Evi's Schnitzel Haus and Biergarten Zum Roten Fluss: Germany Comes to Shreveport

Evi Bradford

There is so much written and posted about Shreveport these days that is negative that sometimes it's really necessary for us to stop and look at the bright spots.

I'd like to highlight one of those bright spots here.

By now, most in Shreveport know we now have a fabulous German restaurant in town.  Evi's Schnitzel Haus first opened on North Market but quickly realized that the perfect location for their business would be the empty Tudor-style building on Shreveport-Barksdale Highway which originally housed Steak & Lobster and most recently Athena.

Since their move into the new location business has taken off, word has spread, and even better, the
community has truly embraced and fallen in love with this family.

Evi Bradford was born and raised in Giessen, Germany; she grew up working in her mother's restaurant and while it wasn't her favorite thing to do, she learned her way around a kitchen and around the food service industry.  She married an American serviceman and they have a beautiful family here in Shreveport all of whom work in the restaurant.

When you go to the restaurant you will see her boys at the door to greet you and Evi in the kitchen but when things slow down she will run out and sit down and talk to you.  She likes to know her customers and likes to hear their stories of Germany.  She's as warm and sweet as anyone I've ever met and has a smile that makes you feel like you've known her forever.  She laughs easily and when she does her eyes sparkle; it's easy to tell she is doing what she loves.

Jaeger Schnitzel

Evi describes her food as "German comfort food."  At the restaurant you can get the tenderest, most delicious schnitzel you've ever tasted; there are a variety of sauces and gravies that can top your
schnitzel.  Jaeger Schnitzel has a rich brown mushroom gravy while the Zweibel Schnitzel (my favorite) is topped with brown gravy and delicious carmelized onions.  There are several other varieties from which to choose.

If you want something smaller, brats are available, or Curry Wurst.   I almost always order the Geschnetzeltes which I can only compare to a beef stroganoff.  It's delicious.

Sides include Gurkensalat, which is a thinly sliced cucumber salad with a touch of dill, or you could go for the traditional Sauerkrat or Rotkraut.  Also popular is the Spaetzle, a sort of soft egg noodle, or Spaetzle with cheese.

The menu at the restaurant is continually growing with new additions coming soon like Rouladen and goulash.

A happy pretzel

The restaurant is family oriented and the staff and customers alike are always friendly; people come in and end up sharing memories of their trips to Germany.  As a testament to how this community has embraced the family,  One wall of the restaurant is covered with a German Schrank, or large cabinet unit, which is filled with items customers have brought to Evi such as German beer steins, Volksmarch medals and canes, commemorative plates, and glassware.  The only thing in the Schrank that Evi actually contributed is two teacups that belonged to her mother.

The family has big plans for the restaurant and they now have opened a new venture: Biergarten Zum Roten Fluss, or Beer Garden on the Red River.  It's located at the foot of the bridge at 1303 Shreveport-Barksdale Highway.

The Biergarten is in a sort of soft-opening right now - the decor is not finished and not very German yet, but that's coming.  What's fabulous about the Biergarten is the huge selection of imported German beer, both in bottles and on tap, that you can select.  Not a beer drinker?  There' is also an excellent variety of German wine to choose from as well as other traditional bar choices.  Right now it's only open Thursday - Saturday, but those hours will expand soon.

The Biergarten is also offering a few light food choices that are different from the restaurant: we had a huge, soft pretzel that was delicious, and Knackwurst.  You can also order wings and fries.  Right now they're offering a "value meal" which is eight wings, fries, dipping sauces, and a flight of four German draft beers for $20.

Evi gave us a sample of a wonderfully rich beer-cheese soup she's going to introduce there soon, and there will eventually be a cold cuts and cheese platter available.

Giant Jenga

The Biergarten also offers some fun pub games like this giant Jenga style game.  In nice weather
there is a patio on the front of the building which will be a great place to sit outside and enjoy your beer or food.  There's a large stage at one end of the building where they will bring in live music, karaoke, and fun contests, like drinking out of the German Beer Boot.  I'm really looking forward to see what they do with Oktoberfest next year!

This family is committed to Shreveport-Bossier and is growing their business because of the love and support our community has shown.  When you have a good product and you don't skimp on portions or quality, and you offer top-notch customer service, you will be successful in the food service industry and Evi Bradford and her husband know that.

Eat Local! A W's Steakhouse Review

A review.

