Johnny Law called on Gumper at Saza's- Boycott to begin Friday

A misguided motard (presumably the Saza's employee that yucked it up with the coppers as Regina McLucid shivered at the prospect of seeing her father in chains) called two black & whites to issue me a parking ticket to spoil an already forgettable Saza's Sunday lunch for the McLucids yesterday. I am calling for an immediate boycott of Saza's and will be soliciting all Gumps to walk the picket line Friday night. All participants will be receive the appropriate liquid recompense and instructions at the Gump-friendly Alley Bar prior to the march. Details to follow.

News from NoClo: There may be a new sheriff in town....

Is that a Spanish question mark?

Your Lunch in the Gump investigative reporting team (yours truly, The Younger and Detective D) visited the NoClo (North Cloverdale) district today and boy have we got some news for you!

NoClo is already the home of Chophouse VY, Derk's Filet and Vine and the Pine Bar Salad Bar with more eateries and/or drinkeries on the way. Here's the straight poop:

First, we know that Derk's Filet and Vine has now opened its ADDITIONAL SEATING AREA which means that instead of sitting next to the lighter fluid and charcoal or standing around looking lost with your tray waiting for a un-bussed table, you can enjoy your meal on the new wooden tables while perusing the fine wine selections in the new presentation room. Today the fried pork chops were the size of boneless pig's knuckles and the veggies superb. I will note the cornbread was warm and they offer unlimited Land O Lakes butter as a condiment. The Younger could not even devour the entire pig knuckle chop it was so huge. The price is a bit over the Tojo line ($10) with drink but Derk's is still one of the best meat and three hot tables en el todo del Gump. Derk's remains a LITG favorite for lunch.

Second, we know that Nancy Patterson Catering, LLC is no longer renting space in North Cloverdale and, in fact, is in a bit of a kerfuffle with the landlord (Atlantic & Pacific Development, LLC) over an alleged "breach of lease" involving a claim of $172,172.58. (See CV 2010-900762). The case is assigned to the Hon. Johnny Hardwick (a Lunch in the Gump fan and Davis Cafe icon). We hope cooler heads will prevail and matters can be settled amicably. The defendant's answer is due in about 30 days.

Third, we know that all of the former Nancy Patterson's Bistro space has now been rented and we have the picture to prove it (see above). We also know, according to high placed sources, that the new restaurant will be opening in September of this year. We believe that date to be somewhere around September 9. We cannot reveal our source for this information.

Now, here is where it gets a little tougher to report. Who is going to fill the space vacated by the Bistro? Inquiring Gumpers want to know! As a public service, your team of reporters fanned out across the Gump to seek those in the know willing to go on the record with the skinny on the new restaurant in "NoClo." We initially heard some tripe about the Hot N Hot Fish Club folks from the 'Ham looking over the space. We also hoped rumors we heard were true that Corsino's would move out of their present dump into the new space. But hoping doesn't make it happen and we, like all good reporters, seek the truth. So, as the mainstream media is so often to do, we sought ought an expert opinion. We found a well-known celebrity full of opinions and who expresses them freely on the radio during Lunch in the Gump. That experience in today's media passes for expertise on all things that relate to lunch. I am, of course, talking of Advertiser and radio talk show host Josh Moon who is an expert on about anything you can think to ask him. So we approached Mr. Moon about the mystery of what restaurant will fill the Bistro Space and got this thoughtful response:

"Everyone is just tired of having American food all the time and with all the negative publicity Arizona has received, it would be plain stupid to put another Italian restaurant or fish club in that space. So, I have it on very good authority from undisclosed sources that the owners have inked a deal with........" (See picture below).

Don Jose Tienda Mexica!

You saw it here first!

Lunde's Cajun-Norwegian Fusion

You heard it here first. Cajun-Norwegian Fusion. It's a movement.

It is probably true that few Norwegians ever settled in the squishy part of southern Louisiana. The heat, humidity, gnats, gators, binge-drinking and non-stop sex would be too harsh for Norsemen (this is why they took over Minnesota instead). But I can tell you that  Lunde's Norwegian apple pie sits just right with their excellent shrimp ettouffee. I think they may be onto something.

