Seoul Dog c/o Dirty Franks

The last few times I saw Cuz K. and A., A. mentioned his enduring love for  Columbus' Dirty Franks and assured me that I would love it too. So it's just was well I didn't really eat the chicken mess from the airport, because when Cuz K. and A. picked me up from the airport we headed straight to the hot dog establishment. Their menu is extensive and gives you a lot of different options for how to dress up a dog. I was tempted by any number of topping combinations, but ultimately I chose the Seoul Dog, a Korean inspired approach that featured kim chi, sriracha and mayo. It lived up to the hype. If I hadn't had a first round of dinner I definitely would have tried another one. Next time I'm in Columbus I'll need to check out their Nicola and Puff the Magic Popper variations.

Hot Dogs and Fries c/o Ernie's Texas Lunch

Once I had eaten, I checked into the same hotel our family has predominantly stayed in ever since Helen's house was sold. This hotel, Quality Inn at General Lee's Headquarters (known by us and for all time as "Larson's"), holds almost as many memories at Helen's house. Even after her death, we'd still manage to meet up there about once a year, usually around Christmas. For a while now we haven't really done Christmas in Gettysburg, which is fine by me - it's COLD, but we still manage to get together about once a year or so. My mother's brother, Uncle E., could certainly be described as a creature of habit...which I think he very much gets from his father. And if you've been a long-time reader of this blog, you will not be surprised by the meals we enjoyed over the next few days. In any case. First I checked in. Then I went to the Appalachian Brewing Company restaurant, which is part of the hotel, and enjoyed myself a delicious stout while waiting for the rest of the folks to come in. Seriously good beer. If you have the chance, definitely check their line of beers out. Soon enough K. and A. and M. and A. and K. and I. all appeared and those of us of age enjoyed beers and a quick catch-up before further regrouping. Then we walked to Ernie's Texas Lunch, which like pretty much everything else in Gettysburg is steeped in my mother's family memories and lore. When my grandfather attended Gettysburg College, he ate there. When my mother and uncle were growing up and they'd visit the Fairfield relatives, they'd eat there. When my uncle went to Gettysburg College, he ate there. When my cousins and I were growing up and meeting up, well...you know...we ate there. And since I returned to the lower east coast after grad school, that tradition has most certainly continued. It was not terribly warm or pleasant, but given our diet for the next 48 hours, a walk did us all good. Little I. was not so keen on walking.

The kids didn't skip a beat once we were inside, lining themselves up at the counter while we took over the large table in the back, which for so so so many generations has had my family members gathered around it.

Fries on this day were hot but could have been a little crispier. You'll note that pretty much everyone not under the age of 12 chose lager for their beverage.

I have learned that I don't really love the full nine yards Texas dog, which comes with chili and heaps of onions. So I got two dogs just with mustard. Still nicely cooked. I think the slightly charred skin is my favorite part.

The staff is really nice, both front of house and back of house. One of the cooks came out and first asked the adults if it was ok to give the kids lollipops, and once given the 'ok' kindly doled them out. I. was quite pleased with hers.

And then I'm not sure exactly what this was about. But she's got pretty cool kicks.

And K. wanted me to take a photograph of this because he was 'a bridge' and he most certainly was. When K.-the OC (original cousin, there are a lot of abbreviated names starting with the same letters) and I were little (and, really, even in the last five years) we enjoyed jumping back and forth from bed to bed in the hotel's rooms. Now with this new generation of actual young people, we are most certainly bad influences...I didn't take any photographs of it, but all four kids, K. and I all jumped vigorously on the beds while the 'grown ups' were still on their way back.

And then, as we have done for as long as I can remember, we gathered around a table and played some cards. Hearts first for the older set, then UNO with the younger. Though I hadn't played hearts in some time, I did quite well. Actually, I think I did better than I ever did when I played it a lot back in the Chicago/France days.