Last night Steve and I branched out to a new restaurant: we are creatures of habit and usually stick to two or three restaurants that we really like when we eat out.  We avoid chains and franchises when we can with the exception of Texas Roadhouse which we like.

We live within sniffing distance of W's Steakhouse on E. Kings Highway and the smell of charbroiled steaks has beckoned long enough so we gave it a try last night.  Fabulous!

Any longtime Shreveport resident knows the building -- the beautiful, art-deco building next door to George's Grill.  I ate many an order of Snapper a la Brocato in that building -- the tender, flaky red snapper smothered in a rich cream sauce with shrimp, oysters, and crabmeat and served in a parchment bag.  I had many an order of crab claws and made many trips to the salad bar in that building for "Wop Salad" and that home made bean soup.  Oh, how I miss Brocato's.

So, returning to the building for a fine meal last night was fun, and we weren't disappointed.  The

Old Brocato's Menu

owners have taken care to preserve the karma and atmosphere of Brocato's while dressing it up just a little in modern clothes. We ate in the restaurant side last night, but upon leaving, we looked into the bar area and that looks more my style for next time. The bar side still has the exposed brick walls that I remember from Brocato's and a sort of 1960s vibe.

We both had the 12 oz ribeye; I had the famous augratin potatoes while Steve went with the veggies.  Both of us had the wedge salad with blue cheese crumbles.  The steaks were perfectly seasoned and cooked as ordered.  The augratin potatoes can't be beat anywhere -- except maybe by The Cub which is where I first had them.  They are not your typical augratins: it's a secret recipe with maybe some pepperjack, and a richer, creamier sauce than I've ever had anywhere.  Divine.

The service was great -- not overpowering and not absent.  Our server visited with us and told us she had served at Don's and at Sansone's and that made me happy because I loved those local places, too.

And so that's the point, really, which is how important it is to support local eateries. East Kings used to be one long strip of classic local dining; from Sansone's to Murrell's, from Brocato's to George's Grill, from Cobb's BBQ to Strawn's to Don's, one right after the other.  All local. Mostly gone, now.

W's might be a little pricey for some, but our steaks came with salad and side, and they give a 10%

discount for active and retired military and law enforcement (even though their Facebook page said 20%, most service members are grateful for any discount at all!)

We loved our experience at W's last night and will return. As you are driving along Youree Drive and looking at one chain restaurant after another with one vacuum packed processed meal after another in their freezers, ready to microwave or slap in the broiler on the way to your table, remember your local eateries and support them. The Anvil on Line Avenue, next to Superior, is excellent; The Blind Tiger downtown, excellent. We still have George's Grill and Strawn's.  And there are several local Mexican places, of course -- Nicky's is our favorite.

Thanks W's Steakhouse for reminding us the importance of supporting local endeavors and thanks for an excellent dining experience!

Eat local!

W's Steakhouse

189 East Kings Highway
Shreveport, LA 71104

Phone: 318-861-1571

Allen's Grill: A Review

Hey, Shreveport:  if Allen's Grill isn't on your food radar yet, it should be.  The local establishment celebrates its birthday today; they've been serving up hot, down-home cooking at the corner of Line and Jordan (the old Mid-City Motor Hotel) for one year.

Steve and I always try to eat (and shop) local when we can, and so we set out today to try Allen's for the first time.  We were really impressed.

The diner is ground level, facing Jordan, in the old Mid City Motor Hotel, and I'm thrilled to see shops and businesses opening up there.  Next door is a neat looking thrift shop called Patina, but they were not open this afternoon.  We went through the old revolving door (love that!) and were greeted with a chorus of "Welcome to Allen's!"

The place is spotless and very neat; attractive photos and decorative pieces hang on the walls; the tables are covered with cheerful vinyl red and white tablecloths.  A nice touch:  there are tiny bottles of hand-sanitizer among the salt, pepper, hot sauce and sugar dispensers on each table!).

We sat ourselves and a cheerful young lady, smartly uniformed in black slacks, white button down blouse, and tie, came to our table.  She brought menus and took our drink order with a smile.

Steve and I both went for the catfish today, but as it's Friday, we could also have had hamburger steak or pork chops.  The plate lunch came with two sides and it was difficult to choose which two I

wanted.  I went with scalloped potatoes and collards; Steve got potatoes and blackeyed peas.  We also got a side of onion rings because that's the litmus test of a place for us!

