Super Bowl Update

You want rich and decadent and old school French? Bijou may just be your perfect place. We have been to this place before, and I reviewed it, but we really have wanted to go back and make good on our promise to order all appetizers. I followed through on that promise, but hubby was swayed by a really yummy sounding special.

I really like the interior and feel of this place. It is warm and cozy feeling and all the staff (which as far as I can tell is the chef, the host, and a waiter) is very friendly and accommodating. We chose to sit a regular table on this trip, as we remembered the booths, while nice and private, being a little too vertical for hubby’s back. We were very pleased with the comfy chairs and plenty of room at the tables.

For something new, I started with the mushroom crepe. We discussed the fact that it could easily be drown in a tasteless cream sauce and debated the merits of ordering it. Pleasantly, it was very good and the cream sauce was flavorful with a cheese taste that wasn’t over the top rich and still had depth in flavor. It was one crepe, filled with a finely pureed mushroom mixture. Nice flavor, not too heavy, and the serving size was appropriate for a rich dish. If they put 2 on the plate, I would have thought it was overkill.

Hubby started with the oysters that he had last time—“Oysters Bijou.” These are little toasts with an (cooked) oyster, bacon and a chardonnay cream sauce. He loved them last time, and if anything, he liked them even more this time. They are really good (we shared a bit). Nice small oysters with just the right amount of bacon and sauce that are quickly broiled. And judging by the number of them coming out, we aren’t the only ones who like them.

We shared the spinach salad we had the last time. It was still very good. Simple and fresh with spinach, red onion slices and really nice Roquefort. I could have used a little more of the cheese and a little less of the dressing (a lemon dressing). The dressing was sweet and tangy at the same time, but mine just had a little much of it. And I mentioned the cheese before—it is excellent Roquefort. And we split a salad, and I thought it was perfect for a middle course. Even the full size salad would not be gigantic though, and I thought about the salad I had at Bella Vita that probably had 10 times the amount of spinach in it. Again, the bread, simple French baguettes are delicious and we went through a couple of baskets.

We were given the same intermezzo we were given the last time, a little tiny dish of passion fruit sorbet to cleanse the palate. A great flavor, and a nice touch, and in just the right amount.
For my main course, I had the appetizer I had the last time, the lobster feuilleté. It is pieces of lobster meat, cooked perfectly, with a heart shaped piece of puff pastry on top and surrounded by a Champagne cream sauce. It was still very good, although the saucing may have been a little heavy handed this time. I didn’t need all the rich sauce relative to the amount of other things. In fact, I would have loved a little bit more of the puff pastry to balance everything out. But overall, this is a great dish. Rich and completely decadent, and delicious.

Originally hubby was going to get another appetizer too, because we liked ours so much as I mentioned, but when he heard the special of pan fried turbot stuffed with lobster, shrimp and crab, he changed his mind. Actually, it was when he saw the table next to ours being served the dish that really pushed him over the edge. It was a lovely dish. Turbot, if you aren’t familiar, is a fairly thick white fish, sort of similar to petrale sole. It is mild in flavor and is a great base for doing lots of things to. In this case, the fish was stuffed with creamy bits of the above mentioned shellfish which were all good in their own right, and the fish was then pan fried to give it a perfect crispy outer crust. It was served with polenta and some broccoli, which were ok, but the fish was the real star. We were glad to have gotten an entrée that we really liked. It renewed our hope that we don’t have to only order appetizers here. But the lesson is, pay attention to the specials, and if they sound good, order them. My main complaint about this place (like you have never heard this from me before) is that they don’t seem to change the menu at all. What is on there is good, but I like variety and based on that special, I would love to see what else the chef could come up with.

Since I had only two appetizers and half a salad, I needed dessert right? That’s what I was thinking. And last time I was so full I couldn’t do it. This time I ordered the chocolate pot de crème. It was really good. Rich and dark chocolate-y. I often just think these kind of desserts are just ok because they taste too much just like pudding. But this one was rich and dense and one of the better ones I have had. Also, I liked the way it was served in a small lidded porcelain dish with a little whipped cream on the side (and not on top). It was a lovely presentation (picture was blurry sorry). Which actually brings me to one of the other things I appreciate about this place. The dishware and glassware is all lovely and high quality. I hate thick wine glasses and while normally I don’t even notice the dishes (usually because there is nothing worth noticing), these draw your attention. They are sort of old fashioned, but fit into the French bistro-ish kind of feeling you get here.

All in all, I still think this place is a nice change in our area. Why can’t Indy support a proper French restaurant? And how is Lebanon pulling it off? Anyway, if you haven’t tried it, and you like old school classic rich food, give this one a try. It really doesn’t take that long to get there.

Bijou Restaurant
111 West Main Street
Lebanon, IN 46052
765/482-7090
www.bijourestaurant.net

Saturday afternoon I was lucky enough to be taken to "Glee Live! In Concert" at Radio City Music Hall. While I'm not a full on Gleek, I enjoy the show a lot, and have been fascinated by the idea of them taking the show on tour. What would it look/sound like in person as opposed to on screen? What numbers would they do? How would it all be put together?

Well I have to say I was very impressed. The opening act or the show was the Legion of Extraordinary Dancers and LXD is no fucking joke. They do moves that seem to defy laws of physics, gravity and bodily movement. You may have caught them on So You Think You Can Dance performing their amazing routine to Coldplay's "Yellow." They staged it live today and it's just so great. Also, LXD features Glee Cast Member Harry Shrum Jr., and since his character doesn't get a lot of attention on the show, it was sweet that he got so much attention live on stage. He seemed really touched and thrilled by the crowd's enthusiastic reception of him.