Jalapeno Soda, Fries and Dogs c/o Hot Diggity

Two weekends back I met up with BC for a little quality adventure times. She was in search of record player speakers and wanted to check out a flea market not far from her south Philly hood. So I drove on down there and picked her up. She was kind enough to call me right before I arrived to ask if I wanted a coffee,  which was super perfect because I had planned on requesting a coffee stop on the way to the flea market. Great minds think alike. So we went to the flea market, which was more of a sidewalk sale really. We saw a tent that I suggested BC buy so she could go on camping adventures with me, and a lot of turquoise jewelry, children's playthings and even a karaoke machine, but no speakers. We then went on to a guitar store, record store and pawn shop...all to no avail. At that point we then stopped in at Hot Diggity. This was kismet, as Hot Diggity is on my resolution list. Once there we both took our sweet time deciding just what dogs we wanted and what dipping sauces would accompany the fries we planned on sharing. I also decided to try their lime, cilantro, jalapeno soda.

The fries were thick cut and tasty. Not overly salted. We chose garlic rosemary aioli, wasabi, and chipotle dipping sauces. I preferred the wasabi.

I chose the Texas Hold 'Em dog, which was a hot dog wrapped in bacon accompanied by barbeque and hot sauces, melted cheese and scallions. I'm pretty sure BC went with the Cincinnati Skyline...but I am not 100% sure on that one. I liked my dog well enough, but the bbq sauce was a bit sweeter than my palate really preferred and the hot sauce component didn't really balance it out. The soda, on the other hand, was quite something. A real mix of tart and strangely savory, and yet refreshing at the same time.

I would definitely go back and try their Vietnamese inspired dog and a few more of those dipping sauces and soda flavors. After our lunch pit-stop we went on to another thrift store where BC found the speakers she had been seeking! It was like magic. The shop was pretty neat in its thrift store glory. So many knick knacks, though not nearly enough paddy whacks.

Happy Hours c/o Alla Spina and Route 6

A few weeks back CP and I began concocting a plan. Since she began her graduate studies and started commuting to Baltimore for a good chunk of each week, I haven't had the opportunity to see her either in the office or outside of it in quite the way we used to. I miss our laundry/pizza nights, where we always caught up on the various things going on in our lives. But life gets busy and you need to adapt to changing times. Our adaptation was to go to happy hour at Alla Spina and Route 6 on a Thursday. I came into work a little early so I would be able to get out and get going so that we wouldn't miss a moment of the two establishments' happy hour dealage (not a real word but the Oxford English folks should really consider making it official). Due to my diligence in work scheduling, CP and I were the very first people at Alla Spina. In fact, the staff were still doing their opening talk. So we sat in the lounge for just a short while before getting menus and placing orders for glasses of white wine. 

Alla Spina had a few different possible treats to eat and drink for happy hour. Because we knew we were going to Route 6 (a seafood-themed restaurant) we decided that getting oysters was not necessary. Instead we chose to try the porcini deviled eggs and mortadella hotdog. The eggs were above average but not terribly speciall all the same. The yolk was quite smooth, as was the porcini's purreed portion, but it lacked a certain something for my particular palate.

We split the dog in half, with its bright and crunch sauerkraut, buttery bun and fresh pickles. I think of the two food dishes, this was the stand out. It's a really nice space. I think we didn't really see this place in the full swing of things because we arrived early (4:30 ish) and wanted to make sure to get an equal amount of time in at Route 6. So after about an hour, the food, and two glasses of white wine we packed up and walked the quick few feet to Route 6.

There we ordered a dozen oysters, the variety of which escapes me but perhaps I wrote it down somewhere and can add that detail when the time comes.

Route 6 has a very nice set of happy hour deals, including discounted cocktails as well as many different food specials. I was particularly attracted to "The Dennis,"  which was a mixture of Grey Goose Le Citron, lime juice,triple sec and fresh blueberries. The blueberries overwhelmed the citron and lime element a bit, but I wasn't complaining.