There was pleasant conversation among the tables as customers visited with each other about football games and the weather.  Because it was an anniversary celebration today, Allen's Grill was giving out door prizes all day.  A fellow shuffled up to our table and had me draw a number out of a little styrofoam bowl - #7.  I won a coffee mug and nifty coaster which he brought to my table in a cute Christmas bag!

Our food arrived steaming hot and very promptly.  The portions were more than generous and all perfectly seasoned.  The fish was flaky and tender with a nice batter neither too heavy or too light. Our server brought plenty of tartar sauce without  having to ask for it.  I'd have been perfectly happy with a huge bowl of the collards with some cornbread on the side; there were chunks of ham hock in the greens which were tender and perfectly seasoned.  It never crossed my mind to douse them in pepper vinegar; they were already perfect.

And our litmus test onion rings?  Perfect!  Not frozen.  I loathe the laziness of frozen onion rings.  These were great and there were plenty of them.

I'm not sure what the usual dessert fare includes; we were each given a piece of birthday cake in honor of their anniversary celebration and that was just fine with us!  We both ate every bite.

I was impressed with the management; good management shows in happy employees, quick service, and a clean restaurant.  At one point there was a burst of happy laughter coming from the kitchen and even though the manager/owner (not sure) quietly hushed them, it was certainly not overly boisterous and just showed me that the employees like working there.  That's always a good thing!

As I said, we love to support local businesses and Allen's Grill is one that I hope sticks around.  We have a couple of hot-lunch places along the E. Kings Highway corridor that we frequent, but Allen's will definitely go into the rotation.  Each place has its own ambiance and its own specialty and we liked what we saw at Allen's. Give them a try next time you're out looking for a good lunch.  They also serve breakfast all day.

Allen's Grill is located at 729 Jordan St., phone 318-606-2079.  Facebook page is here.

How Much Riboflavin Are You Getting?

Because America is apparently full of illiterate and ignorant housewives who can't decipher a food label, Michelle Obama is here to help you.

Who knew grocery shopping was so filled with drama and tension:

"So there you stood, alone in some aisle in a store, the clock ticking away at the precious little time remaining to complete your weekly grocery shopping, and all you could do was scratch your head, confused and bewildered, and wonder, is there too much sugar in this product? Is 50 percent of the daily allowance of riboflavin a good thing or a bad thing? And how on Earth could this teeny little package contain five whole servings? 

It hard to conceive of such nerve-wracking stress at the ol' Super One Foods.  The clock is ticking!  There is so little time!  Am I getting enough riboflavin?  The decisions!

Of course, now that Obamacare has forced people to work fewer hours there will be more time to decipher those pesky labels because according to Joe Biden, you just don't have to keep that job!  You can stay home with your kids or linger in the grocery store aisles deciphering those oh-so-confusing labels.

Who knew that making the font bigger on the calorie count would solve all my problems!

Honestly, don't these people have something real to do besides continuing to point out how stupid we all are?  How many food labels do you think Michelle Obama reads?  We're supposed to believe she identifies and relates to us?  The little people?

She wears me out.

Didn't we give up living off Ramen noodles in college?

Over at Hot Air, Ed Morrissey has a post highlighting rising food prices.  This isn't news to anyone who has been in a grocery store lately, but it does seem relevant to point it out  on today, the fifth anniversary of the Porkulus bill.

If you’ve noticed a higher grocery bill in this era of supposedly low inflation, you’re not imagining things. Despite Washington estimates of low consumer inflation over the last few years, the prices of goods at the market are rising rapidly — especially for meat items, which have risen by double digits since 2011. 

I've all but quit buying red meat, and not for health reasons or that I've become a vegetarian: I'm a red meat carnivore, but who in the world can afford a $24 rump roast for Sunday dinner?  Mr. SIGIS bought groceries at the commissary on base last week and paid $4.00 per lb. for ground beef.  A whole chicken runs about $6 now as opposed to about $4 a year ago at my grocery store.  Milk?  About $4.50 a gallon.  Our weekly splurge of ribeyes for the grill is a thing of the past.  Even my own favorite food group, beer, now costs about $2 more a six-pack.

Coincidentally, food stamp use is higher than its ever been, especially among our military.  Via CNN:

Food stamp redemption at military grocers has been rising steadily since the beginning of the recession in 2008. Nearly $104 million worth of food stamps was redeemed at military commissaries in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

This graphic tells the story:

Meanwhile, Congress tried to cut military pensions and the Pentagon wants to close base commissaries.

Of course, Obama's gutting of welfare reform including making food stamps easier to obtain, so that could explain part of it; more Americans than ever are on food stamps,  but there's no question that food prices are rising.