So LXD warmed up the crowd and then there was a (very long) 20 minute intermission before Glee kicked in. The screeching of the Gleeks when the show finally started was... mind-shattering. These people went CRAZY as the cast came out. The cast seem so excited to be there and to get to perform. good thing, because the people behind the concert crammed pretty much every possible song that featured just the Glee kids (no songs with the adult characters were featured) into 85 minutes of show. Here's the set list:

Don't Stop Believin'
My Life Would Suck Without You
Push It
Don't Rain on My Parade
Beautiful
Dancing With Myself
Sweet Caroline
The Lady Is A Tramp
Defying Gravity
My Life/Confessions
Halo/Walkin' on Sunshine
Bust Your Windows
Bad Romance
The Boy Is Mine
Rehab
Mercy
Jump
Hello
Faithfully
Any Way You Want It
Like A Prayer
True Colors
Somebody to Love

As you can see, they sang a lot and the cast really worked their asses off up there. Vocally, Lea Michelle (Rachel), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Chris Colfer (Kurt) and Mark Salling (Puck) did most of the heavy-lifting. Heather Morris (Brittany) and Harry Shum Jr. (Mike) really highlighted all the dance numbers. Heather Morris especially got a lot of time in the spotlight as she went out on stage to talk to different people in character while the stage was getting set up for different production numbers. She's also incredibly hot and a totally engrossing dancer. I know that Amber Riley was on stage somewhere while singing "Bust Your Windows" but I couldn't tell you where while Morris was dancing on top of the SUV.

Everyone else in the cast had their featured moments throughout and I thought everyone did well. The least featured cast member was Dianna Agron (Quinn) who I don't think ever really sang a solo. She didn't seem to mind, however, as she matched everyone else's high octane enthusiasm throughout each number while singing in the chorus.

The show itself was kind of a hybrid rock concert/show choir performance extravaganza. with lasers and fireworks and big flashing overhead videos. It's quite intense and very very loud. There's also a group of supplemental dancers who sometimes filled in to make the stage look more full and also double as rival show choir "Vocal Adrenaline" - they performed the group's Rehab and Mercy numbers. One of the members of Vocal Adrenaline looked exactly like grown up Draco Malfoy and that was a little distracting, but he danced well. Also, as a nice cameo, Jonathan Groff (Jesse) showed up to duet with Lea Michele on "Hello." I'm sure you won't be surprised to find out that the decibel level in Radio City raised to a new height when Groff came out on stage.

All in all, it was really very entertaining and the audience couldn't have been more eager to take it all in. It was really fun to see what the cast could do on a live stage. My personal favorite numbers were Bad Romance, Jump, Defying Gravity, and Bust Your Windows. It may take me a few days before my sense of hearing returns to normal, but it was worth it. The production was just brimming with exuberance all the songs were anthems of love and positivity. Glee is a show that whether it's on TV or live in concert, tends to live up to its name.

Note to pre-teen girls in future Glee audiences: The cast will not wave to you mid-song, no matter how hard you wave at them. You should not attempt it. You are annoying the people who sit directly behind you and you're setting yourself up for a profound sense of failure when you go unacknowledged for the entire show. Also it looks like you're really making your arm tired. The performers can't see you from the stage, even though you seem really close to it, so just clap and scream for them and you'll avoid "down in front" heckles from your fellow rabid Gleeks a few rows back.

"My only regret is that I have but one life to give for my country."
Hale's great-nephew, Edward Everett Hale said, "And because that boy said those words, and because he died, thousands of other young men have given their lives to his country."

It feels like a new day now that a third woman has been nominated to the Supreme Court. And then it pains me to think that I need to be shocked, or honored, or excited to feel this way. It’s 2010 and here I sit, feeling all blessed and grateful that we might actually have three woman appointed to the Court.

When you only have nine options, it’s difficult to balance all the forces clamoring for equality: gender, race, ethnicity, religion, education and let’s get right to it: political viewpoint. Though Harvard and Yale seem to be the only law schools able to produce a Supreme Court Justice these days, and though it seems a bit odd that with the departure of Justice Stevens, we could have an exclusively Jewish and Catholic Court, the compelling force behind the selection remains the balance of liberal versus conservative bent of the proposed Justice.

In truth, Elena Kagan, the current Solicitor General, is probably an early replacement for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is known to be in declining health. How cynical of me to think this way. But now, President Obama can have the notoriety of nominating two consecutive women, and for a time we’ll probably have three women on the Supreme Court.

And as a reason to protest her appointment, the other side will find plenty to argue. They’ll claim that Ms. Kagan doesn’t have enough judicial experience. No matter that until fairly recent times, Supreme Court justices came from many areas of public service, not just from those with previous experience as a judge in a lower court; the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, being the most recent example.

Over the next weeks leading up to the vote on Ms. Kagan’s nomination, we’re likely to hear lots of opinions on what makes an ideal Supreme Court Justice. What I would put forth is this: we need justices who understand the law, have inquiring minds to look at complex issues from many aspects and who can render opinions that hold to our constitution. And I would add, looking at issues from many aspects is enhanced when the makeup of the Court reflects our diverse democracy.

When I first heard the news of Kagan’s nomination, I tried to picture what it would be like to have four or five women in that role. Would Supreme Court decisions be different? We’re learning that women and minority senators and representatives don’t vote in lock-step on any issue. But slowly, slowly our nation has evolved and been nudged along by having a truly more representative democracy in all branches of government. Having more women and minorities at the decision making table has brought points of view that had not previously been given voice.

The years since the nomination of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme, and then Sandra Day O’Conner, the first woman, to the present are like a time-lapse photograph turning our highest court into a multi-dimensional decision making body, more closely resembling our struggling, raucous democracy.

So close your eyes for a moment and picture a Supreme Court not dominated by aged white guys, but having women, men, African Americans, now a Latina and maybe some day an Asian member.

I like it.

                                          -- Denise Zito lives in Free Union

The ever irreverent Slate.com has a post this morning containing the inadvertent poetry of Sarah Palin. Among the ditties it cites is this one from a speech in Hamilton, Ontario on April 15th of this year.

"On- and Offshore"
There are hundreds of trillions more
undiscovered both on shore and offshore.
Just piles of energy in that part
of North America that again
can be tapped responsibly
@@@@and make us all secure!

