Trust me, this is....

Despite the uncertainties arising from the Fiscal Cliff debate, I decided to treat myself and my Latin lover Rufio to a dinner at True in the happening No-Clo district of the Gump this past Friday where we enjoyed  great service (thanks Chris), reasonably priced and decent house wines by the glass, and a tasty--although slightly chewy--prime rib for me and a delicious grilled snapper on a bed of mushroom puree and Brussels sprouts for Rufie.  I know, Whiggin Blanquet, that mushrooms are not precious truffles, but Rufio purred with surprised delight at the flavor of the puree as if they were cooked with a fine truffle oil. Indeed, my nose, which has saved a few of the LITG members from suspicious smelling entrees, detected the hint of truffle coming from Rufio's plate on the other side of the table.

Of course the place--formerly known as Roux--is run by James Beard Award Nominee Chef & Owner Wesley True who brings his national talent to Montgomery. After working for John Currence at City Grocery, Marcus Samuelson at NYC's Aquavit, Wesley has brought TRUE from Mobile to Montgomery.

True has an adventurous cuisine and a gypsy heart, sort of like me.  Chicken and syrup on waffles, Elk burgers and lamb meatloaf are among the current dinner selections.  Interesting and fun food combinations to be sure.  It is no coincidence that man's best friend cannot talk, but at least we can blog and you can take this to the bark: True is an interesting dining experience.

I mean, other than a slight disappointment with a cut of meat not up to very good restaurant standards a/k/a "Butter Beast," Rufie and I had a terrific experience at a reasonable price i.e. $50 a pooch.  After the meal a nightcap at the dog-friendly Pine Bar water bowl next door put an enjoyable exclamation point on a fine evening for some humble hounds in the good ole Gump.

So verily I say: Try True and enjoy.

Off Probation, Shadow Pup Testifies Before Congress on the Egg/Salmonella Scare

It was a dog and monkey show.

[Ed. Note: After much gnashing of teeth and soul-searching (including bowing to the whinning of Shadow Pup in the comments section of the "Don't Make Us Kill This Dog Post") we decided not to put the Pup down for his recent rant on Katrina victims. Instead, we held a "Tammy Trial" and decided he/she was guilty as charged but should be sentenced to "time served." It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the Shadow Pup was called to testify before Congress the same day as Stephen Colbert and is now a semi-celebrity.]

Shadow Pup's Statement Before Congress:

"Good morning. My name is Shadow Pup: blogger, pound puppy, comedian and resident of Alabama. I would like to thank the committee and its members for their time today and their open minds as I present my statement for the record.

I am intensely interested in the public health issues surrounding lunch. I have several months of experience in blogging about lunching in one of the toughest markets in America: The Gump. Due to my access to the internet, some people actually take me seriously. In August of 2010, in the midst of the salmonella firestorm (and while I was on blogging probation) I was welcomed by Colonel Sanders of the United Chicken Farmers of America as a guest at one of Alabama's thousands of chicken houses to discuss the impact on egg production of the Center for Disease Control's recall of 380 million eggs.

Because I love eggs and despise the inhumane treatment of laying chickens and the workers who tend them (as well as the smell of a production egg-house in the summer) in my interview with Sanders and in subsequent conversations with un-named sources, I learned of the 2,000 reports of salmonella poisoning linked to in-shell eggs originating from Iowa. Although most of the victims were fruits and nuts from California, as a comedian, food critic and satirist, the temptation of subjecting my character to manual labor in an egg house proved impossible to resist. I offered to feed, water and tend the birds.

Joined by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren -- longtime advocate for chicken and farm workers' rights -- I traveled to northern Alabama, where I spent 2 hours collecting eggs, shoveling chicken sh*t and learning about the stark reality facing American egg farms and farm workers. I learned that many chickens are unhappy, egg farms are closing, chickens are laying fewer eggs or switching to being broilers. I learned some of the eggs can contain salmonella and can be dangerous if you do not cook them before you put them in a milkshake.

At the request of Congresswoman Lofgren, I am here today to share my experience as an blogger turned migrant worker and to shed light on what it means to truly take one of the millions of jobs filled by immigrant labor. They say that you truly know a chicken after you've spent a day in his cage, and while I have nowhere near the hardships of these struggling and noble yard birds, I have been granted a sliver of insight.

