Friday, November 23, 2007

lazy nora


Another wonderful day of walking, swimming and eating.

Lots and lots of eating.
As a restaurant person I'm always trying to get a peek in to the kitchen.
I've been lucky enough to sit by the kitchen several times this trip.
I've had fun explaining line cooking and expediting to my nephew.

There are nine of us when we go out to eat and I always remember what everyone ordered. The night we ate the Mucky Duck (where I also bought a tee shirt and shorts to wear until my luggage arrived) I was sitting right outside the kitchen with John on my lap. Our order was almost ready and I was ticking off the items and the people that ordered them. John got nervous when the expeditor laid down the ticket and his pasta with butter was not with the other eight dinners. I told him that the waitress would call for it when she was ready to serve the meals. John was so impressed when I waitress walked by and yelled "one kid pasta."

Today we had lunch at Gramma Dot's. The restaurant did not open until 11:30 and the porch was full of people waiting at 11:15. By 11:35 the place was full and they were on a wait. The kitchen is partially open. I could see the three cooks in the sparking clean kitchen. The servers slammed them with orders and they cranked it out. Everyone was feed in 15 minutes! When the cooks tossed down the last ticket I caught the eye of one of them and gave them a thumbs up. I really like the place and could picture working there. Does everyone do that on vacation? Fantasize about chucking it all away and moving. Of course the folks that dream of waitressing on a island are probably not already waitresses in real life.

I also pay extra attention to the menu and kitchens because I'm allergic to shellfish. Understandably, they serve a ton of shellfish around here, so I'm extra careful about what I order. I know how things get so mixed up in the frenzy of a busy restaurant kitchen. I've eaten a lot of burgers since I've been here.



Tonight we ate at the Lazy Flamingo.



I really like the place - just six tables, no waitresses and some people bring in their own fish to have the cooks fry up. When you order from the bartender he sticks your ticket in a clip attached to a clothsline and whizzes it back to the kitchen.

I always feel bad about ordering a children's meal from a waitress, even though I really want (and can eat) a grilled cheese. Since we ordered from the bartender I thought I could get away with a kid meal. It was delicious - mac and cheese, potato chips and Oreo cookies. The fact that it was served on a Frisbee was a bonus. Everyone else's clam chowder and shrimp laden meals looked great also.



It is a beautiful evening. It's not very often that I get to see the full moon though a palm tree.

4 comments:

King Tiger said...

Nora dear,
STOP, STOP, STOP! - you're killing us!
First photos of nice warm sandy beaches, then tantalizing stalking of the Mullet-king and now...
FOOD! Glorious southern vacation food!
Its 27 Degrees and windy here, and you are posting tropical moon-shots.

Sounds like a wonderful time. Stay safe and come home soon.

Kim said...

My thing when I went to Ft. Myers was to try the Key Lime pie in every restaurant we visited. It was different in every place, but they were all GOOD. It's pie--how can that ever be bad??

bad influence girl said...

Ahhhhhh.....

My fingers are so cold I can barely type....

A big part of the reason I decided to become a bartender was so that I could move to an island and get a job. I never did it, though, which probably goes to prove your theory.

Anonymous said...

I am green with envy. oh, how I love the beach. Do you know the song "Green-eyed Lady" by Sugarloaf? It was a one hit wonder in the 70's so neither of us was born yet.... *wink*. "Green-eyed lady/ocean lady..."

(Since we haven't met other than through mutual blogs, my name "gel" is my shortened typing form for "green-eyed lady", my original sign in name.)

I've not been to Sanibel Island since I was a kid and only once. LOVED IT! I vividly remember the gorgeous shells and beautiful beach. Glad you had the chance to be relax at my favorite place to go.