Feasting on Asphalt Wedding Anniversary pt.2

After a nice 'corporate' lunch in Shreveport and 2 movies at the cinema (yes 2 in a row, that the kind of crazy wild stuff we do when we have the time!)...we rolled on down to Bossier city just looking at the cluster of buildings close to each exit ramp to see what looked like it was Restaurant populated.

We found a spot that looked like the usual, but with a few hometown 'favorite' places thrown in for good measure. If a local restaurant can survive between the corporate and franchise outlets then it's a good sign the locals keep it alive because really, besides crazies like us who do you know that eats mom & pop while traveling without worrying about the repercussions on their stomachs? Yep, everyone wants to play it safe.

We decided on a seafood place called 'Ralph & Kacoos' only later did I find out they have several restaurants in Louisiana and Texas, but otherwise it's a 'local' regional place. It was good. Although I felt our waiter memorized the 'special' without really comprehending what he was saying. How is that you say? I had some kind of special called tilapia voodoo or vise versa, and I asked him to blacken my fish (which he said was a choice during the mundane rundown of a memorized specials list in his head, but unfortunately, that was the only special) only he responded that the special only comes one way and that is wasn't blackened? Ok.

The dish tasted fabulous and the bread rolls were outstanding, kinda like a lighter yeast roll with a buttery garlic parmesan like topping. Delicious. Stephanie had a shrimp plate (with several different preparations of shrimp, broiled, grilled, fried...) but Stephanie also has a food allergy to beef and beef products that include soup base and stock. You may ask, 'what does that have to do with shrimp?!' EXACTLY!!! That's what I was wondering...unbeknown to me (or, I did not know) that their version (because I know a few versions, but not like this) of cajun rice has small hamburger pieces in it! What?

Anyway, our meal was delicious and they promptly removed the rice and cooked more shrimp to replace all the ones that were touching the rice (yes, the allergy is that bad...she had stomach problems from the small spoonful she had before realizing what was in it).

We readily agreed for more rolls when asked then packed about 4 of them away to take them back to the hotel refrigerator to put right alongside the other food. Our 'banquet of leftovers' was looking pretty good for getting back on the road the next day (which would be Nov 6th).

Ralph & Kacoos has apparently won the following awards:

2006-2007 AWARDS:
'BEST OF...' LUFKIN, BATON ROUGE,
NEW ORLEANS, AND BOSSIER CITY
'BEST BANQUET FACILITY'
'BEST STEAK'- LUFKIN
'BRIDE'S FAVORITE'- BATON ROUGE

Although it's not apparent (at the website) exactly WHO awarded them? Interesting. And what kind of award is Bride's Favorite? What's the criteria?

Well, folks, that's all I have time for today...

Church Under the Bridge (photo album)

From Church Under ...

Click on the picture or link under the picture to be able to see all the pictures in the album on Picasso...over 100+ pictures.

Gary and I made everything from scratch (as we usually always do) and there was not a crumb left. We were told to prepare for about 150 and we prepared for 200. Everyone that was supposed to eat did, and sometimes twice and a little for the road!

We had fun, it was a great time. Menu:

• Grilled Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Focaccia bread


• Marinated & Grilled Sliced Flank Steak Sandwiches made w/soft homemade roll


• Red Skin Potato Salad


• Chili


• Fresh Baked Cookies

Each sandwich individually wrapped and stored in coolers. Potato salad was in 4 inch hotel pans kept in cooling box. Chili was stored in two 10 Gallon coolers used as warmers (does the same whether insulating hot or cold items, same as boxes for storing hotel pan food in). Hot chocolate in a 5 gallon cooler with valve, 10 gallons of coffee in thermal drink containers, and individual bottled water iced down in cooler.

All chili and drinks (besides water) were still scalding hot after the almost 3 hour trip down.

Just a little tip for any of you who are supplying the dinner for Sunday service in the future...there getting tired of soup.

Church Under the Bridge

Just a quick blurb to let you know we (Gary and I) signed up (months ago) to supply the food for the 'dinner' at Church Under the Bridge in Waco Texas along with members of Gary's Sunday School class at CCF (church right next to Mercy Ships IOC) and I will be posting pictures ( as soon as I can devise the best way to do that and have time ) shortly along with the menu we used (which held well for the 3 hours it takes to get there) with no cooking facilities on-site, we where literally under a bridge!!! Under I-35 and S. 4th & 5th streets.