I'm missing a photograph of the bluefish dip, but I'll add it later. In addition to the oysters and unpictured dip, we also tried the fried oyster sliders, which came on immensely soft and buttery roles with pretty decent tomatoes and a little tartar-like sauce on the bottom and a wisp of lettuce. Tasty, hot and crunch treats they were.

From the press that I had read on Route 6 I had expected its decor and clientele to be a little less shiny than it ended up being. It seemed like a lot of folks were over 35. Men were wearing suits while the women almost uniformly had incredibly short and tight dresses, very done-up hair and too much makeup...and tanning products definitely were no strangers to their faces and bodies. I found the crowd pretty weird, but the food, drinks and service were really fantastic. It's a happy hour I'd definitely check out again. Alla Spina also deserves a fuller look, especially into more of its meat dishes on both the happy hour and regular menus.

Lunching at Ernie's, Day 2

After breakfast I went back to my room and read Jane Austen until I got the text that said that the Ohio contingent was amassing and moving to Ernie's for lunch. I met up with them there and decided to revisit the beef tomato soup I so enjoyed as a kid. Sad truth is that this soup did not hold up well to my memory or current taste buds. There was a metallic taste to it, the beef was rather dry and though I like beef jerky I'm not really all that fond of it in soup form. I tried to get past it, but the majority of this soup went to waste.
I had a simpler dog too, just mustard. E. realized that he could order 'one with' and then scoop some of the excess chili and onions onto a second simpler dog. Clever. Thrifty. We met up with our Gettysburg cousins F. and N., and an epic round of 'let's show each other photos of our grand kids' began between E. and N. Sweet kids all of them (I only know E.'s).
After that we went to the Gettysburg Visitor Center. It continued to be an extremely gloomy day and the walk from the parking lot included a consistent drizzle and dampness I could have done without. The visitor center is huge and relatively new. We went the whole hog and had tickets for the introductory movie, cyclorama and admission to the exhibits. The movie, narrated by Morgan Freeman, traced the events that led up to the Civil War as well as some of the particulars of Gettysburg. I was tearing up during the opening scenes. Hearing about the stupidity of the situation in the first place (ie: ever thinking slavery was a good idea, mixing the rights of human beings with the profits of business etc etc) and then reflecting on the sheer loss of life. And then. I don't know. I couldn't help but think about the Trayvon Martin story and while yes, things are markedly improved from the days of slavery, the ramifications of that time period and the Civil War clearly haven't abated entirely. Men fought and died over something as dumb as race, and men continue to die over it whether they want to or not. I'm not a scholar. Nor do I have an incredibly nuanced view of race politics. It just made me so sad to think that all that blood spilled on both sides, and we haven't really grown all the way up as a nation on that specific topic. I'm not someone who has a fully rational or informed academic position on the true causes of the Civil War nor the true impact it had on our society. I was, however, struck by one part of the film that mentions the incredible destruction of the south's buildings and infrastructure, and how long and hard the process of rebuilding was, which of course played a role in subsequent decades of interaction between north and south, black and white. After the movie we took an escalator up to the cyclorama, which really is something to see. Oil canvas all the way around, the way they've set it up there are moments where the canvas stops and the rest begins. Then there were the exhibits and relics of the massive cleanup and burial process that all Gettysburg citizens had to deal with post-battle. Thousands of corpses taking months and months to properly bury or return to their families. The smell in some places must have been something.
Ok enough of my ill informed thoughts on the Civil War. We spent a nice chunk of time around the facility before braving the continued rain to pile into our two cars and go to the Outlets. Except I stayed in the car and read Pride and Prejudice while they shopped.

