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Things That Are Better Than Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

18 Dec

This weekend, we belatedly celebrated my birthday by getting a hotel room in Nashville and going out to dinner. The city has become a great food destination. Local chefs and chefs from around the nation are opening great restaurants in Nashville. We have been to several, but a new one is always opening. In other words, if you like food, then Nashville is the place to be.

This time, we decided to go to Jeff Ruby’s, an upscale steakhouse based in Cincinnati. We do not usually go for steakhouse chains. Our tastes usually run toward something more trendy and creative. However, a lot of people told us that it is a great place. I am sure that they love it. We did not.jeff-rubys

The decor is circus-like. When I think of upscale steakhouses, I think of something more refined. Maybe some wood. Maybe some lower ceilings. Maybe something more classy.

When I think of upscale steakhouses, I also think of steak. The steaks at Ruth’s Chris are awesome. The steak at Kayne Prime, a locally owned establishment, are awesome. The steak at Morton’s are awesome. The steaks at Jeff Ruby’s are nowhere near awesome. While they are tender, they are doused in salt and other flavorings. A great steak does not need all of that.

When I think of upscale steakhouses, I think of great side dishes. Every chain has great au gratin potatoes. Jeff Ruby’s potatoes are not that great. The bread is good if you do not use the truffle butter.

Anyway, we were not impressed with Jeff Ruby’s. They throw a lot of food on your plate. I suppose that is why some people like it. Quantity over quality. I am a bigger fan of quality. Give me something with a great combination of flavors, and I am happy. There are a ton of restaurants in Nashville that provide that, and we should have dined at one of them.

Hopefully, you can tell that our experience was not great, and we should have known by the name of the place. When I am going to say Jeff Ruby’s, my mind wants me to say Jack Ruby. I wonder if anyone thought about that before they named the restaurant.

Jeff Ruby’s was not good, but I do not want this to be an entirely negative post. There are some great “ruby” things out there.

Ruby Slippers

Ruby Falls

“Ruby” by The Osbourne Brothers

“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition

“Goodbye Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones

Ruby Tuesday’s Salad Bar

Ruby Dee

I can promise you that all of those things are better that Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

 

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The Problem With Dunkin’ Donuts

19 Nov

There is a Dunkin’ Donuts down the road, and my stepdaughter likes to stop on the way to school. I am happy to do that because she likes it, but I have some issues with the restaurant. The title of this post proclaims that there is a problem with Dunkin’ Donuts. That should actually be plural.

First, it is a breakfast place, but it constantly runs out of breakfast food. Order a bagel, and they are out of that bagel. Order a donut, and they are out of that kind of donut. I do not understand how a breakfast food place could constantly run out of breakfast food. Stock up on bagels. Make plenty of donuts. It is the job of the restaurant to have the stuff available. After all, it is called Dunkin’ Donuts. It is not call Dunkin’ What We Do Not Have.dunkin

Second, people order dozens of donuts. I understand why they do it. It is their day to supply donuts for the office. They may be having a meeting and want to sugar everyone up. However, here is the thing. Each donut does not have to be different. Instead of getting one of each flavor, they should get a dozen of plain and a dozen of chocolate covered. Whenever I see a box of assorted donuts, the plain and chocolate covered ones are always gone. Just stick to the basics and get the stuff ordered.

Third, they do not have change. The other day, I pulled up to the window to pay a $9 tab. I handed the lady a $50, and she said that she did not have change. I asked, “You do not have two twenties?” Then, I asked, “You do not have four tens?” That is when she said that they were not allowed to take something bigger than a $20 until after 11:00.

Here is my message to Dunkin’ Donuts. You are a breakfast place. More people do business with you before 11:00 than after 11:00. The morning is when you need to be able to make change. I know we are moving to a plastic world, but some of us still like to use cash. I cannot imagine a restaurant not having two $20 somewhere.

Again, you are a breakfast place. That means you should be ready in the morning with plenty of bagels and donuts. It also means that you should have plenty of money. At no time have I ever heard anyone say, “Let’s have lunch at Dunkin’ Donuts. It is the middle of the day, and they have plenty of bagels, donuts and change.”

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Four Corners – Maria and Lipbone

30 Jul

There are miracles in this world. That was proven when I convinced my family to go on a road trip. They had never been on an excursion that called for nights in different hotel rooms and days driving through different landscapes, which is exactly the kind of traveling that I was raised on.

