A Long Day on Saturday

Oh, oh. We got problems! The rain that was supposed to come Friday overnight and end by 7:00 AM Saturday morning was delayed and just started at 8:30 AM Saturday here, with thunder and lightning. Since it's good for my grass, why am I worried? Because this morning, Jake, Carla and I are doing a walking tour of Royal Oak restaurants and this afternoon is the graduation party for my nephew Jason's step-son, Alex, in a park. Happy note: Finally, a graduation party that's close to me!

But when I checked the weather map online, it looked like they were pretty fast-moving and almost out of the area. So, maybe I'll be okay.

I ground up more coffee and got the pot going. I ate the rest of the raspberries with some half and half for a light breakfast (I just realized I didn't tell you I did have them for dessert on Friday, after the "pizza roll-ups"). I posted the Blog and then moved the kitchen stuff out of the living room and back to its place.

Speaking of the "pizza roll-ups," I decided that I will try them again, but this time use mozzarella cheese and then top them with kosher salt, chopped basil and chopped oregano. I will definitely let you know if this is a quick snack worth keeping or not.

I had shaved and showered, was in my robe and starting to get dressed when Jake and Carla came in. I said, "I thought you said you were picking me up at 10:45 AM?" They said, "No, we have to BE there at 10:45 to register!"

So, I threw on my clothes and we dashed out the door. We finally got to the Royal Oak Farmer's Market. There was no apparent parking spot, so they dropped me off to register while they searched for one.

Now this food tour is put on by Culinary Escapes (they also do a few other local cities, BTW). They have a pretty slick setup. Upon registering, you are given a radio receiver (about the size of a pager) you hook on your belt and an ear piece. They show you how to hook it up and turn it on. The tour guide has a microphone and talks throughout the walk. When you stop somewhere, he gives the owner/manager the mike, so they can tell you the story of the place, what they're famous for and so on.

You also get a small goodie bag as each place gives you either their menu, a coupon or (in the case of the Goldfish Tea place), actual samples.

Well, the tour guide got started at the market, while I and his assistant (a very pleasant woman and I somehow got the feeling she was the tour guide's wife) waited for Jake and Carla. They showed up a few minutes later, got hooked up and we went in. The Royal Oak Farmers market has been around a long time and some of the stalls are owned by second and third generation farmers. Very impressive and I wish it was closer to me!

We stopped at three stalls: first a nut butter place (some people had samples, but it didn't sound that interesting to me); a lady with locally produced honey (again, eh...) and a guy with two types of spice rubs (I tried a taste of that and Carla bought a jar).

Then we left and started walking. The guide kept it interesting by describing how Royal Oak came to be, how it got its name, etc. Our next stop was the Superior Fish Company, a major wholesale and retail fish dealer (Jake said the St. Clair Inn got their fish from Superior). We had a talk from the owner on just how fast he can get a lobster from Maine or an oyster from Oregon to your table. We were served a small piece of halibut with some kind of sauce (whatever it was, it was excellent).

Next was the Zumba Mexican Grille, a kind of hole in the wall place with no tables (inside, at least - they did have a patio seating area outside) just tall stools lining a ledge around the windows and one inside ledge (where Jake, Carla and I sat). Here the three of us opted for a fish taco (I never had one before) with a house-special sauce, lettuce, cilantro and onions. We were served water and some taco chips (homemade, of course) along with homemade salsa I cannot remember the name of. Excellent! So far, so good!

Then we walked over to Memphis Smoke (which even I have heard of - Jake and Carla had eaten there before). We were served two baby back ribs, and a small container of both red beans and rice and coleslaw. Here I was both disappointed and amazed. I thought the ribs were just so-so (mine are definitely better). They smoke them for 18 hours, but the stupid sauce (not caramelized at all and way too sweet) completely overpowered any smoky taste.

But, the red beans and rice (which I have heard of but never tasted) were fantastic! I have got to get a recipe and make these! I'll bet Emeril has a bunch of them!!!

Next stop was the Vintner's Cellar of Royal Oak. Here, they actually make wine onsite (sort of a brew pub, but with wine, instead). They had a glass poured and waiting for us ("Moonbeam" a Black Cherry Pinot Noir) but it was way too sweet for me, and Jake and Carla. Then we got to pick another from their menu. Jake got the "Hot-n-Spicy (a Shiraz) Carla the "Down Under" (an Australian Chardonnay) and I chose the "Woodward White" a Riesling. Mine was excellent.

BTW, they will make and custom label any wine for you, so if you've ever wanted to have your own personal wine, or want a special present, this is the place for you!

Pressing onward, we walked to the Royal Oak Brewery. Now, I have been to several brew pubs and am used to getting several small glasses of the local brews for tasting. I was surprised when we just got one small glass of their pilsner. However, since they are also a family restaurant, they made up for it by serving a good-sized bowl of an excellent Jambalaya (really outstanding)!

Next was a visit to Goldfish Tea. As the name suggests, it was a shop that catered to Chinese tea. The husband and wife proprietors were working for one of the big three auto companies and stationed in Beijing, China, when they happened along a huge wholesale tea market. This opened a whole world for them and they came back to the States, quit their jobs and opened this place up. There are couches, tasting tables and chairs where you can go and drink your tea.