Ah, yes. . . offshore drilling for oil. Oh, what a difference a few weeks have made in the popularity of that idea for solving our dependency on foreign oil.  The Obama administration has now moved to un-ease the restrictions on off-shore drilling it had just eased on April 2nd. This was big enough news that even the LA Times, half a continent away from the BPoil mess, took note on today's front page.

I was on the road a lot of yesterday, capturing this week's Civic Soapbox and getting lost in Albemarle County. As soon as I made it back, I turned on my computer, immediately checked the BP spillcam, and asked colleague Matt Bingay to fill me in on what I'd missed.

And it seemed to me that everyone I talked to yesterday was keeping an eye on the spillcam, waiting to see whether the attempted top kill would work.


Stopping the oil gusher out of that 9-inch broken pipe will turn off the spillcam, but it will do nothing to stop the damage that the already-spilled oil is causing or to heal the flawed system that's responsible for that damage.

It is so important that we address and solve the manifold problems that the BP oil spill illuminates; that our focus on them not end with our viewing pleasure. E.J. Dionne, who's a regular Friday guest on All Things Considered, has what is, in my opinion, a must-read column on a few of these problems in today's Washington Post. It begins thusly . . .

So who is in charge of stopping the oil spill, BP or the federal government?

The fact that the answer to this question seems as murky as the water around the exploded oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico suggests that this is an excellent moment to recognize that our arguments pitting capitalism against socialism and the government against the private sector muddle far more than they clarify.

Mr. Dionne goes on to lay out the shifting views of the federal government's role in our lives that people and politicians have demonstrated in the face of this disaster. He ends his column this way:

"Deregulation" is wonderful until we discover what happens when regulations aren't issued or enforced. Everyone is a capitalist until a private company blunders. Then everyone starts talking like a socialist, presuming that the government can put things right because they see it as being just as big and powerful as its Tea Party critics claim it is.

But the truth is that we have disempowered government and handed vast responsibilities over to a private sector that will never see protecting the public interest as its primary task. The sludge in the gulf is, finally, the product of our own contradictions.

 In my opinion, Mr. Dionne's column is well-worth considering. You can read it with the eye that's not glued to the spillcam.

(MOCK THE VOTE - Lee and Crystal share a tender moment before Ryan reads America's vote off of his card and marginally changes both of their lives... forever!)

In continued observance of how I breeze through Am.Idol by fast-forwarding on my DVR, here are my brief comments on Tuesday's Top 2 performances, followed by the impossible-to-be-brief Wednesday Season 9 Finale. We're finally at the end! Let's see what happened, shall we?

Well... here we are. We moved out of that cramped space known as the Idol-dome and are now cruising along the universe in the starship USS Idol-prize aka the Nokia Theater. It's huge. Thousands of people are on hand to make Lee feel overwhelmed by this unbelievable situation. There is tiny Seacrest swallowed up by the stage. There are judges. There are our final two, America. They'll be singing three songs a piece. There will be boxing metaphors. Round 1 will be encore performances from this season. Round 2 will be Producer's Choice (omitted from last week) and then lastly (and leastly) it will be coronation songs. Bowersox won the coin toss so she will perform second throughout the night.

Round 1. Ding!

Lee - The Boxer. How appropriate for the boxing metaphor. Lee has lost whatever confidence he's been gaining the past couple rounds with tonight's change in venue. He's trying to be into it. But it's winding up pitchy and weird. Maybe he's just trying too hard. The judges are all like "dude, this is yours. Stop thinking like a paint salesman. CLAIM IT." Lee shoots them a nervous smile. Oh jeez, it's gonna be a long night.

Crystal - Me and Bobby McGee. I love how she sings this song. It just continues picking up momentum until this frenzy at the end. She looks like she's having... FUN? Oh, look Mamasox has kicked it into high gear for the finale, after a couple of sleepy weeks! Excellent! We'll have to see if there are enough solid performances from her tonight to reverse Lee's show-mentum.

Round 1 victor: Bowersox Round 2! Ding! Ding!

Lee - Singing "Everybody Hurts." Ugh, really? Two downer songs in a row? I don't understand the reasoning behind this song. I have no interest in listening after a few bars. Zip Zap Zop. The judges tell me I wouldn't have liked it, if I'd listened to it. They explain to Lee that he is in the process of what in performance lingo is called "choking" and he better do something with his coronation song to save his ass.

Crystal - Singing Black Velvet, which I think is another odd Producer's choice song in terms of tone. Somebody behind the scenes was certainly in a dark mood! Perhaps they are having a hard time dealing with Simon's impending exit from the show? Anyway she's forced to wear heels and a long dress and walk down some stairs with no railing. The show is trying to kill her on Live TV. She survives the descent, however and sings the hell out of a song that will always remind me of Nickelodeon's "Fifteen" because in one episode one of the characters mentioned how they loved Alana Miles new album. The strange things that stick with you 20 years later. Again, the judges love what Bowersox is bringing tonight.

Round 2 Victor: Bowersox. Round 3 begins! Ding! Ding! Ding! (Note: They've finally given up on original coronation songs and figure since covers sell so well on itunes as it is, the finalists will just cover formerly awesome songs.)

Lee - U2's Beautiful Day. Well, since Bono hurt his back I guess it makes sense that someone should tour the country singing this song this summer. But holy cow is this performance all over the place. Lee looks totally confused on stage. And this is not a singer's song. It's all about what the instrumentation is doing. The lead vocal is not really the lead. Somehow we all make it to the end of the song in tact. Kara rightly notes that the song swallowed him up on stage. Really not a good night for DeWyze. I still kinda think he will win, but tonight shows he's really not as good as Bowersox despite how far he's come. OMG, that should've been his coronation song! How Far We've Come by Matchbox Twenty.

Crystal - Up On The Mountain by Patty Griffin. It's powerful, her emotional walls that she sometimes puts up come crumbling down, it's vocally interesting and soulful. She really digs deep within herself but doesn't stay stuck within herself. So so good. The judges all give her raves once again, she thanks Simon and wishes him well before he gives his final critique ever on the show: Outstanding. Round 3 Victor: Bowersox.