When our trip to Europe was cancelled, we knew that something had to be done. Going an entire summer without traveling was not an option. We debated. We studied. We debated some more. Then, we put together an adventure through the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. It is part of the country that I wanted my family to see, and the next several posts will chronicle our journey.

Before daybreak, we made our way to the airport for a typical flight on Southwest Airlines. Except, our layover was not at a typical airport. We spent a few hours at Love Field, the place where John F. Kennedy started his tour of Dallas in 1963. A few hours later, Love Field witnessed the swearing-in of Lyndon Johnson as president of the United States.

Our second plane landed in Albuquerque. We got off the plane; got our luggage; and got our rental car. As we pulled out of the parking lot, my wife read that Southwest had a system failure and people were stranded all over the place. Our timing was perfect.

We drove to Santa Fe, where the Inn and Spa at Loretto awaited. However, that was not the only place on the agenda. When we started talking about the trip, my wife and I knew that we would definitely go to one place in particular.

Maria’s – the best New Mexican cuisine in Santa Fe. We wanted to make sure that the teenagers on the trip got some real food.image-24

After the meal, we went back to the hotel and to the first of thousands of pictures of the teenagers.image-23

I think we broke a record for pictures. My stepdaughter’s friend sent a ton of pictures to her mom. Then, her mom said she wanted some pictures of the scenery, too.

Taking the picture must have been tiring because my wife went to the room. I, on the other hand, took the girls to the plaza. They needed to see the real Santa Fe. I did not expect to walk onto a plaza filled with people dancing and listening to the music of Lipbone Redding.image-22

Eventually, we made our way around the plaza and to more spots to take selfies. The next day would start our real adventure.

 

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A Local Business Called Cracker Barrel

16 Dec

Yesterday, my wife and I had lunch at Cracker Barrel. Since that chain has over 600 stores in 42 states, thousands of people across the country did the same thing. However, it was a little different for us.

In 1969, Cracker was founded in our town of Lebanon, Tennessee. Dan Evins owned a Shell gas station at one of the interstate exits and hit upon the idea of selling to food attract customers. It was not just any food. It was good old southern food like grits, turnip greens and biscuits.Cracker Barrel

Obviously, the concept proved successful.

I write all of to explain that going to Cracker Barrel in Lebanon is more like going to a locally owned place than a nationwide chain. As soon as we walked in the door, we saw people that we know.

While waiting for a table, we saw my dad’s childhood friend and his wife. They mentioned that they sold one of their farms to one of our county officials, who happened to be standing behind them. That led to a great conversation that people who had gotten off the interstate probably did not understand.

After getting a table, we talked to the corporate pilot for Cracker Barrel, who is also a part-time preacher. In fact, he performed a wedding that turned into a blog post.

Before finishing our meal, the mother of a former girlfriend was seated next to us. She stopped for a few seconds before sitting down with some family from out-of-town.

The corporate headquarters of Cracker Barrel are located in town, and it employs a lot of local people. However, the leadership is no longer local. They all came in from somewhere else, and many of them live in another Nashville suburb. That does not matter. Cracker Barrel remains a Lebanon, Tennessee business.

Years ago, I was in Montana doing historical research. I was driving down the interstate and looking for something to eat. Up ahead, there was a sign for a Cracker Barrel. I pulled in at a strange eating time and was the only customer in the place. The manager came over to talk and asked where I was from. I said that I was from Lebanon, Tennessee and asked if he knew where that was.

He absolutely knew where it was because Cracker Barrel is one of our local businesses.

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Let Them Eat a History-Themed Cake

5 Dec

Last night, my colleague and his family graciously hosted a “End of the Semester” dinner for the History Department. Faculty and students got together for great food and great times. My job was simple. I was in charge of the dessert.

My wife said that she would order a cake from our local Publix because they make awesome cakes. However, she needed to know how to have it decorated. That is when I came up with what I considered to be a clever idea. Have it say, “This Semester is History!”

Get it? The semester is over, and we are the History Department. Funny, right? At least, that is what I thought. When my wife told the ladies at her boutique, they apparently thought it was corny.

It had to have more than words. We needed something more decorative. That is when I came up with what I considered to be another clever idea. We would put a $20 bill on the cake. Now, this one needs some explaining.

Our students wanted the teachers to have a debate about who should be on the Twenty. Actually, they just wanted to see the teachers argue, and a debate was the only way they could make that happen. Anyway, we held a debate that was open to the public.