We have sent men to the moon and, with the technology developed from that endeavor, added wheels to luggage. Surely, with our vast riches we can figure out how to inspect each in-shell egg for the salmonella pathogen before one more person vomms. Failing that, as provided in the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, it is clear that it is the role of the federal government to protect us from our failure to fully cook our food by banning the sale of raw eggs to the public or by restaurants that do not hire documented U.S. citizens. I for one want my eggs laid by an American chicken in an American egg-house fully inspected by agents of the Department of Agriculture and several more by the Food and Drug Administration and then cooked by an American at the International House of Pancakes.
Some say this may cause the price of eggs to sextuple. I say, even if more regulation costs billions of dollars and a few hundred-thousand jobs, if it keeps one person from eating raw eggs and getting violently ill--or even dying--it will be worth it.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to share my testimony."

Shadow Pup making a point at Comedy Central/Congress

Shadow Pup... Free to Good Home, or Put to Sleep?

bamabing@lunchinthegump.com
Email me to save this dog.

Well, I took a much-needed vacation and it looks like somebody forgot to give Shadow Pup his distemper shot while I was gone. Apparently our once-lovable four-footed foodie, whose well-tuned sniffer saved us from many a dining disaster, suddenly went off-message and became a snarling, bile-spewing right-wing elitist social commentator of the junkyard dog variety.

In his August 31 blog post (see below, if you dare), our little canine connoisseur went to finger-pointing about the tragic events surrounding Hurricane Katrina. Shadow Pup pointing fingers? He doesn't even have thumbs.

We decided on an intervention. First thing we did was rub his nose in his Katrina post and say "bad dog" in our sternest voices, which only prompted the Pup to roll over on his back and say, "Will one of you idiots quit screwing around and rub my belly?" So then I wore his ass out with Tuesday's Montgomery Advertiser, but since that's been cut down to eight pages (not counting foreclosure notices), that didn't have much effect, either. The Pup just chuckled, called me a liberal pansy and bit me. Then he told Tojo to "go back to Japan" and called Fat Clemenza a "cannoli-eating goombah." 

So we've decided to give him away. If nobody will take him, well, then we'll just have to euthanize the little fellow. Clemenza says he'll do the honors.

Maybe some fledgling hate group out there needs a watchdog, or a mascot. Maybe Glenn Beck can get Shadow Pup to help him sniff out the president's birth certificate. Or maybe Satan needs a new fire-breathing, slobbering guardian at the gates of hell.

Please, don't make us kill this dog. Somebody take him off our hands so we can get back to cracking wise about food. 

Lunch in the Shadow of the Tower of Power

CHEF TO GO: A Doggie Bag Deal

No Pets or Decayed Gentlemen allowed in the Gump Club.

We all know Lunch in the Gump is more about the experience than the food.  Yogi Berra might say that half of the experience of lunching at a restaurant is 90 percent being there to eat it.  But, on a beautiful May day like today--not a cloud in the sky--I would argue that half the experience of a good take away lunch is eating outside for half the price of sitting at a fancy table. Today, for example, decayed gentlemen that I am, I elected to leave the inner sanctum of my secret office and walk Darla a/k/a Shadow Pup over to the Capital City Club in the RSA Tower.  Those familiar with my current economic plight would not be surprised to learn that I formally was a member of the club and longed to eat there again--even if in shame. I knew I was viewed as Darla is often viewed at restaurants: "Non-Members and Pets Not Allowed."

However, I missed the food at my downtown club and recently learned that they have this program called: "Chef to Go" which is open to the rabble like myself.  If you call 220-4232 and place your order and set a time of pick-up, you can have whatever meat the rich folk are eating off the buffet inside plus two sides and the drink of your choice for $8 (including the city council's share).  So, I swallowed my pride and called in my order like a common taxpayer.  I averted my eyes in the elevator to avoid eye contact with someone who was a somebody that might recognize me and ask why they had not seen me in the Club in a while.  Thankfully, no awkward meetings occurred and I was able to slink around to the Chef to Go portal.  What I received from the 21st floor pickup door made it all worthwhile.  For my eight dollars I was given a snazzy and chic bag filled with a lot of good food:

You can order the Gump Club food but just can't eat it there.