So to sum up, Lee got outperformed on each song. It's unfortunate because he will likely still win having won the favor of the voting public over the past few weeks. A woman hasn't won this show since 2007. There wasn't even a woman finalist the past 2 seasons. I'm resigned to her loss, but if Lee had brought anything to the stage tonigh, tomorrow's result wouldn't look completely ridiculous like it will now. Bowersox at least proved what she could really do as an artist tonight on the big stage, even if she doesn't take the title tomorrow.

THE BIG FINALE. This is gonna be taxing. As quickly as possible to spare us all then! It started with Chicago where Crystal and Lee sat one person apart. A bunch of shit happened over the course of several months and then they made it to the Nokia Theater. One has been consistently great. One has achieved GROWTH! 2 hours from now we'll most likely learn America has rewarded GROWTH! regardless of whether that Growth has met an actual standard of excellence. Think of it as No Artist Left Behind.

Lee and Crystal are in their Hogwarts-best, minus the wizarding robes and they sing a song about school being out accompanied by the Zombified corpse of Alice Cooper is on stage and it's all too frightening and I can't look. School's out forever indeed.

Then Kris Allen is on stage and he's cute and likable and he gets a considerable amount of screentime singing a song I don't know. I like this dude.

They start Simon's Farewell Parade with a clip package of him yelling at untalented and unstable people. That's good fun. Then Randy Jackson tries to do some "staged humor." That is not good fun.

Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly duet on "How Deep Is Your Love," and for ONCE I actually dig their harmony, but then some more zombies break free from what I can only assume is their holding cell beneath the stage and start singing along with the kids. I think it's the BeeGee's? They've passed beyond facial recognition, folks. Somebody shoot them in the head before the bite somebody!

Big Mike, sings "Takin' It To The Streets" with Old Old Old (Michael) McDonald, and now that he doesn't have to worry about getting votes Big Mike is free to be as hammy as he can possibly want to be. I observe the whole thing from the safe distance of Fast Forward Land.

And then as if the show knows I'm already fastforwarding, Dane Cook is on stage with a guitar and as we zip by I see several shots of Ellen looking totally steel-faced and I wonder what that's about. Then there's some other random shit happens with bad people. (Later I learned it involved Tatiana from last year, so I'm glad I missed it.

Jeebus, we're not even at the one hour mark! All the girls come out singing Beautiful and then Stronger so you know Xtina will be showing up on stage sometime soon. There she is! I don't even know how to describe her anymore. Man, she used to have something good going on. Now she's here. What is she even singing? Bah.

Ricky Gervais has taped a message to Simon. He loves Simon. We love Ricky Gervais. It's all good.

Then the boys come out and dance and sing and it's all bad. And then Zombie Hall and Oates come out. OMFG Show, really? What cadaver will you be having Crystal duet with later tonight? I am having a painful physical reaction to seeing these people on stage.

Then Crystal is singing Ironic which means she's gonna be singing with Alanis Morissette which is a huge relief for me that it's not literally Zombie Mama Cass performing with Mamasox. You know they would've had it if they could've had it. So Alanis is there and these are two cool chicks doing there thing. But then they start singing "you oughta know" with CLEAN lyrics. Would she go out with you to a theater? Yeah, and I bet she'd go down on you there too. Ugh, they should've done something that was nicer, like Hands Clean or Thank U. I mean I know they're not as big as You Oughta Know, but gimme a break. Anyway they finish and Alanis continues to be cool on her way out the door.

Carrie Underwood is here singing a song co-written with Kara. Carrie Underwood has turned out to be arguably the biggest winner this show ever had. I didn't really love her during her actual season, but she's grown on me enormously since then. I feel like she's made the most reappearances on the Idol Stage since she won more than any other contestant.

There's a very long sequence where Kris Allen gives the two finalists new Ford Cars and then we watch another long Ford commercial - perhaps it's a retrospective of other Ford Commercials throughout the season? Now the commercials get their own montage? Jeez.

Then Casey James is singing Every Rose Has Its Thorn with with Bret Michaels who continues to make live appearances on every reality show in town despite all his recent brain troubles.

Then Lee sings "Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?" with Zombie Chicago. I'm pretty sure one of them is really Will Forte wearing costume hair and make-up. The old folks musicians are really not doing well tonight. We haven't reached the point where it's like that time Bette Midler showed up and couldn't hit a note, but we're getting there.

Then there's more montage footage of Simon when he pretended to have an affair with his reflection. Then Paula is on stage! If you can figure out what she says, you're a better person than I am. Simon seems sincerely happy to see her and I think he really missed doing the show with her this season.

Then Kelly is on stage singing! And then Ruben and Fantasia! And then Carrie, Jordan and Taylor! And then Kris! But no David Cook? On tour, one guesses? Then it's everyone you've ever known from the show on stage. Oh it's turning into the last fifteen minutes of Lost! Maybe Paula was trying to explain the Flash-Sideways earlier and that's why I couldn't follow what she was saying! The song they are singing - that I don't think I've ever heard before - finally ends and Simon comes on stage. He's very touched and thanks everyone nicely. This show is not gonna work without him.

Then there is what seems like a 40 minute Janet Jackson section. It's not really Zombie Janet Jackson. She looks really hot, but maybe Zombie Hall or Zombie Oates bit her hand backstage, because she seems like she's struggling to sing and dance at the same time. Fight it, Janet! Don't succumb!

And somehow this show is STILL not over and Lee and Crystal are singing O"With A Little Help From My Friends" with the help of Zombie Joe Cocker. They seem to be enjoying themselves on this one, but c'mon, Show. End!

Finally - FINALLY - they are on stage with Ryan and about to get the news after some Brit comes out and tells us the results aren't fixed, but who believes him? Crystal is standing with eerie calm while Lee is doubled over with anxiety. I think the only thing better than Crystal winning would be Lee winning and passing out on stage. But it's not to be. Lee wins and stands up straight(er). He thinks it's all amazing and can't believe it. I agree with him on the last half of that sentiment.