The debaters included our resident expert of the Jacksonian Age, who defended Andrew Jackson’s appearance on the bill. There was also our other historian, who championed the image of Eleanor Roosevelt. Our anthropologist, a member of the Choctaw Nation, argued for the inclusion of Wilma Mankiller, former Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

I served as moderator because I study prostitutes of the Old West. As much as I would love to see Big Nose Kate on money, it will probably not happen.

Anyway, the students asked the questions and thought it was awesome to see the teachers go after each other. The debate was serious and funny at the same time. It was certainly the highlight of the semester for the students.

Because of the debate, I everyone would get a kick out of seeing the $20 on the cake.image-4

I have no idea what my wife and her coworkers thought about that addition, but I can imagine.

It is too late to make a long story short, but, to make a long story short, the cake was a big hit. Everyone thought it was clever and funny. Now, I am wondering what that means about the humor of historians.

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The Orange Side of Savannah, Georgia

26 Jul

Last week, we spent some time in Hilton Head, South Carolina, but, in my mind, the best day consisted of a drive to Savannah, Georgia, the settlement established by James Oglethorpe when he first colonized the area. It is an old city with lots of history, and we rode a trolley through it all.

We saw the squares for which the city is famous filled with Live Oaks with Spanish Moss hanging from the branches. Each square is surrounded by a church and stately homes. One home was the headquarters for William Tecumseh Sherman when he captured the city on the completion of his march to the sea. Another home belonged to the family of Johnny Mercer and was the site of a murder that inspired Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – both the book and the movie.

Since movies were brought up, we saw where Forrest Gump sat on a bench and told his life story but missed an entire square because Adam Sandler was in the process of filming a scene. I was hoping to see where Burt Reynolds filmed parts of Gator, but the tourism folks do not promote that one as much as others.

We saw a lot of interesting places. The location of John Wesley’s first sermon in the New World. The docks where cotton was loaded onto ships bound for England. Of course, no one mentioned the slaves who worked the cotton. To make up for that lack of information, we saw a building used by the Underground Railroad.

Savannah is a beautiful city of architectural wonders and almost three hundred years of history. It was also filled with people trying out for American Idol. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of that stuff. Our trolley ride made photography difficult. No pictures of Live Oaks. No pictures of monuments or statues.

However, I was able to take a picture of this place.image-44

When it was time for lunch, I asked the man at the visitor center counter a simple question.

“If you were going to lunch where would you go?”

He started down the typical list that included Paula Deen’s and other places where tourists are directed. I knew that he would not pick any of those places but could not deviate from the script. We wanted to eat with the locals, and this guy offered no help.

On the trolley ride, we passed a place that looked like what we wanted. Clary’s Cafe had a few outdoor tables and was off the beaten path. It did not take long to choose that over standing in line at one of the other places. We got out the trusty GPS and made our way through the squares and around Adam Sandler.

We pulled into the parking lot and made our way to the door. However, my wife was nowhere to be seen. She was standing behind the car talking to someone. It turned out to be the owner of the restaurant who saw the orange T on the front of my vehicle. For those who are not from around here, that is my signal to everyone that I am a fan of the University of Tennessee. As it turns out, the owner was also a fan of the Big Orange.

We talked for a while about the upcoming football season and the orange shrine her husband built at their home. They are from Tennessee and make it to as many games as they can. She has high hopes for the upcoming season and thinks Butch Jones has the program on the right track.

Eventually, we made our way inside and found what we were looking for. Sweet tea was in the pitcher, and lima beans were part the day’s special. It was a true southern restaurant that did not involve a television personality. However, that was not the best part.

As we finished our meal, the owner told the waitress to give us the Big Orange discount. After all, we were part of her college football family.

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New Mexico Days

26 May

Another trip to New Mexico has been completed, and it is time to write about our adventures in the Land of Enchantment. For those who do not know, a few members of our faculty teach a field trip course in northern New Mexico. With Santa Fe as our base, we take students on daily excursions.

The days were packed with various activities and learning experiences, but I am not going to write about all of them. That would take a week’s worth of posts. Instead, this post will be about the thing I liked most about each day.

Friday – The morning was spent in a ghost town and at a national park. However, lunch at Horseman’s Haven was the highlight of the day. I saw the restaurant on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s show and asked that it be added to the dining list. My burrito proved this choice to be a good one.image-30

Saturday – We went to a few places that are on the itinerary every year. Then, we went to a place that was new for the trip. I have been told that Taos is a great place to visit, but the trip organizer has a bad opinion of the place. Due to months of badgering on my part, he agreed to take us there. He got more grumpy with every mile closer we got.

