No formal Gump meeting today so took a break from my upcoming trial preparation to freelance a lunch at Dreamland in The Alley (101 Tallapoosa St). I have been there, oh maybe five times since it re-opened in The Alley two months ago. I know it may appear to be a chain, but I hear it has local ownership and involvement by the original family from Tuscaloosa. It sure does not feel like a chain. Chain or not, I am glad it is open on Mondays and is close to my work-release location.
You know about the Dreamland ribs with bibs--they are truly great--but when you go to a place for lunch often you tend to try new things you would not associate with a BBQ like salads and hamburgers and Quesadillas! The "Dream Cheeseburger" ($7.95) is a close second behind Hamburger King in tasty burgerness. The chopped chicken salad ($8.95) is also surprisingly hearty with just enough romaine lettuce to provide plausible dietary deniability.
But today I ventured "South of the border" for a Chicken Quesadilla ($6.95) off the appetizer menu. I call it Mex-i-Que with sour cream and sauce on the side. Plenty to eat. In an out in 30 minutes with friendly service: "How you doin' baby?"
Ambiance is cool. If eating alone, sit at bar and face the three HDTVs with ESPN channels while catching up on the weekend sports. Today it was Federer's 15 slams, the sad McNair situation and "Tiger Wins Again" at Congressional.
Without my "peeps" I was able to remain low profile and was not noticed by management as a member of the "Lunch in the Gump" Gang. So I believe my experience was typical of what you could expect on any given day for lunch in the land of dreams.
On the Gump Scale, Dreamland is 4 of 5 biscuits.
I ate there today as well. My pork "Big Daddy" sandwich fell apart, but was delicious nonetheless. Only received Four slices of bread with sauce to start. That seems apt...
ReplyDelete4 out of five slices.