Today I ordered the boneless stuffed grilled pork chop (not Bing's favorite FPC) which could be cut with a plastic fork rather easily and which tasted divine although I spilled the au jus on my waistcoat.  Accompanying the tender chop were my two very tasty sides: turnips and black-eyed peas.  Thrown in as an extra was a fresh and light cornbread muffin in a cupcake wrapper and a fresh peanut-butter cookie for dessert.  Too bad for me having to stay on the Atkin's diet and lucky for Darla.  I would like say that Darla is a good judge of food but she sometimes eats her own poop. She wags either way.  Anyway, what I ordered was very good.

It was also pleasant to sit out on the north side of the Tower of Terror (RSA Tower) which is perpetually shaded by the tallest structure in the Gump.  He Who Must Be Obeyed (Dr. Bronner) has created a very nice smoking area complete with benches and metal "thingies" that look as if they ought to be covered with tents or something.  They provided the illusion of a covered patio and good view of St. John's Episcopal Church while I dined from my Styrofoam box like an experienced "Statey."

The experience continued as I went back into the Tower to get a haircut from "Pat." She really doesn't like foreigners very much but has taken a liking to my faint Irish brogue and consented to cut my hair.  With Pat you not only get a good cut for $17, you get to hear a lot of comments about her allergies to the medicines used for her colonoscopy, her favorite customers Troy King  and Dr. "B", and the fact that she is afraid to cut some politicians' hair because she might catch "something penicillin won't cure." By the way, she does NOT cut Gov. Riley's pompadour. According to her some "sweet" barbers in Old Cloverdale can have that business.

As I said, Lunch in the Gump is more about the experience than the food.  My experience today was pleasant: Walking the pooch to the tower on a beautiful May day, dining on the same food the rich and powerful pay twice the price for in the shadow of the Tower, and then catching up on the local political gossip while my own pompadour was quaffed.  It was a day's worth of experience in 45 minutes and a short walk from my office.  Next time I may send my "runners" (unless I need a haircut).  I definitely plan to try Chef to Go at least nine more times (the 10th lunch at Chef to Go is on the house!).  The economy demands frugality.

Ta.

CNA

Ed. Note: If you need the address for the RSA Tower you are a dope.  Just go to the Gump and look up.  It's the tallest building you see.

La Zona Rosa Foils Stomach Claw

La Zona Rosa

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WARNING: Inside Joke: A Bammer fan named Danny posted on OU website before big game against Oklahoma a response to Sooner claim that Bama D-Line was small. He said: "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog--Paul 'Bear' Bryant" Of course, Sooner fans who had actually been to a college knew that quote belonged to Mark Twain. So, for months, the string of abuse of Danny on the blog involved attributing every quotable line you can think of to "The Bear." Are you with me here? If so, move on....
_________________________________________________________

"Once we were lost, but now we're found"--Paul W. Bryant.

After suggesting a repeat visit to our favorite Taco Tongue a/k/a El Taqueria De Cantero, Tojo and Fat Clemenza learned the hard way that not all restaurants in the Gump are open on Monday, especially the ones where no one speaks English. But as quick as he was in the wrestling ring, Tojo adroitly changed plans: La Zona Rosa ("The Pink Zone") would be the target since it was right down the road at 2838 Zelda Scott Fitzgerald Road.

Open about four years now, the Pink Zone has become somewhat of a local favorite for Mexican (and Salvadorian) food. But somehow, it had avoided a visit from the LITG gang until today. A full quorum of gastric bypass experts assembled: Tojo the Hungry; Fat Clemenza the Starved; B-Diddy; Show Dog; He Who Has No Nickname and, yours truly, Shadow Pup. Not in that order.

"A penny saved is a penny earned"--Paul W. Bryant.

What no one understood at the time, was that the lunch menu at La Zona Rosa may be the best deal in the Gump. Just look at this menu for lunch:

That "Create your own lunch" part makes your typical overweight American/Tojo assume that you would have to get 3 or four of the selections to comprise a full meal. Not so fast salsa breath. After gorging on "complimentary" chips and salsa (a little too sweet) while waiting for (shocker) The Show Dog, the size of each of just three selections is way more than a normal person can eat unless just released from "The Biggest Loser." But Tojo, who is no ordinary person, went for the FOUR entree lunch, including something called a "Chile Poblano." Just what that is I cannot say. You decide for yourself:

You must keep the Chile Poblano at bay at all times.