Unfortunately, it was raining in Taos, and we did not see much. However, it was not raining when we crossed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, which is 565 feet above the river. It was cool to walk across it and take a peak at the bottom of the canyon.image-31

Sunday – This day brought the highlight of the trip. We had lunch at the home of Josephine, a lady who lives in the Santo Domingo Pueblo. It was a feast of Native American food prepared by her and the other women in her family. Everything was delicious, and the tamales topped it all.image-32

While we ate, Josephine talked about growing up in the pueblo and about the problems facing her people. She mourned the slow disappearance of her native language and lamented the effects of alcoholism on her community. Hopefully, the students were as touched by her hospitality and honesty as much as we teachers.

Monday – As a historian, I should pick a historic site as the highlight of this day, but we visited a site that I have seen many times. Instead, I am picking a hike up one of the volcanoes that helped create the northern New Mexico landscape.image-33

Three ancient volcanoes sit on the edge of Albuquerque and serve as sentinels over the city. I climbed one of them with a former colleague who retired and moved to Santa Fe. It was great to walk with him and rekindle our friendship.

Tuesday – Have you ever been to a town that died from its evil and was reborn through love? When I first went to Madrid and asked about its history, that was the story that I heard. We jokingly call Madrid a hippie colony, but it is an old ghost town that, in the 1970s, became inhabited by people who wanted to escape the rat race and live a simpler life.

I did not take any pictures of Madrid, but you have seen it if you have watched Wild Hogs. In fact, that movie became part of this year’s experience.

Madrid has become a destination for motorcyclists who have seen that film. As we stood in front of the building featured in one of the pivotal scenes, I explained to a student that the building was part of the movie set. An old biker overheard and got mad because he had ridden a long way to eat in a fake diner.

Unlike him, I am never disappointed in Madrid. I always wonder what it would be like to escape to an old town and live a life without worry. Of course, I would probably get tired of it after two days.

Wednesday – Chaco Canyon is an amazing place to visit. It is even worth the long journey to get there. The canyon was home to a people who disappeared, and archaeologists have been trying to figure them out ever since. The conclusions often change, and some are scoffed at with ridicule. The questions may be hard to answer, but the beauty of the canyon leaves no doubts.image-34

Thursday – This was another day of national parks and historic sites. However, they did not compare to our visit to Santa Fe Bite, home of the city’s best green chile cheeseburgers. The restaurant used to be in another location and go by a different name. The important thing has not changed.image-35

Friday – Our last day in New Mexico was spent at Ghost Ranch, where dinosaur remains have been found and artists have been inspired. We hiked the high mesa trail and looked over a landscape that can be found in the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe.image-36

Like I did on all of our hikes, I looked over the land and listened to the theme of Centennial, the 1970s miniseries about the American West. Everyone else thought I was insane, but the music inspires me. I knew that listening to it would add something to my experience and offer something to visualize when I hear that music in the future.

As always, we had a great trip filled with great experiences. These were just a few of them.

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Captain America; Caps and Gowns; and a Night on the Town

10 May

Man, this has been an eventful weekend for our household. Instead of writing some long introductory paragraph, I will get right to the point.

On Friday, my stepdaughter learned that she made the volleyball team. She has worked hard on her skills, and everyone is proud of her effort. Then, it all paid off.

After she received a ton of congratulations, she and I ate went out on the town. We ate burritos and saw Avengers: Age of Ultron. Her mom wanted to go, but my stepdaughter was afraid that she would ask too many questions during the movie.

When the movie was over, she mentioned something that I did not catch. Black Widow has flirted with almost every member of the team, and she is now in love with Bruce Banner. Of course, this is not the “Bill Bixby hitchhiking to piano music” Bruce Banner. It is a Bruce Banner who is not as cool as that.

On Saturday morning, my university held its 173rd commencement on the lawn in front of our main building. It was a beautiful day, but it got a little hot under the caps and gowns. Commencement always brings mixed emotions for me. I am happy for the graduates, but I am also sad to see them go. To soften the blow, the History Department held a nice reception for our graduates and their families.

Last night, we went on a surprise birthday excursion for one of our friends. It started at Saint Anejo, one of the cool and trendy restaurants in Nashville. If you make it into the city, then you should try it out. It is full of locals, which means that you will not see any tourists wearing cowboy hats.

