he taught techniques, rather than just how to make a dish. In fact, the bacon-wrapped meatloaf in my recipe section of the Blog was inspired by him. He is an Austrian, but has almost the same accent as my Father did. He has been an overwhelming force in American cuisine since the early 1980's. And, he recently opened a restaurant in the MGM casino here in Detroit.

So, they picked me up at 12:30 PM and we headed for Detroit. We got to the MGM Grand and parked. I was fascinated by the casino we had to walk through as I must confess, as old as I am, I have never, ever been in one before. One thing that really struck me as odd, most of the hundreds of people playing slots, blackjack, craps, whatever, did not look happy or relaxed. I thought gambling was supposed to be fun! They all seemed a bit tense, or even desperate. I could not believe how big and packed the place was!

Once inside the restaurant and seated (we had reservations, of course) the waiter did something I had only happen once before (on Mackinaw Island at the Grand Hotel, a long time ago when I stayed there with Luanne); he opened my napkin and placed it in my lap. We took a long time, debating over the menu, but finally decided to share two appetizers (the Caesar Salad with White Anchovies and Tomato-Basil Bruschetta and the Sauteed Crab Cakes with Marinated Tomatoes and Basil Pesto Aioli). We all had a glass of Chardonnay. I let the two of them pick it out as the wine list was like a small book!

For our entrees, Carla decided on the Lobster Club Sandwich with Smoked Bacon, Garlic Aioli and Walnut Bread although she asked to substitute the walnut bread with crusty sourdough (she's allergic to nuts, it you remember). Jake immediately picked the Fresh Angel Hair Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil. I was torn between that and the Rib Eye Steak Sandwich with Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions and Horseradish. I finally decided I could grille a steak anytime, but Fresh Angel Hair Pasta with Wild Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil? I don't think so!

About that time, Carla said, "Hey, that's Fanchon Stinger!" I usually watch on Channel 4 news, myself, so I didn't know who she was, but she is an anchor on Channel 2. It looked like she was there with her mother and father, her daughter and son-in-law and her grandchild. They were seated at a table about 25 feet away from us. Her celebrity status was confirmed by the Executive Chef Marc Djozlija, who came out and talked to them all.

So, first came the appetizers. The salad was whole leaves of Romaine lettuce, dressed lightly and topped with four or five white anchovy filets. And the crab cakes were tall stacks, about the size of a 50 cent piece, topped with some breadcrumbs and sitting in individual pools of green pesto. Jake carefully cut the bottom off a crab cake (pesto has nuts in it, too) for Carla while I cut the Romaine leaves into more bite-size pieces.

The salad was excellent, and the anchovy tasted fresh and nothing like anchovies on, say, a pizza. Unlike the hamburger patty-size crab cakes, mixed with breadcrumbs and other goodies, that I am used to (and also love), these seemed to be mostly crab meat with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs on top and the crab flavor nicely balanced by the pesto. Four stars for the appetizers, Wolfgang!

After a refill of the bread try, the entrees arrived. Carla's looked beautiful: a sourdough hoagie-style bun filled with lobster and bacon. She had a small salad on the side, but they forgot the French fries she ordered. One strike against the wait staff!

Our angel hair pasta looked and smelled fantastic. A variety of wild mushrooms topped the pasta and it was drizzled with white truffle oil. I think I even said it out loud, but that was the best food I ever tasted!

Carla's fries arrived and she dug in. She offered me a bit of her sandwich, but I said, "No, I just want to eat this!" She insisted, and I must admit, it was excellent as well. I was the only one who finished their meal. I topped my dinner off with a cup of coffee.

When the waiter cleared the table, Jake asked that the other half of Carla's sandwich and her fries be boxed. So, the waiter took all the plates and then brought back the leftover in a box, in a small bag. Later, he discovered the waiter messed up and saved the little bit of pasta on Jake's plate and threw away the half of the lobster club sandwich! Another strike against the wait staff, but also another four stars for the food! Thanks, guys! A truly unique dining experience!

Then we tried our hand at the slot machines. They wouldn't let me use my own money, so I blew five bucks of theirs in about three minutes on the 25 cent machines. They didn't have any better luck, so we wandered around a bit more and tried the 2 cent slots. We lasted a lot longer there, but still all went down to defeat in the end.

After an amusingly long trip, trying to find the right exit, we did eventually get to the car and headed home. They dropped me off around 4:00 PM. I thought about what I should be doing and decided to change clothes and take a nap. I did check the caller ID when I got home and found two calls for "PCS Phone" or something. Thinking it was some company wanting me to change my long distance carrier, I didn't bother to check the voicemail. I just went to sleep.

The phone next to my ear in the bedroom woke me up and I answered it without looking. It was Riese, who said "Papa John, when you get home, there are some Father's Day presents on your porch." I said, "I am home, where are you?" She said, "In your driveway!" So, I got up and let Riese and Jyl in. Riese had a card and another mystery plant as my present (this one twice as big). I later took a photo and posted it. If anybody knows the name of it, please tell me! Jyl also had a card and a present of a pound of Hunter Sausages from the Smoke House! I also got three school pictures of Riese.

We visited a little bit (Riese got all A+s in school this year, Joe's report card hasn't come yet) and then they had to leave. I think it was around 6:00 PM. I was in no way hungry, but decided to make my dinner now, so it could cool, and I could eat it later, watching TV. I made Jamie Oliver's dish he modestly calls "The Best Pasta Salad."

I cooked a box of rotini (I couldn't find the tri-color stuff, there was none on the grocery shelves) (all the graduation parties, I presume) with three whole cloves of garlic and then drained and shocked it. I took a pint of yellow and a pint of red grape tomatoes and cut them all in half. I diced a half of a cucumber and added a small can of sliced black olives to the mix. I added about two tablespoons of fresh-snipped chives and a handful of fresh chopped basil. For the dressing, I mixed 7 tablespoons of olive oil, 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, some salt and fresh ground pepper. I took the boiled garlic, sprinkled it with some kosher salt and, with the flat of my knife, I mashed them into a paste. That went into the dressing as well and then it all got whisked. I folded that into the bowl with the pasta and it all went into the fridge to get happy.

I went in to watch the first of my Sunday night shows. Some time during the second, I got a small bowl of pasta (good, but the best? I dunno...) I went to bed at 11:00, a happy and contented father. Thanks everybody!