What's the answer?  Buy stock in Ramen?  Ed Morrissey again:

That won’t change until two pressures on the economy are reversed: rising costs on business and improvement of chronic joblessness. The latter keeps wages depressed by providing a large labor pool for a relatively small number of net jobs created over the last five years since the beginning of the recovery in June 2009. On average since then, we have created significantly fewer jobs each month than necessary to keep pace with population growth. In large part, the job-creation market has been stifled by extra costs and disincentives to investors and businesses in job-creating expansion and risk-taking. Those same costs, along with relatively high energy costs, get passed along to consumers in higher prices, putting them in the economic vise described in this CBS report.Seems to me that the stimulus has failed and that Obama's policies have done more harm than good.

Marco Rubio, today:

“If you recall five years ago, the notion was that if the government spent all this money — that, by the way, was borrowed— that somehow the economy would begin to grow and create jobs. Well, of course, it clearly failed,” Rubio says in the video, according to POLITICO’s Mike Allen in Playbook. “Five years later, underemployment is still too high, the number of people that have dropped out of the workforce is astounding, unemployment remains stubbornly high and our economy isn’t growing fast enough — proof that massive government spending, particularly debt spending, is not the solution to our economic growth problems.”

Maybe it's time to start living off the land again.

Here in Louisiana it's crawfish season!  (Oh, but they're $8 a pound right now.)

New Year's Eve in Shreveport 2014

I'm a bit slow on the annual "what to do for New Year's Eve" post, but let's give it a shot.  Here's a roundup of events in case you want to get out and celebrate after the Independence Bowl:

The American Legion Post 14 on beautiful Cross Lake will have their annual festivities from 8:00 - 1:00. Music will be provided by Dickie T and the Back When Band and your ticket includes appetizers. There will be a cash bar.  Tickets are $25 for singles, $30 for couples.

El Dorado Casino will have musical entertainment by Big Richard.  Their festivities feature a New Year's Eve showgirl with a 50 foot red carpet train attached to her dress.  The Allure Lounge will have silver clad showgirls.  Visit the casino site for prices and packages.

Sam's Town in Shreveport will feature zydeco legend  Rockin' Dopsie, Jr. in a free concert with party favors and champagne.  He takes the stage at 10:00.

The Moose Lodge on Industrial will host an Elvis tribute with Richard Cook.  There will be a cash bar and tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door.  The fun begins at 9:00.  Call 688-6733 for more information.

The always awesome Robinson Film Center will hold its annual screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  The show begins at 10 but you'll want to make reservations for dinner at Abby Singer's Bistro where you can feast on prime rib, lobster mac and cheese, and grilled asparagus.  Top it off with a complimentary glass of champagne.  You'll need reservations so call 459-4125 to take care of that.

The Boot on Texas Street downtown is celebrating New Years AND helping a local animal rescue (Yogie and Friends).  They'll have karaoke and a raffle to enter a brand new Jager machine.  It begins at 7:00 p.m. and goes until 4:00 a.m.

Harrah's at Louisiana Downs hosts an annual party with DJ Love and cover band Miss Used.  There will be fireworks at midnight.

Fatty Arbuckles on the Clyde Fant Parkway downtown will host its annual New Year's Eve party with music by the Lackadasies, Engine, and Jacob Disedare.  Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.  You'll get a bottle of champagne upon entrance.

Diamond Jacks Casino has a free party with music by Elaw from 6 - 9, and Side FX from 9-1; free champagne and party favors.  It begins at 6:00.

Not into the club scene?  Go bowling instead.  Each year Holiday Lanes does intergalactic Glow in the Dark Bowling.  The evening includes unlimited bowling, a breakfast platter, party favors, and a champagne toast at midnight.  Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for age twelve and younger.

SciPort will host New Year's at Noon on Dec. 31; wear your PJs and watch the SciPort ball drop.  There will be a party hat contest, face painting, a Space Dome dance party, and lots of craft activities.  The fun begins at 9:00 a.m. and goes until about 2.  Admission is free with paid Center admission.

If you're here for the Advocare Independence Bowl, there are lots of great restaurants in the area to start your New Year's Eve evening after the game.  There are all the normal chain and franchise restaurants and fast food joints (most of them on the south end of Youree Drive) and many excellent local, independent restaurants.  Some of my favorites:

The Blind Tiger in downtown Shreveport is a popular local spot for great Louisiana cajun style food.

