High Society

Here's a multiple-choice quiz for you.

Would you rather?
a) Get a root canal
b) Prepare your income taxes
c) Sit through a spring baseball game in the Panhandle, where on any given day, the temperature can be between 25 and 95, but the wind is sure to blow 40 mph.
d) Rub shoulders with the upper crust at the Symphony Ball

OK, that probably wasn't fair, but I can't say that I was really looking forward to the event where Amarillo's favorite sons and daughters are "presented" as Symphony Belles and Beaux.

Hart's mom, Vicki, presents him at the Symphony Ball.

But my son, Hart, was a beaux, and my mom paid for the outrageous tickets, and she was sick and couldn't make it, and I really needed to be there to support my son, even if he said he didn't care one way or another, and ... so I went.

Now, I knew that all the beaux would be in tuxes, but I thought it would be a little pretentious for me to wear mine, so I left it hanging in the closet, opting instead for a navy blue suit, only to find that I wasn't thinking pretentiously enough. I was one of the few men there not wearing a tux; although, with today's styles, it's sometimes hard to tell a tux from a suit.

It's kind of weird to feel underdressed when you're wearing a suit and tie, but c'est la vie. Since I figure I won't have to attend another Symphony Ball until perhaps my grandson or granddaughter participates, I have a long time to live down that faux pas.As is often the case when you're dreading something, it turns out to be not as bad as you feared. In fact, I actually had a pretty good time. Saw some friends I hadn't seen in awhile, spent time talking with my son's stepfather, Rohn, who's a great guy, and sat next to a delightful young woman who works part-time as a Jager girl — OK, she's not actually a Jager girl, she's a promo girl. She works for a company that sends attractive women out to clubs and bars to pass out samples of whatever liquor they are promoting. Turns out we know some of the same people - go figure.

Anyway, the organizers went all out for Amarillo's high society. The theme for the evening was Enchanted Evening in the South Pacific, and the tables were adorned with LED-lit bird of paradise arrangements that were pretty impressive. There were "native" (meaning West Texas) island girls to greet you when you entered, and you could even get lei'd if you wanted to accentuate your tux or formal gown with a flowery arrangement.

The Ambassador Hotel catered the event and put together an unusually creative menu (for an Amarillo event anyway). I didn't sample any of the appetizers, but the Spring Greens Topped with Papaya, Asian Pears and a Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette coupled with a Chilled Lobster Salad started the meal off with promise.

The entree fell a little short of that promise.

The Fire-Grilled Tenderloin topped with Lemon-Grass Plum Sauce was overcooked for my tastes, and the sauce was pretty bland. The Roasted Miso Sweet Potatoes were good, but the Lemon and Sea Salt Asparagus was undercooked slightly. The two Coconut Macadamia Shrimp were quite tasty. I could have eaten about 15 more of those babies, but then I would have looked like that guy in the Tony Sinclair Tanqueray commercial who didn't understand the concept of moderation when it comes to eating shrimp at a party.

Note to the Ambassador: Next year, get Rohn to cook the tenderloin.

We capped off the meal with a suitably tropical dessert of Toasted Sesame Seed and Coconut Banana Fritters with Coconut Créme Anglais, Tropical Mango Mousse, Mango Coulis and Almond Pizzelle. It presented nicely, especially with the orchid adornment.

I bowed out after dinner, leaving Amarillo's fortunate ones to dance the night away and bid on the live auction grand prize of a trip to Tahiti, including airfare, transfers, and a 5-night stay in an overwater bungalow at The InterContinental Tahiti Resort!

That would actually be a dream-come-true vacation for Jami and me and something to blog about for years to come, but I was pretty sure that since my family didn't arrive in Amarillo via covered wagon, nor did I have "Dr." in front my name, I didn't have a snowball's chance in Tahiti of getting on top of that auction.

So, faced with the same options again, I'd definitely take the Symphony Ball over a root canal and preparing my income tax, and I hate to say it, Jordie, but spring baseball in the Panhandle sucks, so I'm going to have to go with the Symphony Ball.

The pomp and circumstance may be a little over the top, but it's nice to get dressed up every once in awhile and act like a civilized society. Next time, though, I'll wear the tux.

Texas Firehouse Sports Bar and Grill ... you gotta go

Here we are at Texas Firehouse.

Dorsey, Jordie and I decided to eat at one of our other favorite restaurants, Texas Firehouse, last night. It was, as usual, a fun dining experience!

Texas Firehouse is really Texas Firehouse Sports Bar and Grill. You can see in the photos we took that the place is crowded and boasts tons of flat-screened TVs.

There is a restaurant portion to the building, and then in the back area, a full-service bar. One of the things Texas Firehouse is known for is its "beer tubes." Yes, instead of ordering pitchers of beers, people can order the tubes. I've never done that because a) I've never gone with a large crowd, and b) I really hate beer.

But let's talk about the beer for a minute anyway. Mark Plowman, a co-owner of the bar, is a beer aficionado. Need I say, then, that his place has more types of beers than you can imagine?

 

Large crowds, large TVs, large beer tubes.

I chose to have a peach margarita on the rocks. I enjoyed it ... but never as much as Ruby Tequila's margaritas. I'm just sayin ...

Jordie wanted to have the Texas Firehouse cheese fries as an appetizer, so we did ... whatever Jordie wants, Jordie gets. (Just kidding.)