It would be easiest (and best) to go to their website to understand what CUB is...but in my paraphrase, it is this:

Church for the poor, unwanted, homeless, addicts, misfits, mentally challenged, physically challenged, outsiders, outcasts, normal people (if there is such a thing), the curious, middle and upper-class people who are ready for a change and venture outside of their own comfort zones to see what life they are missing, and people who are tired of 'church' as they know it...it is, in essence, an unpretentious, non-denominational experiment in love. As Jimmy Dorrell said yesterday at the service, a laboratory of love.

Jesus on the streets...

Art Link Credit - http://moblog.net/view/281116/jesus-christ

Feasting on Asphalt Wedding Anniversary pt.1.5

From Anniversary

I felt it was only fair that I call this part 1.5 because this episode does not consist of Feeding on Asphalt eating. Although I wish it had, it did not. How about a few pointers?

You may have asked, 'why didn't you go to Dallas?'...been there, did that, quite a few day trips in the last year and a half. Some mandatory some not. And great hotel rooms were horrendous in price. What you need to think about is the area in Shreveport. Bustling city with many a casino and gambling.

We don't particularly care for the Casino's but you can get a great room at a nice hotel for a cheap price because the establishment can afford to make it cheap, they are making money hand over fist with the gambling. Our room was probably twice to three times more expensive in Dallas for the equivalent of what we got in Shreveport.

(a little side note just in case you want to take your dollar and play a penny machine 'just one time for the fun of it' remember Shreveport doesn't have those smoking rules...so if you don't like stuffy, club-like atmospheres...or your a former smoker I would suggest you forgo your 'just for fun one time' trial period)

Unless you want 'all you can eat greasy home style food' or not-so-international International Buffet I would not suggest eating in the actual hotel. We had about 4 or 5 options in the hotel that broke down as follows:

1. Coffee Place - ok for coffee but not quite equipped as you would think, pastries were good but they failed to change out the crusty displays of everything they sold...so I was actually scared they were going to pull one of the pastries from the glass display case and try to give it to me. Seriously these were baked goods that had been in the window at least 3 days that I know of...not sure they were even changed when I left.


2. Some kind of restaurant that tried to be a blend of Applebees, Ruby Tuesday's, and TGIF all rolled in one with a cajun injection on the menu to boot. Usually you don't want your cajun food from a national chain, and you don't want your national chain from a local cajun place...personal opinion is - make it one or the other. But food wise it was the usual.


3. Of course there was the 'International Buffet' that I spoke of previously...in addition to what I said above about 'all you can eat greasy home style food or not-so-international International Buffet' I would like to add that I really can't seem to stuff more than 1 plate (or even a half) of greasy food down my throat at a sitting so I couldn't even attempt to eat enough to make it worth the price $16 a person. Sadly we tried. Overcooked, gravied up, watered down...


4. Expensive Restaurant with a wine list that won 2 prior awards...but I suspect it was an award in the casino-restaurant-wine-selection category which probably only runs in casino classifications. But at any rate after looking at the menu and the prices and having prior experience with the others...just couldn't take that chance. I like to cook with wine and occasionally drink a glass but most places I go to I drink water, no lemon. Because I just want something to cleanse the palate between bites or eating especially when trying new places...I like to play the "Critic at Large or the ingredient-technique-flavor-guessing-game" with my food. Sometimes I get real good and detect a recipe change in menu items that I eat frequently at certain places so you know they had to substitute an ingredient in a pinch.


5. Room Service? Didn't see the use...they want you out of the rooms gambling. And to pay extra for all that I already saw just to have it delivered to the room? No thank you!

Now, all that being said...I don't think this would hold true for the 'BIG BOYS' in Las Vegas. Actually I would hope it would be quite the opposite with all the big names they moved out there. I know down in Biloxi (Mississippi) their is an excellent buffet at the Beau Rivage that my good friend Bill took me to, and we took our time grazing for about 3 hours...hey! It takes time to crack them Alaskan King Crab Legs open!

This was just my (and my wifes) opinion of the food choices at the Hotel, but I still recommend the great rooms at these low prices. (use Expedia or something like that to review them and get the best price). We were close to the River Walk which is a nice place of outlet stores and restaurants with a big movie cinema as well (where we saw 2 good movies!). So there were better food choices for the same price like Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro...which eerily reminded you of what it would look like if Copeland mashed together one of its seafood restaurants with a cheesecake factory, funny huh?

It had good food and it was enough to carry leftovers back to the hotel to put in our refrigerator but it didn't really meet the Feeding on Asphalt criteria did it?