Yesterday Shadow Pup, The Younger, Tojo Yamamoto, Big Easy Slim, BoDiddly, Chase N. Allpots, The Great Grantini, Cornbread Carp and I strolled over to one of our favorites -- Lunde's on Montgomery Street.

We've always pronounced it American-style like "Lundy's" and since the joint serves up reliably tasty cajun/creole type dishes, we erroneously thought the name was some kind of play on "Lundi," which is French for "Monday," which is pronounced "Mundy" here in the Gump. Shortly after being seated, however, our preconceived notions began to crumble.

The trouble started when Big Easy Slim, a native of New Orleans and LITG's expert on all things Louisianian, advised us to save room for the Norwegian apple pie. "Huh?" I said, "Norwegian desserts in a Cajun joint? What the hell is up with that?" Turns out the co-owner/chef at Lunde's is a Norwegian guy named "Lunde." I googled it on my phone gadget and found out that "Lunde" is Norwegian for "Jones."

"It's probably pronounced 'Loond' or something," sniffed Allpots, the elitist snob. "Apparently we shall now have to call this place Loond's."

About this time co-owner Karen mistakenly put Allpots' salad in front of Tojo, who never orders salad, but ate it anyway, sans dressing, just to watch Allpots squeal like the overindulged Irish brat that he most assuredly is.

Apparently Karen has some bayou country in her DNA because she shared grandmother's take on the origin of the word "jambalaya." It is an interesting story (click on the picture below) but conflicts with the etymology foisted on me as a youngster, which is that the loose translation of "jambalaya" is "Warden, I'll have me some of that stuff there for my last meal before y'all shave my head and put the juice to me." You live and learn.

As usual, I digress. Back to the lunch.

The gumpers went with a variety of dishes and nobody was disappointed (except Allpots, who had his lip poked out until somebody brought him a salad). We had shrimp ettouffee, red beans & rice, jambalaya, blackened shrimp, grilled pork loin... plus some other stuff I can't remember or spell correctly. You can also get a mean meat & 3 at Lunde's (see below). Cornbread Carp approved of the cornbread and noted, for the record, that Lunde's serves real butter and that the cornbread is served hot enough to quickly melt said real butter.

Shadow Pup asked his pal, "How's that ettouffee, Tojo?"

"Tojo like." came the reply. That is Tojo's highest rating.

How to top off a great Cajun lunch? Well, how about some of B.E. Slim's favorite Norwegian pie? It was sort of a cross between a pie and a cake, served fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on top (which sort of Americanized it). We jumped on that foreign pie like it was Liv Ullman back in the day, gobbling that stuff up so fast nobody remembered to take a picture, but I found this one on the web, which pretty much shows what Norwegian apple pie looks like.

Anyway, Lunde's is a real good lunch place, even if we don't really know how to pronounce it, and I think this Norwegian/Cajun thing is going to catch on.

I'm outta here. Have a good weekend. See y'all Munde.


Random Lunch in the Gump picture of the week:

BoDiddly snapped this one at the grocery store the other day.

Publix has everything.

Sal's Pizza Jumps to the Zelda Place League Like a Cornhusker

[Ed. Note 1/1/11: Sal's is, sadly, now closed.]

The fruitbasket turnover of restaurant leagues in the Gump has a new player: Sal's Pizzaria in the Zelda Place Shopping Center. Already the home of one of the best places to eat in town-Michael's Table (and a chain called Moe's), Zelda Place will soon also boast the reincarnation of Nancy Paterson's and a new semi-chain Zoe's perhaps becoming a third star in the local restaurant league. We already have the Inner League which revolves around the Alley Station: Olive Room, Nobles, Lunde's, Sa-Za's, Dreamland, Bama Bistro and the Brew Pub. Then there is the Cloverdale League: Chophouse VY, Derk's Filet and Vine, Jubilee Seafood, Sinclairs, Bud's, El Rey and Tomatino's. With the addition of Sal's, the new Zelda Place league will boast: La Zona Rosa, Down the Street Cafe, Country's Barbecue (a semi-chain) along with MT, NP and Zoe's. It looks like the competition for the hottest restaurant district is heating up like a pizza oven.

