Valentine's Day

We mixed the grayish brown powder with eggs,
oil....and more sugar...and chocolate....and
Jacksonville Tap.

It came out of the box......tasting like none
of its elements....it was the pre-mixture that
we loved to eat off of our fingertips.

Bake it for twenty minutes on 400 and you'll
have something homemade. Drizzle it with a
little more sugar and wash it all down with a
glass of caramel.

Happy Valentine's Day...

Medicinal Purposes

Yesterday I paid a long overdue visit to Grass-
roots - the new grocery store in Five Points.
I needed sushi grade tuna for some enchiladas
I was making and they were in my proximity.

The store is well stocked but I would avoid
making the mistake of an after-dark visit. The
creepy florescent lighting made me feel as
though I was in a hospital. Perhaps the lights
were purposeful...intended to promote the idea
of sterility. Instead they made me feel as
though I were shopping in a third world country.
All that was missing was the scent of laundry
detergent and a language barrier.

The next time I visit the store...which should
be soon judging by the fish I enjoyed...I will
go during the day. Undoubtedly it will be more
innocuous - probably more akin to a small
warehouse.

The Belly of Mandarin

Saturday night I found myself in the heart of
Mandarin - hungry and unwilling to sample
the mediocre offerings of most of the neighbor-
hood chain restaurants. It was decided that
Brooklyn Pizza would be a good place to try.

After eating the better part of a large cheese
pizza- it was clear that they definitely make a
great pie. Still, I prefer Renna's Pizza which is
similar in taste and style and features a friendlier
staff.

After dinner my dining companion Whitney and
I were on a quest to find a local coffee shop
when she spotted a sign that read "Evergreen
Cafe." We stopped at the small restaurant
(pictured above) and were pleasantly surprised
that the cafe specialized in crepes and we also
liked the modern decor.

We split a strawberry-banana-Nutella crepe
(pictured in the photograph) and it was
wonderful. Also, for a dessert that easily
fed two, it was only around $7 so it works for
those of us who like value.

Evergreen Cafe is located at the corner of
Baymeadows and San Jose and is definitely
worth seeking out.

Go this week and your ever expanding waistline
will thank you later.

Next Friday...

On Friday 1/26/07 go see some of my
friends play music and wish Jesse Mangum
a happy birthday as well as a congratulations
for the grand opening of his new studio.

Is it Greater to be a Florida Gator?

Last Monday....millions were overjoyed when
the Florida Gators won the National Champion-
ship by beating Thee Ohio State Buckeyes 41-14.

Waking up from their hangovers a full week
later - fans were shocked and surprised to
discover that they still had all of the same problems
that they had prior to the Gator victory. Others
were a bit more numb...understanding that they led
mediocre lives....but not realizing why - that even
after their favorite team won they still wanted
for more. The bro-dudes were still bro-dudes
and the rednecks were still rednecks who sought
fulfillment and comfort in their volume beers.

Band of Horses

Band of Horses will be playing at Cafe Eleven on March
10, 2007. This ticket will probably sell out soon so you
should go and buy them up - take your friends and get
ready for an amazing show. For tickets - visit
www.cafeeleven.com.

The Hustler

Recently there was a back-page editorial written
by Richard David Smith III in the Folio. It is a
humorous criticism and references a trip that I
took with Rich to Jim Draper's studio back in 2005.

When I first approached the friendly Senator Nelson
he put his hand on my shoulder and nodded to me
with a smile as his cameraman made a motion to take
our photograph. He seemed to salivate at the
chance for a photo-op with one of the few ethnic
minorities in the room...that is until one of his toadies
spied another ethnic minority who had two
advantages over me. The other was a child of around
six and a cute one at that. The toady whispered some-
thing - I assume slowly and repeatedly to the senator
who carried a perpetual glaze over his eyes.

I was brushed to the side as the senator mugged
for the camera - taking strategic care not look at the
child directly to avoid scaring her. From my view this
was preferable to being a tool for the Senator from
Florida but was not so great if you wanted to bring a
popular tax reform bill to his attention...which I
eventually did.

Rich was dead on about the issue-avoidance and
in fact the visit made it clear that Nelson's office was
probably littered with paraphernalia from his trip
into space. Judging by how proud he was of that
specific event and how often it was mentioned -
I thought that he probably required his staff to
pledge allegiance to his image....perhaps graven
with the word "HERO" and an American flag
perpetually waving with the aid of a portable fan.