If you need to get your Mexican food fix on, you can't go wrong at Nicky's.  Nicky's has several locations (we prefer the one on Airline Drive.  Ask for Mirabelle to be your server!)  Nicky's is reasonably priced, consistently good, and has great cold draft beer in huge frosted glasses.

Herby K's is a local favorite and the shrimp buster is famous.  Again, cold beer, frosted glasses.  Very nice.

My favorite, and the place where you'll find me, is The Anvil Bar and Grill on Line Avenue.  Joe

Fertitta runs one of the best restaurants in town and has a long history of consistently excellent food and service.  At The Anvil you will find the freshest seafood and the finest steaks as well as excellent pasta dishes and burgers. Lennice Bolton will be singing in the bar, working his keyboard and guitar.  He'll sing Sam Cooke, B.B. King, and other mellow tunes.  Reservations are recommended.

Ernest's Orleans Restaurant is another local favorite, famous for their marinated crab claws.  Ernest's is located at the top of the hill as you enter downtown from the south.  Dez Duron will perform and Ernest's will have a Prix Fixe menu.  Reservations recommended.

Texas Roadhouse is a nice franchise with a very good, affordable steak.  It's located right off I20 on Gould Drive in Bossier City.

If Asian food is calling your name, Ming Garden on Shreveport-Barksdale Highway is an excellent choice.

If it's a burger that you crave, you can't go wrong at the newly opened Twisted Root on Line Avenue, near the Loop.  Twisted Root has a full bar, a lively atmosphere, and a variety of burgers (including game like venison or buffalo) and a pickle bar. I recommend the sweet potato chips.

Remember, don't drink and drive.  Get a designated driver or call a taxi.  Some local taxi services you might want to program into your phone:

Yellow Checker Cab:  425-7000
Action Taxi:  222-8294 (222-TAXI)
Casino Cabs:  425-3325
Four Aces Taxi:  632-0005

Stay safe and have fun!

Happy 2014!

A Bossier City Landmark Is For Sale

A Bossier City landmark is up for sale:  Beam's Restaurant has a "For Sale" sign out front.

The restaurant is still open for business as the full parking lot at noon today would attest.  I stopped in to visit with Mike and his mom over chicken fried steak.

Beam's has been in business since 1960 and has been a Bossier City institution ever since.  It's one of the best places in Shreveport-Bossier to get a hot plate lunch with your choice of two or three vegetables and a dessert of the day for less than $10.  The okra and tomatoes can't be beat!

It's what I call a "hometown place" because you almost always see someone you know when you go in.  There's the regular coffee and breakfast group every morning as well as the lunch regulars.  Mike Beam and his mom are there every time I go in and Mike always comes over to my table to visit.

The restaurant is heavy on LSU memorabilia and Mike is always glad to speculate on LSU's prospects in any given sport.  Today we talked about the College World Series (Mike thinks LSU can go all the way!).

The waitstaff is friendly and personable; today we had a laugh over a celebrity sighting by one of

the waitresses and whether or not it was legit; one of the customers chimed in that Drew Brees was in the restroom while Mike insisted he had just seen Elvis out in the parking lot. You probably had to be there, but it was funny.  The beleaguered waitress stuck with her celeb sighting story.

Mrs. Beam told me that she is 80 years old and ready to retire.  "When you make it to eighty, you've done pretty good," she said.  She wants to travel some and Mike has an Alaskan cruise in mind for them.  One can hardly blame them; the restaurant business is a tough road.  You have to be there all the time and it's hard to take a real vacation or time off.  It's been a labor of love for them both.

I asked Mrs. Beam if the For Sale sign had sparked any interest.  "A little," she told me.  "We've had a few people interested."  But so far nothing is "a done deal."

With its prime location it won't take long before somebody makes a serious offer and Mike and his mom will be on that vacation highway.

After over 50 years in the business I'd say it's time Mrs. Beam gets her cruise!

Be sure you take time to stop in for another hot plate lunch (or two, or three) before this Bossier City institution fades away.  Have a cup of coffee or a glass of sweet tea and talk some LSU baseball with Mike.  It's a nice way to spend a morning, or an afternoon.

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and the West End

It's official:  we are grandparents!

It's amazing how quickly a little guy can get into your heart.  Steve and I left Benjamin and his parents in Dallas today and it was hard saying goodbye!  Happily for them, they were preparing to leave the hospital and head home to settle into new routines and a new life with their precious baby boy.