We taste-tested two kinds, green and white tea (all loose leaf, BTW). An interesting thing I learned was you never pour boiling water on green tea (boiling water will make it bitter). You want the water to just start forming bubbles on the bottom of the pan, not rising to the top. This green tea reminded me of the catnip tea my Mother used to make in the springtime, back on the farm when I was growing up. It had that same grassy flavor.

The so-called white tea is just green tea picked before the leaves fully emerge.

We moved on to Caf� Muse, a breakfast and lunch only establishment. Their claim to fame (and they have won numerous award and were featured on Oprah, BTW) is putting a different spin on classical breakfast and comfort foods. However, we all agreed this was disappointing. The place was packed (we were served by the owner outside on the sidewalk) but the items we were got were blas� at best. There was a slice of "peanut butter and jelly" sandwich (peanut butter, mascarpone cheese and homemade jam) which was way too sweet. And a grilled cheese sandwich (three different cheeses and a tomato on a whole grain with nuts bread) which was bland. Since Carla is allergic to nuts, they made her a fingerling potato salad (which she appreciated), but said was boring. She threw most of it away.

Trudging along (it's now hot as hell and, since we are in the city, there is very little wind) we finally made it to Pizza Paesano. I'm still undecided about this place. They have like six kinds of "gourmet" pizza. It's just two women and maybe 24 seats in the place. The story is the owner opened it up with her son, but he soon tired of the place and moved on, so she is keeping it going.

I tried the potato pizza (boring) and the pesto with ricotta cheese and spinach (excellent). I would recommend this to people, BTW. Jake had the pepperoni but I did not get his review. They made Carla a special dish I didn't get the name of (it was a pizza dough, puffed up and then stuffed with veggies I think) that she didn't seem too thrilled with.

Leaving there, we walked next door (finally, the first time that didn't involve a hike) to Gayle's Chocolates. We finished our tour with a shot of hot chocolate (delicious) and a piece of candy (I had the espresso truffle which tasted fantastic, but was probably not good for a Type 2 diabetic.

The tour ended there and we had to march our sorry ass-selves back to the Royal Oak Market and the car. At this point, I am seriously regretting the whole concept! "Walking Tour" means, well, walking! What the hell was I thinking? According to them it was about 1 1/2 mile walk, but by this time it felt like a 40 mile hike!

But seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed this (and Jake and Carla seemed too, as well).

On the way home, we stopped at a nearby Whole Foods Market which was, according to Jake, quite small compared to the one they usually go to in Birmingham. But it still was impressive to me - when's the last time you saw ground bison meat in your local store?

They dropped me off around 4:00 PM. My legs were killing me and I wanted nothing more than to take a nap, but I have family obligations. So, I washed my face, grabbed my graduation card and the map and headed out on the road to the Northwest Park in Taylor.

Now, it should have been a straight shot for me: head south on Inkster for about five or six miles and turn left for a half mile. But, Inkster was completely closed at Michigan avenue (I later saw the signs for the Inkster Summerfest that was going on). So, I spent a lot of time on little side streets, but I finally got there.

Nice little park, BTW. They had reserved a covered structure (where they had the food and some picnic tables) and also rented a tent. And, it was open enough that the winds (gusting now) made the heat feel much less oppressive.

I congratulated the graduate, gave him my card, greeted everyone I knew and then sat with Terry's family under the tent. They had just all started eating so I fixed a small plate for myself (macaroni salad, a burger and some baked beans - I certainly wasn't hungry but wanted to show my appreciation for their efforts). Here's where a weird thing happened. I mentioned the gusting winds, right? Well, when I took the hard tinfoil top off the beans on the grille, the wind picked it up and blew it in my face. Undeterred, I took a small spoonful of beans and put them on my plate.

When I got back to the picnic table, I noticed there was blood on my hand! I found that the lid had sliced the end of my nose, which was bleeding profusely. I spent most of the afternoon holding numerous bloody napkins to my face, trying to stem the bleeding. (Way to make an impression, buddy!)

We talked about work (as painters, for them it's almost non-existent) the economy, kids, cars and things. But, the main topic was the death of five local kids. They were hit by a train in Canton on Thursday when the driver of the car drove around the crossing guard to try and beat the train. It turns out Alex went to school with most of them and the two brothers who died lived right across the street from them. What a shame...

I had a good time playing with my niece Laura's new baby, Anna. What a sweet disposition this kid has! I did explain to her that, yes she has two Uncle Johns (Laura's brother John was named after me) but that he is just a plain old Uncle John while I was her "GREAT" Uncle John.

My only fear is that, when Christmas comes around and she sees Santa Claus, she will think, hey, he's not real! He's not bleeding out of his nose!

I stayed until around 6:00 PM, then made my goodbyes and left. This time I went down Van Born to Middle Belt. took that to Ford Road and then went east to Inkster and north to home.

I changed clothes (I had to practically pry my socks off with a crowbar, as both my ankles were swollen so badly) and went on the couch to return a phone call. I piled both pillows up and elevated my feet, first though.

When I got done, I went in and went to bed. No TV tonight, just rest...