Donut 2 and Lunch at Ernie's Texas Lunch

Originally it seemed like my fam (uncle, aunt, cousin, cousin's bf and his two kids) and I would arrive at roughly the same time. But with the wrench of no fried chicken, I ended up embarking on my drive to Gettysburg a little earlier than initially expected. I opted for not taking 76 for the majority, which meant smaller roads, more stoplights, the occasional ugliness of strip mall mentality and glorious sunny fields, country roads and red buds blooming. Once in Gettysburg I checked into General Lee's Headquarters (formerly Larson's). I had a room that faced the main road on one side, and the edge of a battlefield on the other...two windows! I decided that while I waited for the rest of the crew I'd tried out the S'mores donut while enjoying the sunlight. Seriously it was easily 70 degrees and marvelous. The donut wasn't that bad either, though I liked the simplicity of the hot sugar donut a bit more.
Once the Ohio contingent arrived we made our way to Ernie's Texas Lunch. This spot has been a favorite of my family since the beginnings of time. We sat at the big back table and those of us over the age of 21 enjoyed ourselves a lager each.
French fries for the table. Extremely hot, extremely crispy but with a nice inside, well salted. No complaints. Ernie's knows what it's doing when it comes to French fries.
My past experiences with having the Texas-style dog with everything have always left me feeling like I really don't need the chili or quite the pile of onions that Ernie's feels is the best. And this time I remembered that outlook and asked for two dogs with cheese, mustard and a little bit of onion. They were big and juicy. I ended up eating the meat more than the buns.
Seriously a beautiful day.

Next Stop, Delaware

A while back I was seeing a whole ton of 30th birthday party photos on Facebook, and it got me jealous. Jealous that I hadn't attended the parties in question, and jealous that I never have parties like that for my birthday because it always falls on or around Thanksgiving, and folks are too busy with their families for that kind of shenanigan. So I decided I was going to throw a faux thirtieth birthday weekend for myself...because if I didn't do it, who would? No one. So I let a whole bunch of people know that this was my intention, and where I would be, and invited them to join me. I actually gave them two opportunities, and that Friday was the beginning of that first opportunity. I drove to Philly, unloaded some stuff and reloaded other stuff (tent, lantern, etc) and then drove out to Cape Henlopen. By the time I got there (not as early as I originally intended), C. and J. and K. and K. and C. were already at the campground. Yeah. I wanted my faux 30th to be held at Cape Henlopen because it is magic there. Once I arrived I put up my tent and had a beer. C. and J. and K. went to the beach, but C. also put up her tent and joined me in the glory that is having a drink or so while the sun is still in the sky. We also bought firewood.
Firewood we turned into a fire. Because I hadn't expected to spend the night in the Hudson Valley, my entire timeline was a little wacky and I hadn't really figured out what any of us would eat that first night. Thankfully C. and K. were better planners than myself, and it is really because of them that we had anything to eat at all.
Mr. Ass arrived later in the evening and contributed S'mores and corn. Well, more corn - I hadn't realized that C. and K. et al had already purchased a few ears at a farm stand on Route 1.
These peppers were especially good.
K. was a bit of a grill master.
We all had a good night of fire sitting, hot dog eating, corn gnawing and bourbon drinking. I'm so glad this group of folks all made it.

Hot Dog and California Cheeseburger c/o Ernie's Texas Lunch

After our battlefield times, we met back up with my father and we all went to Ernie's Texas Lunch. This is another tradition that hearkens back to the mists of time; a trip to Ernie's without a hot dog would be like a trip to New York City without either a bagel or a late night deli sandwich. Only that analogy doesn't quite capture the family ties to Ernie's. Not literal ties as much as - well figurative would kind of work but that's not what I'm trying to say. I've gone to Ernie's off and on for my whole life. Probably never more than two or three times in a year. But almost every year. I've seen the place change. I've gone from eating hot dogs to not eating hot dogs to eating hot dogs again. I've seen the staff grow old and disappear. It's just one of those places. They wouldn't recognize me, but the establishment has long been a part of my life.