Regardless of the appearance, this little Poblano put up slight resistance and was quite tasty. The problem was that even Tojo failed to devour the little fellow. It was sad to see Tojo frustrated by the seemingly endless supply of tacos, tortillas and refried beans.

Foiled by the size of the 4 entre lunch, Tojo retaliated with the "Stomach Claw"...it was his only defense.


"What doesn't kill you will make you stronger."--Paul W. Bryant.

As usual, the combination of knowledge of a full LITG crowd boggles the mind. It was the nameless one, I think, who reminded the table that La Zona Rosa serves Carnitas to die for at night but you have to order early or they run out.

"Ask not what your Country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Country."--Paul W. Bryant.

In our case, we ask for separate checks and Pepto. Once again, over served at no fault of our own but comfortable in the fact that we were able to gorge ourselves on some pretty fine Mexican food for $6.50 with free water you can drink from the tap! Quite a deal. Perhaps the best deal in the known Gump.

Oh, I almost forgot to show you where La Zona Rosa is located. Here is the map from their web site:

Yeah, that's a big help....it's somewhere in the Gump.

Although we left bloated and in need of naps, all in all the gang appeared to enjoy our experience at La Zona Rosa--except perhaps Tojo who suffered a little bump in the road to his manhood by a giant Chile Poblano served 'head-on' at a place known as the "Pink Zone."

"Think Pink"--Paul W. "Bear" Bryant.

Lagniappe at Lunde's

Fat Clemenza walked me down to Lunde's today so we could console ourselves with some comfort food. The Gang had favorably rated Lunde's previously (see Oct. 11, 2009 and Sept. 10, 2009 reviews) so we found the little place on the first floor corner of the Historic Bell Building and went in around noon. (The place is open 11a-2p for lunch) There were not many there when we arrived but business picked up as we lunched in this quaint place with a lot of homey touches from the Big Easy.

Since the place has been so well reviewed, I will not repeat what has been stated. However, I just have to let everyone know about the "Blackened Pork Loin" available on the Meat and Three Menu. (Here is where Carpasaurus i.e. "The Cornbread Carp" may become interested). When the meat and three arrived I was surprised to see that there was a  square of fluffy, cakey, twinkie-like tasty CORNBREAD the size of a Buick next to the porkus loinus! See below:

Photo by Darla, special to LITG, used with permission. Not actual size.

One funny event: Fat Clemenza asked if one of the vegetable choices--macaroni and cheese--was 'home made.' The smart ass in me would have normally quipped: "Mac and Cheese is about as man-made as a 'vegetable' can ever get." I held my tounge and the waitress politely responded that the M & C was homemade. This caused me to wonder: Are any vegetgables really "home made?" Cake can be "home" made, pie can be "home" made but vegetables?  My green beans and corn were certainly good but I wouldn't think they were "home made." Doesn't the Big Guy Upstairs get some of the credit for "making" them?  Nevertheless, the main point here is that the veggies were tasty and fresh, but the surprise cornbread square was lagniappe! The "other white meat" loin was just perfectly prepared and a generous portion. (Did they know we were professional restaurant reviewers?) Best of all, the price ($7.50 with tea) allowed me to pick up the tab for Fat-C and tip generously all for a "Jackson." Now that's value in the Gump. So try Lunde's, it's now officially Shadow Pup tested, Shadow Pup approved.

SaZa's Needs Rating from LITG

Looks like we can no longer ignore the SaZa's phenomenon at 130-A Commerce. I saw where that mutt without opposable thumbs Shadow Pup rated the place at "Sup in the Gump" and I know Fat Tojo has spoken of it on the Lunch in the Gump Facebook page. It's also getting very high reviews on Urban Spoon. Do we think that if we ignore it then it will go away? I know it is not technically a local eatery, but it is just a much a local place as Dreamland or Wintzells. Somebody take the ball and write something witty!! Chop chop!

Lunch in the Gump: The Farmer’s Market Cafe—Taxidermy and Jalapeno Corn Bread!!

You're not eating the venison are you?