I posted a picture of him when he was born and will post one or two on this post but as Ben's parents are very private and don't want to run a play by play of his life on the internet we are certainly going to respect that choice.  But he's probably the cutest little boy ever!

We took advantage of this trip to do a couple of side adventures that have been on our list for a while.

Our hotel was near the DART so we took advantage of that as much as possible.  It just seemed silly to get in the Jeep and battle Central Expressway over to the hospital two or three times a day, so we took the DART.  We got on right by the hotel and got off right at the hospital.  Could not have been easier.

I like riding the DART and it all reminds Steve of the trains in Europe.

I'm a people watcher and I like to watch the people on the train.  Most are plugged into iPods, a few are reading, some doze, others stare tiredly out the windows.  I'm sure we look like the rubes we are as we gaze and point out the windows.  "Look at that building!"  "Oh, there's Taco Cabana!"

As we drove to Dallas after getting "the call," I stayed in constant contact via text with Ben's daddy and kept up with labor progress.  Ben waited for us to arrive; as we drove into the parking lot I got a text that said, "I see his head!"  Perfect timing!

We spent Wednesday afternoon at the hospital waiting and visiting.  Once baby and mother were settled into their room we left to check into the hotel and find dinner.

One of our favorite places to eat in Dallas is The Twisted Root.  As it happens, a famous Texan likes Twisted Root, too:

There are several locations and the restaurant was even featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!  We love the sweet potato chips/fries and the spicy pickle chips.

That is a bacon cheeseburger and sweet potato fries.  Fabulous!

We ran a couple of errands after we ate then went to the hospital to see the baby one more time before calling it a day.

Thursday we decided to jump on the DART and check out Dealey Plaza.  We've never been to the museum there and have always wanted to, so we did.  We, of course, stopped to see Ben who was sleeping:

His parents looked a lot more rested than the last time we'd seen them so we left them to spend time with their baby and head out to the West End.

First stop was Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse.  We didn't have a lunch destination when we set out but it smelled so good the choice was easy.

The West End is that part of Dallas "where it all began," where the city was born.  It is now a historic district comprised of some 20 blocks and is filled with shopping, dining, offices and historic landmarks.  Many of the restaurants have patios or terrace dining and even on a hot day there's a breeze blowing through keeping things comfortable outside.

At Sonny Bryan's we both had BBQ plates: mine was a beef sandwich and Steve had the jalapeno sausage sandwich.  I got mac 'n cheese and he got potato salad and we both had the baked beans.  That Corona bottle is filled with BBQ sauce:

The atmosphere at Sonny Bryan's was as you'd expect, raw brick and wood floors, neon signs and a busy lunch crowd.  The service was fast and friendly!

Once we'd stuffed ourselves we walked a couple of blocks over to Dealey Plaza.  We explored outside before going into the museum.  This is the old Textbook Depository from where Lee Harvey Oswald fired at President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor corner window.  President Kennedy's motorcade was moving down this street, away from the building, when the shots were fired.

If you look carefully you can see one of the two "x" marks in the street.  Incredibly, people run out there and stand on the X to have their picture made.

This strikes me as very dangerous and more than a little bit creepy, but whatever rocks your boat, I guess.  This isn't exactly a low traffic location and that's three lanes of traffic coming at you.

The grassy knoll:

This shot looks toward the triple underpass through which President Kennedy's motorcade was about to pass:

This is Houston Street and the reflecting pool; the motorcade drove north on this street, toward the Depository, then turned west onto Elm, passing in front of the Depository, where the president and Governor John Connally were hit.

Today, the entire plaza area is, as I said, an historic district and preserves as much of the scene as possible as it was the day of the assassination.

No photography is allowed inside the museum.  No cameras, no cell phones.  Security guards patrol the exhibit and keep an eye on things.

The museum consists of large photographic panel displays with textual information, artifacts and video.  You wind your way through and listen to a guide through headphones.  Periodically you are prompted to stop the audio tour and watch one of the short videos which might be of one of Kennedy's speeches, a press conference, or Walter Cronkite's coverage of the assassination.

The exhibit takes you chronologically though Kennedy's election, his presidency, the Bay of Pigs, the space program, the "Camelot" family life, and on through the assassination, the investigation, and the conspiracy theories.