He sings his song, (well, U2's song) and there is confetti and streamers and stuff. Then we're done. I think this might be the silliest finale vote in this history on the show. I mean some people thought Adam Lambert was robbed last year, but this to me is much stupider because Kris Allen came on really strong at the end of last season and the finale itself was a pretty even match. This year it was undeniably clear who performed better at the end, but voters give the title to DeWyze anyway. What can you do? Wait for redemption next season? With the only judge worth a damn leaving the panel, the jury is certainly still out on that one.

(We'll miss you, Simon! Hurry back with American X-Factor!)

Thanks to all who've read my recaps throughout the season. I hope you enjoyed them. Have a great time overy Memorial Day Weekend, and I'll see you soon for So You Think You Can Dance!

This fried chicken thing is bordering on obsession now…people keep recommending new places and I keep feeling obligated to try them all. And well, Kountry Kitchen has been on the list awhile anyway, so why not kill two birds with one stone?

The first thing about Kountry Kitchen (and I have seen it spelled many different ways, but I am going with this because this is what they have on their website, but can someone please tell me why businesses like to spell things wrong?) is it looks a bit run down from the outside. Like, if it weren’t for the sign, you would never guess there’s a restaurant in there. And while it is better on the inside somewhat, this is not a fancy place by any stretch (although it was good enough for a visit by President [then candidate] Obama during the campaign). The fact that there are no windows and lots of flickering and burnt out fluorescent bulbs didn’t really improve the ambiance.

But we sat down in the brightest room (the one furthest in the back) and were greeted by a friendly server. And there was a decent lunch crowd in there for sure. We perused the menu and decided to get a fried chicken dinner (natch) and one combo dinner with fried catfish and chicken wings. We got mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and white beans as sides. The lunch plates are also served with either baked or fried cornbread. We got the fried.

The cornbread was more along the lines of pancakes made with some cornmeal. They had a little of the sweet cornmeal flavor, but not a lot. And again, I was missing some butter or something to put on them. They just seemed a little dry. As for the fried chicken, we had a thigh/leg quarter, and while it was tender, I didn’t find anything particularly special about it. The skin was crispy, but basically unseasoned. The wings were a little more flavorful; they appeared to be seasoned a bit, but still nothing noteworthy. I don’t know, maybe you are supposed to doctor it up with hot sauce of something, but I think really good fried chicken should be able to stand alone.
The catfish was certainly more flavorful and had a seasoned breading on it that gave it more flavor. And it was so hot when it came out, we couldn’t eat it for quite awhile. I thought it was pretty good as is, and once hubby started dipping it in hot sauce, he really enjoyed it quite a bit more and promptly polished it off.

The mashed potatoes were the chunky kinds with a bit of the skin in there, which can be really good, but I have to say, I didn’t really think these were. They were a little pasty and didn’t really have a lot of flavor. I just had a bit of the gravy and while it is obviously homemade, it seemed really salty. Hubby, who generally eats gravy on his potatoes, stopped eating it after a few bites (it was on the side). The mac and cheese wasn’t bad, but it was your typical orange kind and based on the consistency of the cheese sauce, I would say was made with a Velveeta-like cheese. I hesitate to compare one place to another too much, but when I think of the mac and cheese at Mississippi Belle, with its peppery flavor, there really is no comparison. I didn’t end up eating the white beans, but hubby said they were fine, nothing special and again, lacking much seasoning.

I don’t know, maybe the fried chicken isn’t the thing to order here, but I was quite disappointed with my meal. Especially after just going to Mississippi Belle a few weeks earlier and having a much better meal at about 2/3 of the cost (and apparently at dinner time they are all you can eat). On a side note, it may be time for me to give the whole fried chicken quest a bit of a rest, as my waistline is suffering a bit (as is my digestive system). Although, with that being said, of course if you know of more places I am missing, keep ‘em coming! I am sure it won’t be long before I just have to give a few more contenders a try…

Kountry Kitchen
1831 North College Ave
Indy 46221
317/926-4476
www.kountrykitchenindy.com

Last evening I was in Waynesboro to hold another personal essay-writing workshop sponsored by the Waynesboro Cultural Commission; which for me, as someone who loves to write and talk with others about writing, is about as good a time as times get.

Before the workshop I met my friend and fellow journalist, Theresa Curry, for a quick and early supper at Waynesboro's Stone Soup, a quirky, lovely restaurant/bookstore that occupies an old farmhouse perched high on a hill beside Main Street.

I parked in front on the street. Climbing the steep steps to the little old house felt like climbing into a fairytale; flowers, flowers everywhere, and a small striped snail climbing with me. I was flanked on either side by mounds of  lavender and small green sprawling plants I can't name, but will look out for at nurseries so I can bring them home to sprawl in my own gardens. Who knew there were so many shades of green?

Theresa and I ate our soup and sandwich out on the back patio. There was garden, garden everywhere around us: nothing formal; every flower seemingly brought forth with a dowsing rod.

It wasn't a garden to admire as much as a garden simply to be in. And sitting there, talking with Theresa about books and words and life and journalism, I, for that one hour, did just that. I turned off the chatter in my head, let the to-do list fly away on the breeze, and stopped worrying about how to save the world through public radio. I became, for that hour in that garden, a kind of whole-person smile, at peace with myself and with the world.

I thought again about Devan Malore's fine Civic Soapbox essay last Friday about moving more slowly. This is not something I do easily, but last night I did it accidentally. Once again the wisdom of the Rolling Stones asserted itself: If you try sometime, you just might find, you get what you need.

If you are over-busy, over-worried, and most particularly, like me, occasionally overly self-important, I highly recommend dinner in a garden.

I'm not a heavy commercial television watcher. I enjoy thinking -- mental engagement -- and most of the commercial shows I've tried to watch don't ask me to think. They invite me to slump down in my chair, eat popcorn, and watch. They seem fueled by melodrama and violence. People get badly hurt even in the comedies.