With the choice for the spot of the week bearing down on all of us, Shadow Pup suggested a Montgomery standard. If you are still shaking off a hangover from a weekend of big football and you need a solid, no-frills workman’s lunch, you got to go with the Farmer’s Market Cafe. Shadow Pup and I arrived separately and in true community style, we were both offered seats by folks we knew and some we didn’t. Shadow Pup remarked “It’s sort of like the bar in Cheers, somebody knows your name so you never eat alone (even when you really want to).” Local celebrity sightings included Rep. Alvin Holmes “legisloitering” by the counter as per usual hoping some lobbyist would pick up his tab.

As our fellow Gumpers trickled in, each made the rounds in the dining room back slapping and hand grabbing until we all came to rest at a centrally located table, amidst lawyers, brick layers, law enforcement and secretaries. This proud cross section of the Gump’s best folks came together for a respectable assortment of baked chicken, veggies, slaw, cornbread and tea. Just the thing you need to ground you after a high flying weekend of fancy tailgate food and beer. The one that has no nickname especially liked the Jalapeno Corn Bread, which he says has the consistency of Twinkies. (Discerning palate indeed.) We all agree the fried okra is superb especially when combined with the smoky baked chicken.

As a bonus, you dine while being eyeballed by some pretty good taxidermy and photos of decades old football players like Buddy McClinton leaping, Charlie Trotman with a buster brown haircut, Zeke Smith with his Outland Trophy, and, of course, the Bear when he could personally kick ass.

As a side note, LITG determined that although LSU intercepted the ball, it would not have mattered, and that 50 year old refs don’t have 4.4 speed. SEC refs made for good lunch conversation among the Aubie/Bammers except for Tojo who doesn’t understand “armored wankerball”.



Tojo had just returned from a battle royal with the dentist’s drill and it was highly entertaining to watch him on Novocain try to chew his chicken and not his tongue. “Tojo have tongue for lunch. Unfortunately tongue belong to Tojo. Also have inside of cheek for dessert. Docartie very good to Tojo, only drill one bad spot. Feel like Tojo stick tongue in light socket.”

Frugal Gumpers also got drilled when ordering the traditional ice milk that used to be included in the price of a lunch, but now costs $.50. Leaving alone the ice milk brings the total to a workmanlike $9.00, and for the portions, it’s a sweet deal.

All in all we give it four out of five stuffed turkeys and a deer rack.

Farmers Market Cafe
315 N. McDonough Street
334.262.1970 or 262-9163
Fax 334.262.1970

Plenty of Free Parking or Take the Lunch Trolley Express
"FRIED GREEN TOMATOES EVERY DAY"

Lunch in the Gump: Lek's Railroad Thai Curries Flavor

Hot Thai

You do not have to endure the civil unrest in Thailand to enjoy really good Thai food for Lunch in the Gump. Located in the old Union Station down on the river (300B Water Street), Lek's Railroad Thai is consistently rated as one of the top-ten places to eat lunch or dinner in the Gump. Even the fussy Shadow Pup raved about the place for dinner on her Sup in the Gump blog not long ago. (Did you know she was pictured on the DeJaVu CSN&Y album?)

Shadow Pup with her peeps David, Stephen, Graham and Neil at the shooting of the album cover.

But I digress. This blog is primarily designed to address luncheon concerns although a good argument could be made that given the proclivities of the LITG Gang, we ought to be rating bars in the Gump also. Lek's is a good example of a good restaurant that has one of the neatest bars in town but does not attract a bar crowd because the restaurant is so popular. For those concerned about mundane things like money, the lunch menu lists numerous curry and other entrees for $7.50 to $8.50 and they all come with soup and one of the best spring rolls around. Those in a hurry will be pleased to know that if you order off the lunch menu, you will in and out in less than 30 minutes from the time you sit down--which might be a problem because the place usually has a line to get in which moves pretty fast for the very reason stated above. And for those concerned about your carbon footprint, Lek's is on the "Lunch Trolley Express" route and is near the inter modal bus facility.

Now as far as food taste and quality is concerned, Lek's is outstanding. I like curry and their Musmin Chicken Curry and Red Curry Chicken are my personal favorites. The latter is served in coconut milk with bamboo shoots and red peppers. No, they do not serve milk steak just because they use coconut milk in several dishes.

Red Curry Chicken Half-Finished or, if you are an optimist, half-full.

Now if you always want fried chicken, cornbread and collards cooked in fat like that lard-ass Bama Bing, this is not the place for you. But if you occasionally want good portions of spicy Thai food that will not put you into a grease coma, Lek's is a nice change of pace.