Whatever. All to say that I decided that I'd have a dog with everything. A. was willing to split a 'California' cheeseburger, which seems to mean simply that it comes with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.
Every time I come here I feel like I should order the dog with everything because that's how it's done; that's what makes it a "Texas" dog. But the onions are always so plentiful that it becomes hard to locate the dog...and the fact of the matter is that I'm not actually a giant fan of chili. So. Mark my words. Next time I'm at Ernie's I'm going to order a dog with mustard. Full stop. Even with the challenges of the toppings, it was a good dog. The skin is nice and crispy and the dog juicy and delicious.
I did a little negotiating with my hot dog so it better fit into my mouth and that its onion to chili to dog ratio was more to my liking and all was successful and right.
The burger was ok. Nothing really to write home about, but cheap and not bad in any way. When I was a kid I really liked their beef vegetable soup. I may have to try it the next time I'm in town.

Maryland Memorial For Mom

During my mother's first hospitalization last April, she quickly told me her thoughts on burial/cremation. Her basic thoughts were that she wanted to be cremated and have her ashes spread in three places that had meaning to her. The first was Abbo's Alley in Sewanee, which happened within a week of her death. The second was the back yard of the house I grew up in, which is in Maryland. We'll get to the third another time. It was quickly decided that the Maryland part would happen on the same weekend as the Preakness. B. and D. created a lovely email invitation with a great photograph of my mother, and did all the prep work (from counting heads to organizing a menu). In the end about 35 people gathered to witness the spreading of my mother's ashes in the back yard of the home she loved for over 20 years. In this picture alone there are relatives, coworkers, and friends. Many of whom have a slightly different meaning for me; they were the parents of my childhood friends, my softball coach, my piano teacher, my sometimes boss. Neighbors as well. And the children who grew up with my mother before I did and saw her as a 'spare.'
Dad said a few words then spread the ashes. We then invited those gathered to say a few words or share any memories they had of mom. J. remembered Mom showing him how to tuck his shirt into his pants 'like a cowboy' when he was no more than five. The trick, it seemed, was to stuff them into your underpants. R., a neighbor whose sons I played with throughout my youth, remembered Mom being the first person in the neighborhood to welcome his family. R., R.'s wife, remembered tye dying with my mother with two little babes nearby. J. remembered Mom's willingness to help, as did D. and C. and so many others.
It was sad, of course, but not heartbreaking. There is solace to be had in the good memories others hold dear.
And this house will always hold so many of my memories.

We returned to B. and D.'s house afterwards for a reception. They had decided that the menu would consist of things that my mother liked. Deviled eggs freshly made (so there could be no worry about spoiling). Texas-style hot dogs, complete with chili and chopped onions. Mini crab cakes and, hmmm, I think something else. It was a lovely theme for the food and so generous and kind and thoughtful of the T.s to put it together. The beer of the event was Heineken, also Mom's favorite.

Cousins. I do like taking pictures of kids. I guess because they are more reliably interesting and potentially photographic than adults?
Or I'm simply less scared of them being annoyed that I'm taking photos of them. Adults can get tetchy.

Me, my father, his sister and my half-brother.
I am grateful to all who came and shared their appreciation of my mother with us.

Taco Dog c/o Ernie's Texas Lunch

On Friday my cousin K. texted me a bunch of times in an effort to convince me to drive to Gettysburg and hang out with her and my aunt and uncle. They live in Ohio, but had decided that a trip to Gettysburg and a Gettysburg football game were what they wanted for a weekend getaway. The last time I saw K. was in April, and I don't think I had seen my aunt and uncle since last July, so I was game for a drive. My first stop, once in town, was Ernie's Texas Lunch. My mother's family has been going to Ernie's for years and years and years and years. When I was a kid, I wasn't drawn to hot dogs and usually ended up getting a cheeseburger or soup...now, in my older, wiser, state I am all about the dogs.
I ordered a taco dog: a hot dog, a slice of American cheese, chili, hot sauce, lettuce and tomato. I had hoped for chopped tomato and expected spicier chili/sauce, neither of which ended up being met...that said, a nice lunch...and their french fries were nice and crisp and hot. An older woman at the booth behind me asked for her fries with gravy, which seemed like a good idea, but I was already committed to the non-gravy fries.


Tradition!