After dinner, we went to a concert at Marathon Music Works, which is located in the old Marathon automobile factory. The building houses all kinds of businesses, but this music venue is the best of the bunch. We did not know anything about the band, but it turned into a blast.

First, we were in the private balcony, which is the only way to watch a concert. We had stools, couches and our own server. The seating was especially great because the rest of the place is all about standing up.image-29

Second, the band was awesome. Matt and Kim are a duo, but that does not describe them. Matt plays keyboard and sings while Kim beats the crap out of the drums. She also stands on the drums and works the crowd into a frenzy. Heck, she even walked onto the hands of the crowd and danced. It is performance that has to be seen to be appreciated.

This morning, we began our Mother’s Day festivities and will continue with them throughout the afternoon. However, I had to take a few minutes to write about this eventful weekend. Now, I am going to take a nap.

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As Memories of Houston’s Fade

24 Feb

During our time in Arizona, we found Houston’s, a restaurant that can be described as upscale and casual. This caught our attention because Nashville was home to the first Houston’s. It was founded by people who had worked at other restaurants in the city and was one of the most popular places in town. It was a great place to go on a date or to hang out with friends in the bar.

The success of the Nashville location led to an expansion into other cities, and, before long, there was a chain. At some point, the ownership moved the headquarters to Beverly Hills and decided to close the original location. A lot of people believed that the owners had come to the conclusion that Houston’s was too good for Nashville. After all, hanging out with movie stars must be better than hanging out with country music stars.

For old times sake, we decided to have dinner at the Houston’s in Scottsdale. The atmosphere was similar to what we remembered, and I ordered my old favorite.Menu

However, we were disappointed in the food. It was not as good as we remembered, and, frankly, there are a bunch of restaurants in Nashville that are better.

It has been ten years since Houston’s left Nashville, and the city has changed considerably during that time. It has grown into a truly cosmopolitan city with a diverse population. That diverse population has differing tastes, and there are restaurants for everyone. In fact, Nashville has become a foodie destination, and some of the nation’s more prominent chefs have created restaurants within its borders.

I have no idea how long this restaurant trend will last, but, after revisiting Houston’s, I have come to a conclusion. The owners had it backwards. Houston’s is not too good for Nashville. Instead, Nashville is too good for Houston’s.

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A Brief Description of Our Arizona Adventures

20 Feb

We just returned from a trip into the Arizona Territory, which was lucky in one regard. While we enjoyed sunny days in the 80s, our hometown was buried under an ice storm of Biblical proportions. At least, it was the biggest thing witnessed in these parts.

Instead of making a series of posts out of this excursion, I have decided to write about the best thing that we did each day.

Friday – We escaped the freezing blast, but that was not the best part. That came when had dinner on the patio at Scottsdale’s Old Town Tortilla Factory. Enchiladas covered in green chilies. You cannot get better than that.

Saturday – Highlight of the day? Heck, this could be the highlight of the trip. As we drove through Cave Creek, Arizona, I looked to my right and saw a big sign that read True West Magazine Headquarters. This is one of my favorites, and I could not believe that we just happened upon it. Obviously, I had to get a picture.image-22

Sunday – We looked at a lot of art. It is everywhere in the Scottsdale area. On this day, art was purchased. Joe Deru makes bowls, pots and all kinds of things out of wood. This is not just any woodcarving. This is some elaborate stuff. His operation is called Windfall Woods, and everyone should check it out.DSC00378

Monday – This was road trip day, and we made our way to the Red Rock country around Sedona. I delved into some history that needed to be dealt with, but the best thing happened on the way back. We stopped at the Rock Springs Cafe for some of their famous pie.FullSizeRender

My wife got chocolate cream, and I got pecan with a little vanilla ice cream.

Tuesday – Food has been mentioned twice. In other words, we ate quite a bit. That is why the best event of this day was important. We hiked the trail at Squaw Peak. It must be written that peak is the operative word in that sentence. This thing went straight up. Once we got to the top, we had a great accomplishment and a great view.IMG_0637

It was on the way down when we realized that one couple did it twice to our once. Of course, once was enough.

Wednesday – Food has returned. For our last dinner in Scottsdale, we chose Barrio Queen, and it turned out to be the best place of all. My burrito was excellent, and my wife’s choice was just as great. However, neither compared to the fresh guacamole to start things off.IMG_0654

Thursday – It is always good to go somewhere, but it is also always good to return home. We boarded the plane at 70 degrees and landed at 9 degrees. However, that was alright. We had a great time and made it home safely.

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