Where everybody knows your name …

Think watching Guy Fieri is fun? Me, too. Problem is, watching Triple D or anything else where he's eating or cooking just makes me want to EAT!

Happily, I caved in tonight and went to one of the places a few miles from my house where Guy's been for Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. You're jealous. Trust me. Mom and Dad have been there with me. They even wrote on the wall, it was so nummy. In fact, I texted Mom while I was there tonight to make sure she was jealous since I knew that would make dinner taste better ;) The first time Mom and I ate here, I had split pea soup; when they asked me how it was, I asked if they would mind if I moved in for the winter.

Rick's Press Room is in a fabulous spot I love in Meridian; my two favorite pizza places, my yarn shop, and Rick’s are all within yards of each other. I think of it as my happy block :)

To appreciate the total joy of the rest of my post, and to get hungry, take six minutes and watch this.

And, yes, that celery slaw is mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Just going in the door makes me happy. Julie, Rick’s wife, greets you like she’s known you forever and learns your name and checks on you at all the right moments during dinner. She shared the special for tonight, but my mouth had been anticipating the salmon in potato since an hour before I left the office. Order up!

I smile through my spring salad and then that salmon arrives, cozy in its hash brown crunchiness, perched on a bed of mashed potatoes and julienned zucchini. And, oh, the sauce.

 

In the midst of this joy, Rick came out to greet me and see how I was doing! So nice! I like people who appreciate my enthusiastic gushing about tasty things :)

Next thing you know, things unabashedly look like this:

And next thing I know, Julie is walking up with this:

and says that Rick wants to buy me dessert. Truly?  Thank you and Yay Yay Yay for Sluss! I told Julie that the chocolate mousse cheesecake and I would be having a private moment at the table …

I was so full after this that I could feel it in my ears. No advice on whether that is good or bad, please. Just let me wallow and enjoy.

We chatted a bit before I left (Julie liked that I was texting my parents to make them jealous – tee hee!). I told her that I don’t need a neighborhood bar; I need a neighborhood restaurant that thinks it’s okay that I am drooly, gushing, over-appreciative food dork.

She thought that was great :)

Come have dinner with me, one and all!