The actual site where Oswald sat is preserved behind plexiglass.  Boxes of books are preserved behind this plexiglass cube and you can see how he arranged boxes upon which to rest the rifle he aimed out the window as he lined up his shots.  You can't actually get to the window  yourself, but on the seventh floor, which is gallery space, you are allowed to take pictures.  This is taken from the seventh floor just above the sixth floor window:

We enjoyed the tour and seeing the whole scene really gives you a better sense of perspective than just looking at pictures.

From there we took a quick trip into the Holocaust museum; it was right around the corner and I'd been wanting to go see it.  The museum is growing and will be moving to a larger facility in the near future.

The main exhibit takes you through a day in the Holocaust through several different perspectives.  This is a self-guided audio tour but there are often guides taking groups of school children through and we tagged on to one of those.

There are lots of photographs that are synced with the audio tour:

There are also plenty of artifacts:

And displays:

We were lucky enough to meet a survivor, Max Glauben, who was a child in Poland who smuggled food and weapons to the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto.  He was sent to five different concentration camps.  Now he tells his story and hopes to teach young people about intolerance as a cautionary tale in the hopes that genocide and hate will not prevail.

Mr. Glauben is a charming fellow who has cheated death several times (he's also a Korean War veteran and a cancer survivor).  Read Mr. Glauben's story here.  I purchased a copy of his DVD, "Plagues of the Soul" which he autographed for me.  I'll treasure it!

Exhausted from our day, we head back to the DART and the hospital to check on our little grandbaby!

I hope little Ben's mother will forgive me but I have to share this picture; I just thought it was so sweet.

They're going to be wonderful parents and I can't wait to watch this little guy grow!

After a rest at the hotel we climbed into the Jeep and drove over to get some dinner at the Texas Land and Cattle Steak House.  It was close to the hotel and a good rare steak sounded just fine to me so off we went.

I highly recommend this place if you go to Dallas.  (They have other locations, too; check the site). I can't remember a time that I've had better, friendlier service.  Our server was friendly and helpful; when he learned it was our first visit he told his manager who came by to speak to us and gave us a card for a free appetizer on our next visit.  The food was perfectly prepared, the atmosphere was lovely, and the beer cold!

Fabulous!

We had to go back to the hotel pool after that and swim off some of those calories.  I did slow, lazy laps, but I felt better when I was done.

This morning?  Back to see Baby Ben; the happy family was packing and getting ready to head home.

I guess it seems like we eat all the time, but people eat, you know.  So we grabbed lunch at Henk's European Bakery and Deli.

Steve is a big fan of German food, and I'm a big fan of German beer so it works out perfectly.

We both ate brats, red cabbage, and hot German potato salad.  I picked up a piece of chocolate raspberry cake to bring home and Steve bought a couple of rounds of crusty German bread.

Two hundred pounds later, I crawled back into the Jeep and we made our way back to Shreveport and our dogs.

We already miss our little grandson and can't wait to go back and see how much he's grown!  We're already planning our next trip.

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:

Take a Stocking the Freezer Trip to Ed Lester Farms and Find a Cool Truck!

Take a Trip to Coushatta Down Louisiana Backroads

Take a Sunday Drive in North Caddo Parish

Take a Trip to Minden's First Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival

Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation

Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse

Live-blogging the West End today. We started out with a morning visit to see Benjamin then jumped on the DART to the West End. We stopped in at Sonny Bryan's for BBQ sandwiches (and beer) then headed to Dealy Plaza.

Check back for more Dallas fun!

How to Pass the Drought

We had a record high of 109 today and everywhere you go people are fussing about the heat.  In truth, a lot of people are just staying home, inside, and still until this broiling weather breaks.  Grass is long dead and small trees and shrubs are not far behind.   Lakes in Texas are drying up altogether!

So what can you do?  Not much, but one Dallas blog offers the Drought Drunk Game:

How to play Drought Drunk
Here's the general concept:

At any point in your day, if you hear people talking about the weather, you drink. You hear someone say, "Ugh! I'm soooo sweaty!" Drink.

More suggestions:

"It's 106! When's it gonna rain???" Drink twice.
(Once for the current temperature update, once for the bitching about lack of rain.)

Lawn or plant updates.
"I just can't water enough." Drink.

The rest is here.

I'd suggest trying this game with water, though.  It'll keep you from getting heatstroke and if you try it with alcohol you'd be over the legal limit in no time at all.

(H/T:  Carolyn)

Post Time! Do You Have Your Mint Julep Ready?

