Mardi Gras and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

Mardi Gras

The rest of the Mardi Gras week was very busy with a lot of acivities. There were two dinners, one lunch, a breakfast, an ice cream social and various skits, karaoke and music .

There was also a parade.

With some funny decorated golf carts in the theme of the 50's sit-coms

Or a decorated bicycle built for two, but side-by-side. Cute.

We even had a "boatfull" of Red Hat ladies.

There were even fire trucks.

Since fire trucks usually are at the end of the parade, this picture says it all!

Of course, all the participants of the parade throw tons of beads. Then everyone brings them back to the clubhouse and they use them for next year.

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

As most of our friends know, Jim and I are addicted to the Food Network channel and especially Guy Fieri's Diner, Drive-Ins and Dives. This bleached blond, high-energy chef drives around the country in a red Camero convertible and visits funky restaurants with great, unique food. We look out for these restaurants as we travel around the country.

Well, here in Alabama there are three funky places Guy has visited and they are all close to Summerdale. So off we went to visit Panini Pete's in Fairhope. Chef Pete butterflies a turkey breast, adds seasoning and rolls it three times in foil and drops it in a deep fryer! It comes out juicy and extremely tender. It is sliced super thin and put on fresh baked foccacia with baby greens, roasted pepper, Dijon, garlic aioli and our house-made mozzarella. Can you believe that? Homemade mozzarella cheese!!! Lesle and I split that along with the roast beef sliced thin with gorgonzola spread, onion confit, tomato, baby greens and Dijon on ciabatta bread. Oh, my, how wonderful that was. Jim and Bill ate burgers.

Chef Pete came out and mingled among the customers and convinced Lesle and I we had to have Guy Fieri's new book about his travels and Chef Pete signed our copies. So, of course, now we have to travel to all those restaurants to get the book signed by the owners!!! He-he-he so it goes!

So the next day, we traveled back to Fairhope and tried out another place Guy Fieri featured and that was The Gumbo Shack. It is stuck back behind another store and is a bar and restaurant with a big barbeque outside. Besides the gumbo they barbeque turkey breast and serve a thick hunk on a sandwich. Jim and I split a sandwich and a bowl of gumbo.

The gumbo was wonderful and got its heat from black pepper instead of the usual Tabasco.

The owner was sick in bed and couldn't sign our books, but his mother-in-law was there and she offered to take a couple of menus to his house and have him sign them. So off she goes in her car, wakes the poor guy up and has him sign two menus and brings them back to Lesle and me. That's southern hospitality!

We are really enjoying our stay here in Alabama. It has been colder than Florida but I would come here instead of Florida next time as there are so many things to do and places to see. More posts coming.

Remember - you are loved!