Tonight Toadie and Tayteese decided to take me to the newly opened Sal's Pizza in a nondescript location on the ditch side of the Zelda Place center. No sign on the door, no sign above the door and broken A.C., but full tables, happy customers and yummy pizza. Pizza that could go toe to toe with Tomatino's at a lower price. Throw in $2 PBR tallboys and you are teetering on a bargain. Three semi-adults in and out for less than $35 including tip.

We ordered the Salsiccia Pizza which comes with house made fennel sausage, caramelized onions, panna, mozzarella ricotta, and thyme. The personal size is $8.75. A medium is $13.5 0. The large is $17. The large fed three and Toadie took two slices back home to the Ham. It was "butter pizza" if that makes any sense.

Yes, that is a PBR in the shadows where it belongs.

We also ordered "Nancy's Salad" as an appetizer and one serving fed all three with a particularly tasty homemade and fresh Caesar dressing.

The patrons were all from the Gump and many knew each other which meant for a collegial atmosphere despite the presence of lots of fussy baby humans who were obviously cuter to their parents than to us. The waiters seemed to all be related or friends of the proprietor: John Burns Paterson who is the son of Burns and Nancy P. All were polite and attentive tonight despite the problem with the A.C. (which will be fixed in the a.m.). The old classic video games in the corner were a nice touch.


Like Nebraska switching to the Big-10, this new competitor in the Zelda League may cause a shift in the balance of power and/or some movement in other Gump restaurant leagues. Only time will tell. All I know is as far as Sal's is concerned, so far so good! Especially when they have a sign on the door and real air conditioning. I sense some synergy developing, or, is that a squirrel?

Island Delight: What a Jerk!

Outside the Comfort Zone: Island Delight

Every now and then we all need to get outside our comfort zones by trying something different. You know, like paying your child support on time or drilling oil wells a mile deep in the Gulf. My comfort zone for lunch is your typical fried chicken with three sides with some hot cornbread muffins and real butter. But today I ate lunch where they serve "beef" oxtails (get your mind around that thought) and "Curry Goat":

Is there an Ox-Oxtail?

Where was I, you ask? Well I ventured out onto Airbase Boulevard, within the shadow of the entrance to Maxwell AFB on the west side of the Gump, and tried the Caribbean fare at "Island Delight." Undeterred by the bars on the windows, I entered and found a well-lit, clean and friendly place with several out-of-the-ordinary meat selections: Jerk chicken, King fish, beef oxtails and curry goat. The "sides" were also out of the box. I'd heard of but never had fried plantains before. But the thing that caught my eye was the "festival" which I had never ever heard of before. I decided to stick with the more conservative choice so I ordered jerked chicken. "Jerked" chicken is not obnoxious chicken with an attitude that won't return your calls. "Jerked" chicken is roasted/grilled after being rubbed with a "jerk" seasoning (sort of like beef jerky). At Island Delight the jerk chicken was delicious and not greasy. The extra "jerk" sauce on the side had a little kick which I supplemented with the Jamaica hot sauce on the table. Before I dug in the plate looked like this:

Almost enough to feed Tojo!

Everything, the vegetables, rice with beans and jerked chicken was terrific. Hell, it might even have been good for me when compared to a greasy meat and three. But the discovery of the week was that little brown thing you see at the left of the chicken and below the tub of jerk sauce: That, my friends, is a "festival." What, you ask, is a "festival"? Well it is sort of a sweet fried cornbread that kicks most of the so-called cornbread offerings in the Gump in the butt. Now I certainly don't know how to cap a mile-deep oil well blow-out. But I do know my cornbread and I could eat a lot of this festival stuff. It's light and tasty and needs no extra butter. It melts in the mouth.

If you are the skittish type and like to eat among yuppies, this Island Delight is not your place. But if you have a little adventuresome spirit and a group looking to eat off the usual menu, I can highly recommend this little hole in the wall on the "other" Boulevard. Next time I may even try the oxtails!

Election Recap

LITG Endorsement = Kiss of Death
Since apparently the Lunch in the Gump endorsement means certain defeat, we are selling our endorsements for the runoffs and general elections. For a modest sum (like, enough for two Chris' Dogs w/ fries) we will endorse your opponent.

Inquire at bamabing@lunchinthegump.com