Side effect of food coma as demonstrated by Darla

I, for one, am a lunch renaissance man. I can enjoy The El Paso Chile Company, The Davis Cafe & Lounge (another lunch/bar spot) and Lek's all in the same week. Lek's also has a real sushi bar that appears popular with the Maxwell AFB Air War College students from Thailand. At least the mid-level officers. If you are new to sushi, I would recommend--despite the name--The Bama Crunch Roll.

Specify "Thai Hot" if you like more of these.

Lek's is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 PM for lunch M-F. I have to go with Shadow Pup and give this place a five pepper rating. She is, after all, an Lh.D.

Lunch in the Gump: Wintzell's Oyster House Non-Countering Counter-Point: Where A Drool and His Money Soon Parted

Heard the boys hit Wintzell's Monday in my absence so I visited today with "cover guineas" to try it out for myself assuming the real group had decided, due to the untimely death of Doyle B, to call a moritorium on information. Not laboring under such restrictions, I saw the opportunity to hit the web with my own take but, alas, just saw the previous blog. Darn it if my take is not all that different from Bama Bing but since the following was already written here goes:

It was indeed hard to go back to work so soon after the tragic passing of a rogue Chris' Hotdog through poor Doyle B's stomach lining, but life goes on as does commerce. Speaking of which, Wintzell's Oyster House, formerly an old Mobile family seafood house, has gone "corporate" (not that there is anything wrong with that) by opening its ninth location at 105 Commerce Street in Gump Central (and supposedly looking for franchisees for East Gumphry and Prattville). Now, given what I have just said, you must realize that the following constitutes a non-sanctioned personal review of a lunch spot that really does not meet all of the loose LITG criteria and because of the obvious involvement of "oysters" must be subject to an ever greater disclaimer than usual. But, of course, Dreamland was reviewed and did not technically meet the criteria but once we let that hog's nose under the smoker hood we predictably descended that proverbial "slippery slope" here coated with slimy oyster gradue such that we have to now deal with Wintzells due to the clamor of the mob packing this eatery 7 days a week.

First and foremost, let me say on Tuesday the Wintzell's lunch product was pretty good and you better get there early or late to get right in. The place is currently very popular. Your humble author had the blackened "catch of the day" (supposedly grouper but I did not see the DNA tests so famous for outing Mobile seafood establishments) and it was seasoned, fresh, hot and served on a warm buttered bun. It was also $9 bucks (USD). So with $2 tea and a $3 side salad instead of fries, my tab (with the City Council's share) came to almost $15 (9 pounds) pre-tip. A guinea pig next to me really liked the spicy gumbo and somehow managed getting two cups and being charged for one. I, for one, am not willing to beg. I recommend skipping the tea and trying the still tap sweet river water the Gump is so famous for.


Having the option of grilled, blackened or fried seafood for lunch is an additional option for lunch in New Philadelphia i.e. Gump Central. However, some of us worry that our local establishments with equally fine seafood offerings (like Lunde's or Bama Bistro for example) may fail because we true believers in Gumpicuria do not patronize them. It is perhaps a Hobson's Choice --but not really.


Second, despite the newly constructed and modern location adjacent to the snazzy Renaissance Hotel, the tacky and traditional "Wintzell's Words of Wisdom" cover almost every square inch of the walls and are "to some" annoying. For sarcastic cynical know-it-alls like, for example, Shadow Pup they are beyond hokey and something that could be fodder for endless jokes by adding "at Wintzells". For example:

"A fool and his money are soon parted at Wintzells"

or this:

"The only difference between a Po-Boy and a Poor-Boy is lunch at Wintzells"

I am sure you have already thought of funnier lines you would love to see on the walls at Wintzells. If so, post as comments.

I also noted that Tojo apparently has already visited the place because some of the "Wintzell's Words of Wisdom" posted on the walls appeared to be authored by him. A couple or three stood out:

"What fish good to eat here? Catch of Day! What if not good fish?"

Or:

"No Shirt, No Shoes, No Tojo"

or:

"Never look at gift fish in the mouth. If not gift, it cost too much at Wintzells"

In conclusion, I would rate Wintzell's high on service, quality and taste, questionable on wisdom and low on value. Three shrimp out of five gumbos.

We will miss old Doyle B. May he find a buffet in heaven.

Binion