I just can't make the slight entertainment I get from watching such shows worth wading through all those ads.

Not so Law and Order. You present me with an episode of that show, and I am right there, glued to the tube, as it were, ads and all.

There was a great deal of on-air hoopla yesterday in public radio world about a couple of long-running TV shows airing their final episodes. On Point devoted an hour to "Lost." Fresh Air spent an hour on what BBC radio referred to as the best advertisement ever for the use of torture, "24." Both are programs, I'm forced to admit, that I've never watched. I did try to watch "24" once, but there were too many advertisements between scenes of Jack racing around with his cell phone to his ear for me to finish even that one episode..

What I want to know is where was all  the hoopla yesterday for Law and Order? A 20-year old show that also aired its final episode last night. A show where physical violence was rare and melodrama was non-existent.

I remember watching L & O for the first time. Chris Noth, Michael Moriarty, George Dzundza,  Richard Brooks and the inimitable Steven Hill, doing their thing as the first Law and Order cast of many. It was 20 years ago. I  was tucked up in my bedroom at my little house in Sweet Briar, Virginia, and decided to give the show a try because I liked Steven Hill as an actor. I remember sitting there once the show was over and thinking, wow, I'm going to have to do some thinking about what just happened on my TV. This show is, like, complex.

And there you have what, for me, is one of  the two great appeals of  Law and Order. It takes on society's most challenging issues -- immigration, the "war" on terror, abortion, suspect rights, freedom of the press, what constitutes legal insanity, the death penalty, and -- and explores them. I never watched an episode that collapsed into a simplistic, black and white presentation of a complex situation. I never watched an episode that offered a pat answer for a complicated societal question.

The second reason I love the show is because of the actors who were in it. Go no further than long-termers Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterston, S. Epatha Merkerson (Lt. Van Buren is one of my personal role models) and Jesse Martin.  Take a look at their stage credits sometime. These aren't movie stars, slumming in television; they are real, live, trained, disciplined working actors who want parts in which they can disappear.

For two decades the show has been a staple gig for New York actors, a reliable way to make money between stage roles — which is why tonight, when what is likely to be the final episode is broadcast, New Yorkers might hear a collective wail emanating from the theater district. What will we do without “Law & Order”?

When the show first appeared in 1990, actors in the city rejoiced. Before then, cost and concerns for film crews’ safety usually meant that “New York” was played by Vancouver or Toronto. “Law & Order’s” producers took a risk and immediately started casting local actors for the sort of one-off jobs that we rely on to subsidize our theater habit.

So there you have my assessment of the now-wrapped Law and Order: It offered nuanced presentations of complex societal issues, peopled by actors who really knew how to act. And sadly, as the L & O defense lawyers were always saying to the L & O prosecutors at the close of their frequent meetings, “we’re done here.”

As I said, where’s the hoopla?

Detroit Business Consulting has formed another team, but it’s not football this time. Our co-ed team is taking on the diamond to play some kickball. Although most of our players haven’t played since grade school gym class, we still went home victorious! It was our first game and it was a high-energy competition. After seven innings of play, the game ended 28-16.

Great job to everyone who played this week! Get ready for more kickball competition soon to come!

Martha note: In today's WMRA Blog post, Tom Graham tells the story of his gathering of today's Morning Edition story. I've cut and pasted his e-mail directly onto the blog, because I think it says it all . . .

This may be too much “insider radio” for our blog friends.  Then again, one of the most frequent questions I hear is, “How do you first find out about the stories you cover?”

So here’s the tale of the news segment that finally ended up on WMRA this morning.  The one about the Free Acupuncture Clinic.

It began at 3:57pm on Monday, March 15, 2010.

We were just wrapping up that day’s broadcast of the Virginia Insight talk show. 

 

 “Treating Pain” had been the focus.

A family physician, a physical therapist, a psychologist, a pain management medical doctor, and an acupuncturist were the guests. 

It was acupuncturist Jody Forman who got the final word that day.  As the show wrapped, she quickly blurted that a free clinic serving military veterans and their families was available in Charlottesville every Monday evening.

Intrigued, when the show ended, the other guests and I asked Jody for more.

It turns out a number of Chinese medicine specialists - mostly from the Charlottesville area, but some from as far away as Winchester and Richmond - had decided they wanted to give thanks to U.S. military folk and their families.

So they began offering a specialized form of acupuncture treatments, for free, to any active duty military personnel, any military veteran, and their families. 

The problem was, while the clinic could treat close to two hundred people at a time, generally only about a dozen clients were showing up. 

“Ah, a story !” I thought.

Problem is Mondays are the most hectic day of the week for me.  I often don’t get home to Charlottesville until after 9 or 10 at night.  How was I going to visit a one hour clinic that only occurred Mondays evenings at 7?

Eventually I worked it out.  I recorded interviews with some of the acupuncturists, some of the military personnel.   Then put together a story and sent it to WMRA’s designated approver-of-all-things-that-get-on-the-air -- program director Matt Bingay.

Matt didn’t like it.

In retrospect, he was right. 

[Wanna know how hard it is for me to admit that?]

I had focused on the irony of a free service that hundreds, if not thousands, of people could be taking advantage of - but after a year’s worth of Monday nights, almost no one was.  This despite the fact that those who did go spoke in glowing terms of all the health benefits they’d received.

But my approach was just too quirky.  I really hadn’t focused enough on the people in this story.

So back to the drawing board.  And the editing bay.

I will resist the temptation to discuss how many more machinations had to be experienced before an acceptable [to Matt, at least] story got created. 

But one finally was. 

It aired this morning [Monday, May 24]. 

And if the result is even just one more person getting the kind of health benefits from this free clinic that other people have gotten, it will be worth all the days off I spent worrying away at this story.

I am going to keep telling myself that. 

And if I should stress out too much about it, at least I know where I can go for a highly acclaimed Monday night destressification session with needles in my ear.

Best.