LOVED those things. I could have eaten the entire basket, except Jordie was giving me a run for my money. You see, another thing Texas Firehouse is known for is its beer battered ... everything. The curly fries are fried in a beer batter, and then covered in cheese, cheese, cheese. Lots of cheese.

 Curly Cheese Fries. Damn Good! See the bacon?

We had barely dug into the cheese fries when our order came out. Obviously, we didn't have to wait long for our food. That's always good. The service was great, too. Efficient and friendly.

Jordie ordered Frank's Bacon Burger. It had some kind of barbecue sauce on it. Jordie likes it because he always orders it. The burger came with a side of curly fries, of course.

Dorsey got the Firehouse Philly, which is a Philly steak sandwich. He enjoyed it because the bread was soft and the jalepenos had a bite to them.

I got my usual favorite, too: Frank's nachos. I don't normally like nachos with ground beef on them, but these are different. The beef has it's special seasonings ... probably beer (I don't know that!). I got the half order and ate half of it. Texas Firehouse doesn't skimp on its servings. I can't imagine what the full order would have looked like.

 

Big ol' bite!

Firehouse Philly with a side salad instead of fries.

Frank's nachos: meat, cheese, jalepenos, onions, tomatoes, black beans, guacamole and sour cream. Perfect!

 One last look at the beer tube.

My only two complaints were that I was cold inside and wore my coat the whole time. I think that's the norm there. And second, apparently someone had drunk too much beer, because when we left, we nearly stepped into a large puddle of vomit on the sidewalk. (But that really was more funny than a complaint.)

I highly recommend Texas Firehouse Sports Bar and Grill. Great food, great fun, great service, great beer if you're into that, and all the games you could possibly want to watch. (You might also assume because people are watching games, it's loud.)

Now ... Dorsey and I are headed to the gym. We can't eat like this without consequences, you know. :-)

Hey There

Hey. I am CL. Jami and Dorsey said I could play, too.

Let me share a bit about myself. I used to write a food column. I am a foodie pure and simple. I have eaten at four-star restaurants and at holes in the wall. I love to cook. I have a pantry shelf full of cookbooks but I improvise as well. I enjoy trying new restaurants and returning to favorites.

A couple of friends and I had lunch yesterday at Jake's Bar and Grill, 3130 Soncy Road, in the space that was Zookinis. The restaurant has been open less than a month.

The lunch menu is unusually limited, so we all ordered from the dinner menu. We chose stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer. I ordered the Greek burger which was lamb/beef, red onions, lettuce and black olives on a ciabatta and got the black and tan onion rings as the side.

The mushrooms were mediocre. The burger was a little too done, but had a good flavor. The side order portion size was stingy considering the overall cost.

The service was spotty. One of my friends had to wait for his fries. The crew did bring drink refills without being asked.

Jake's is not one of those places I will hurry back to.

A Favorite Amarillo stomping ground: Ruby Tequila's on Georgia

Dorsey and I have two requirements for a good Mexican restaurant: Excellent chips and hot sauce, and great margaritas.

Seriously, we could come to Ruby's for those two things alone and be happy. The chips are light and crispy, and the Ruby's folks add a little of their own seasoning to just the plain old salt.

More important ... the margaritas. We prefer the Ruby's Gold, frozen. Unlike many restaurants, where you pay high prices for alcoholic beverages with little to no alcohol in them, at Ruby's, we know we are getting our money's worth. Ruby's does not cheat its customers in this area.

We also love the Ruby's atmosphere. It's loud. It's bright. It's fun. I've had many gatherings with friends at this Ruby's. In this picture is a former co-worker, Lauren, and her twin sister Ashley. I miss those times! I think it's time for another party!

Wednesday nights at Ruby's, especially during the summer and spring months, are busy and crowded with all kinds of people. It's like happy hour all night long. I can see just about all of Amarillo that I know in Ruby's on Wednesdays. If you prefer patio gatherings, because Ruby's has one of the best with it's fire pit bar, you better get there by at least 4 p.m. on Wednesdays; otherwise, servers at Ruby's have told me you might have to wait four hours just to get a patio table.

On Wednesdays, both in the summer and in winter months, Ruby's usually has a band. They're ... again ... loud ... but good. The place is just rockin'on Wednesdays. Great fun if you love a party with your friends.

 This is Dorsey and Jordie hanging out with me on two separate Sunday evenings, when it's much quieter and less busy. We enjoy family time at Ruby's, too.

One more thing, we can't forget the food!

I dug in before Dorsey could take the picture, but my favorite is the queso-covered bean burrito, with the sides, of course. I also enjoy building my own taco plate. The taco meat is flavorful and nongreasy. This dish also comes with the beans and rice sides ... or papas, if you prefer.

Dorsey's favorite dish at Ruby's is the grilled steak fajita salad. They bring it to you as a salad, with the meat, onions and peppers still grilling on a fajita skillet. The chicken is tasty, too.

Finally, I would be doing Ruby Tequila's an injustice if I didn't spotlight one of the more popular drinks I see around: The Dos XX. How people are able to drink it, I'm not sure ... but they apparently do.

If you haven't tried Ruby's, please do! It's just fun and good at the same time. The menu offers many more items than I have shared. The prices are reasonable, too.

Hope you enjoy it like we do!