Ingredients

• 4 cups bourbon
• 2 bunches fresh spearmint
• 1 cup distilled water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar

Directions

To prepare mint extract, remove about 40 small mint leaves. Wash and place in a small bowl. Cover with 3 ounces bourbon. Allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes. Then gather the leaves in paper toweling. Thoroughly wring the mint over the bowl of whiskey. Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times.

To prepare simple syrup, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of distilled water in a small saucepan. Heat to dissolve sugar. Stir constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.
To prepare mint julep mixture, pour 3 1/2 cups of bourbon into a large glass bowl or glass pitcher. Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the bourbon.

Now begin adding the mint extract 1 tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture. Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell after each tablespoon is added. You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste-generally about 3 tablespoons. When you think it's right, pour the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to "marry" the flavors.

To serve the julep, fill each glass (preferably a silver mint julep cup) 1/2 full with shaved ice. Insert a spring of mint and then pack in more ice to about 1-inch over the top of the cup. Then, insert a straw that has been cut to 1-inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the julep.

When frost forms on the cup, pour the refrigerated julep mixture over the ice and add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice. Serve immediately.

The Fruitcake Cookies

These are an annual tradition around here. I probably told this story last year, but I'll tell it again anyway. One year when I was about 13 or 14, my mother and I were in the kitchen baking these cookies. The recipe comes from a friend of hers named Izzie, and mom calls the recipe Izzie's Lizzies. The original recipe makes a LOT of cookies. Nowadays, I cut it in half, although, I could easily eat them all.

Mom and I started these cookies around 9 a.m. that day, and my godmother, Cissy, came by for coffee. Oh, the kitchen smelled so good - cinnamon, cloves, allspice - just like Christmas. And we baked. And baked. Cissy had her coffee and left. That afternoon, she came by again for a beer ("bee-yah" as she said it; she was VERY southern!) We were still baking. Cissy just died laughing to see us up to our necks in fruitcake cookies.

That story gets told every single year when we make cookies. My mom can't do them anymore, so I've bagged up a lot and will take some to her today. And she will tell me that story again. And we'll laugh!

A Restaurant Review

Take time out from politics for a minute; I'm doing a restaurant review here.

Steve and I have found a new favorite restaurant. We went to Vince's tonight (it's in the old Tony Roma's building by WalMart/Bert Kouns).

As I understand it, Vince has a regular following because of his North Port restaurant, but not getting up to North Market much, I'd never heard of it. We ended up there because we loved the steaks at Madison Square Garden and the guy that used to run that place was awesome with a steak. His name is Bill and Bill knows about customer service and about cooking with good, fresh ingredients. We went to Madison Square Garden one night after Bill had left (we didn't know it) and could immediately tell that the food was different. We never went back. But we tracked Bill down at Vince's.

They had a good crowd going when we arrived around 6. The place is open and nicely decorated - not too formal and not too casual. So Steve had the all you can eat catfish which came with slaw, bean soup and french fries. I had the crabmeat au gratin. We also ordered fried mushrooms. The mushrooms were GREAT - they were fresh and prepared on site - not frozen. They were piping hot and served with ranch dressing. Both our entrees were perfect; Steve pronounced the catfish perfectly seasoned and fresh. My crabmeat was appropriately rich, very cheesy and with the occasional tiny shell fragment just to let you know it's the real deal!

This is the one time I didn't take pictures of my food with my iPhone; I saw they had a website and figured they'd have pictures of their food there. Sorry. Use your imagination.

Vince has an extensive menu which you can see here. They have an inviting bar and oysters on the half shell; count me in on that one. It's a perfect place to pull in to for happy hour. They also have a patio which will be great when it's not 103 degrees outside.

What will keep me coming back to Vince's, and what Vince has clearly figured out, is the customer service. I've paid my dues in the food service industry and know the ropes. Vince knows that customers appreciate the owner/manager coming by the table and checking on things. He comes by, introduces himself, and checks to be sure things are okay. That matters. I was filling out my customer comment card and it asked for my server's name; I told Steve, "I don't remember my server's name!" and the passing hostess looked back over her shoulder and said, "It's Kelly!" Service! Two different bus boys checked to see how we were or if we needed plates cleared; they were conversational but not overbearing. Nobody was too fussy, it was all unobtrusive, and well appreciated.

We didn't have room for dessert, but they had plenty to offer, including bread pudding and chocolate cake.

So, if you're in the Shreveport area, and I know a lot of my readers are, check out Vince's. It's located smack in the middle of a zillion chain restaurants out there, but I'd rather support a local guy any day than some chain restaurant with frozen, processed food. We'll definitely be back.