Tom

[P.S.  Martha -- if you want to add some specifics:

The Free Acupuncture Clinic -- available to any one currently in the military, anyone who’s ever been in the military, and their families -- is held Mondays, 7pm, at the JABA Center, 674 Hillsdale Drive, Charlottesville.  For further detail, clinic founder Jody Forman can be reached by email at jodyforman@mac.com.]

IN THE MIDDLE – There was this audition tape, (sent via youtube) to LMM by the cast of the National Tour of Spring Awakening. They were just finishing up the tour last week. Like all actors at the end of a job, they were looking ahead for their next gig. The continued success of “In The Heights” makes it an obvious goal for the trio, and trust, they've got mad skills.


If you ain't moved, you made of stone.

IN THE BEGINNING – There was the Broadway production of Spring Awakening (footage of which was posted to youtube) that begat the National Tour. The original show featured some very serious performances by some very talented artists that now can be seen together on Glee. The severity of their situation is captured in the video below.



This shit is intense, y’all.

IN THE END – LMM responded to the audition video (via youtube, natch) with an audition video of his own. Naturally, he's looking at the next National Tour of Spring Awakening. He finds a kindred spirit in Miranda Sings who also wants a role. They’ve done their homework studying the original choreo, and this is what they’ve come up with (added bonus: it's me manning the unsteady cam!).



Simply stunning. They are gonna be your bruise.

I am bumping my other posts out a bit and squeezing this one in immediately for the sole reason that I want you to get in there and eat these soft shell crabs while you can. I was really hopeful when we decided to go to H20 on this night that there would be soft shell crabs…I just kept missing them everywhere else. But this time I was in luck.

They were offering them in a traditional spider roll, but they were also offering a tomato salad with an option of adding a soft shell crab on top. We added two (no way were we sharing one). Wow. That’s all I can say. I seriously just wanted to skip the rest of the stuff we ordered and just get another order. The tomato salad itself (which you can get without the crab, but you would be insane) was really really good as well. The tomatoes came from My Neighbor’s Garden and were also really good for early season tomatoes. They were cut into large chunks with lots of thinly sliced basil, an almost guacamole-ish avocado topping, some beautiful sliced cheese and wonderfully tasty vinaigrette (drag your crab through THAT—perfection). Seriously, so get in there soon, these little babies don’t stay around too long (they start getting their regular hard shells).

The crabs were lightly fried and were quite large, but in the perfect state of soft-shelled-ness. Sometimes you get pieces that are still just a little too crunchy. These were not, just the right crunch with what was quite a meaty crab. (In the picture, you can only see one crab because I couldn’t stop hubby from removing the other one before getting my camera out).

Ok, now that my frantic rant is done. I will tell you about the rest of the food. We also had one of the chicken buns which was a soft doughy bread (sort of like a pita in shape, but smaller) that was holding some exceedingly tender slices of chicken that were seasoned with a slightly sweet sauce giving it a slightly more mild flavor similar to that in a Chinese pork bun (which is usually heavily sweet barbeque sauced shredded pork of which I am not usually a huge fan). This was nice though, and was handled with a much more delicate hand. There were some barely pickled cucumbers on top that made for a nice variation in flavor (although I would have liked them more if they were pickled a teeny bit more).

We were also served a special dish of “temple and cheek” pork tacos that were outstanding. Just some tortillas with exceedingly tender pork from literally the head of the pig (hence the name temple and cheek) and topped with a bit of pico de gallo and a wedge of lime on the side. These were outstanding as well, especially with the squirt of lime which made the tender pork so bright and tangy. I hope these go on the menu.

We also had the marinated beef lettuce wraps. Hubby was reluctant because we generally aren’t a fan of lettuce wraps, but we thought we’d give them a go. They weren’t our favorite thing, but the beef was lovely and rare and sliced thin and the presentation was beautiful. The beef was placed on top of some kim chi in a super fresh cup of butter lettuce. There was some nice sticky rice on the side as well. However, I can't say we are any more a fan of lettuce wraps in general.

Finally we ordered the hamachi (or yellowtail) served with chick peas, arugula and a light brothy truffle scented jus. The hamachi was seared, and a nice piece of fish, but unfortunately was a little too dry to really enjoy because it was overcooked. The broth was amazing though and if the fish was cooked a little less, it would be amazing (hell, you could throw that fish in there raw and have an amazing combo).

Oh man, and we had the cookies. Those cookies will knock your socks off. Now this is not news to a lot of you , but since Eli and Nicole Anderson have re-purchased the restaurant and brought back Nicole’s cookies and sorbets, you can get an amazing cookie at H2O. For me, this was my first Nicole Anderson cookie and I was suitably impressed. It was a warm oatmeal raisin cookie served with some lightly flavored espresso cream (great for dipping). This was a perfect ending to our meal.
I am going to reiterate what I said before on my last H2O post though—I think we have a gifted chef in our midst and I hope people get in there and take advantage. And don’t worry if you don’t like sushi (I am not a big fan of rolls myself) because I think the best (and most creative) things are going on on the left side of the menu.

H2O Sushi
1912 Broad Ripple Avenue
Indy 46220
317/254-0677
www.h2osushibar.com (please please please update the website with the current menu items! I would love to be able to see what is on that left side)

(Do you know what time it is? Rafa could tell you, and he wouldn't even need to look at his fancy new watch. It's time for the 2010 French Open!)

The French Open officially kicks off tomorrow, and two weeks from now, hopefully I'll be watching Nadal pick up another trophy live from the grounds in Paris! After winning in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid, Rafa has to be considered the favorite to win another Slam title at the end of this tournament. You wouldn't know it by reading the nimrods who post "stories" on tennis.com though. I won't even call what the op-ed people do for that site writing articles - "posting stories" is much more accurate. They waste their time not actually analyzing the game, but trying to come up with ridiculous theories to discredit Rafa's accomplishments. For instance, just this past week there were a bunch of "stories" posted dealing with Federer and Nadal. Oh, how they hate this rivalry because Nadal comes out on top! How can the #1 player of all time (Federer) have an accomplished contemporary that gets the better of him 2:1? They don't know how to handle it. So instead, they keep posting these stories. Here's something they LOVE to trot out from time to time: Is it really such an accomplishment to have 18 masters series titles at such a young age? I mean they're MOSTLY from tournaments played on clay (which I guess is the bastard child of court surfaces because Americans typically have trouble playing on the dirt.) Their argument is that Rafa hasn't dominated ENOUGH on other surfaces. He just has Slam titles on all three. And he's only just now turning 24! And he was injured throughout all of last summer. So he did the majority of his work when he was 22! Nothing like giving a guy time.

Then there was this other ridiculous story about how we wouldn't really appreciate the style of Rafa's playing if he were an ugly person. Seriously, that's what it says. If Federer were ugly, he plays a game that we'd still consider beautiful, but if Rafa was ugly we wouldn't be fans of his at all. I mean, holey Jeebus, if that's how far you have to reach to discredit a 6-time Slam champion and a 18-time Masters Series Champion then you have huge issues and you need help. I sometimes think tennis.com only exists to make me angry. But since the jokers at tennis.com STILL don't see what's so impressive about Rafa's career, here are JUST A FEW more stats of note:

*Only male player to have won French Open, Wimbledon, and Olympic gold medal in the same year (2008)
*The only man in history to win the "treble" (2008) - taking titles at the French Open, The Queen's Club and Wimbledon
*Most singles titles won in a single season as a teenager: 11 (2005).
*The only player to reach 9 different ATP Masters tournament finals (all except Cincinnati, but I'm sure he'll get there too!).
*The only player to win the same ATP Masters event for 6 consecutive years (Monte Carlo Masters).
*The only player to win 400 singles matches in fewer than 500 matches played (401-91).
*The only player in history to win all three clay court Masters events in the same year.
*The only player to win three consecutive Masters titles, irrespective of surface.
*The only player to win at least three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in a season for four consecutive years
*Overall Nadal is 196-16 (.925) in his career on clay, the best winning pct. on clay in the Open Era

So suck on it, tennis.com writers. I'm done with you.

Deep breaths. Okay, so back to the French Open. I actually think Rafa has a pretty decent draw. His first round opponent is 18-year-old French wildcard Gianni Mina. This kid is ranked 653 in the world. On paper, Rafa shouldn't have any problem with him, but he'll probably be playing as if he nothing to lose and he'll have the hometown crowd really pulling for him, so it might not be as easy as it looks. He should still get through in 3 sets.

Looking head there's a possible third round opponent in the form of Lleyton Hewitt, who has lost to Nadal three of the last four years in Paris. I like Hewitt, but he's not much of a threat to Rafa at this point it his career.

Either Fernando Verdasco, (0-10 record against Rafa) , or Fernando Gonzalez (6 consecutive losses to Rafa) are potential quarterfinal opponents. The semifinals could feature a match against Djokovic (but he hasn't been playing well of late, so that seems unlikely), Juan Carlos Ferrero (Rafa leads 7-2 lifetime), David Ferrer (Rafa leads 11-3 lifetime) and Andy Roddick, who you know I love, but who has never gone farther that the fourth round at Roland Garros. If Rafa meets Fed in the Final, Rafa holds a 14-7 lifetime record against him and a 5-2 record in Slam Finals. So while nothing is a sure bet, you can see on paper why things are looking for a healthy Rafa this year.

Moving from tennis substance to style, Rafa's never shied away from some head-turning or head -scratching outfits. There was the hot pink shirt at last year's French Open, the crazy checkerboard shorts he wore at last year's US Open and Aussie Open, and now that he's gone back to more classic color patterns, he's moved into eye-catching accessories.

For the first time ever, Nadal will be wearing a watch while playing his matches at the French Open. But it's not just any watch. It's the new ‘TOURBILLON WATCH RM 027." The watch, was especially designed for Rafa Nadal, by Richard Mille and is so exclusive that only 50 of them will be produced worldwide. Oooooh!

It turns out the Tourbillon watch RM 027 is the lightest mechanical watch ever made (only weighing 3.83 grams) and it was designed over the course of 2 years by Mille. This watch can be yours for a cool $425,000. But like I said, there's only 50 so order now while supplies last!

I have to admit when I heard Rafa was wearing this "luxury watch" while playing, all I could picture was this gaudy clunky bracelety-thing that would weigh down his wrist and mess up his swing. When I saw the above picture of it though, I have to admit it's pretty cool. Maybe not for a half a million, but still it's pretty awesome. Although this will almost definitely open him up to criticism from opponents who'll request for him to "check his watch" when he starts taking too much time in between his service points.

So now that we've explored the style and substance of the upcoming tournament, I wish Rafa luck and the greatest of success at the 2010 French Open. I know he take home the trophy for the 5th time! Vamos Rafa!

Recently, I’ve been thinking of our consumer obsession with getting to where we want to go. We move quickly, in comfort, multitasking with music, tech toys, travel mugs of coffee, fast food.

Once up on the parkway I did an experiment while camping. I traveled the same stretch of road first driving, then biking and finally walking. Driving got me quickly from point A to destination B with little effort. Biking was more fun and challenging. Walking was more sensual, an experience of sun, wind, earth under foot. Walking was harder but was eventually more fulfilling.

Classic works of literature, like The Wizard of Oz, are about journeys rather than destinations. If Dorothy had taken a trek through the magical kingdom in an SUV loaded with name brand gear the story wouldn't have much meaning. She would never have met the odd characters, experienced personal trials and revelations from behind the safety of shatter proof glass, traveling at 65 miles an hour. Sometimes a little heat, cold, rain, bugs, bathroom behind a tree, is a good thing.

Mythologist Joseph Campbell often spoke of the Hero’s Journey. Cultural stories of descending to underworlds, getting lost, wandering without maps. Even today, some make fortunes promoting the cult of efficiency then pay big money to take dangerous challenging treks, climbing Mt. Everest, under their own power. I have friends with busy, efficient lives planning once a year diving trips. They are bonded by slowly descending into deep, often dangerous, foreign waters.

Two years ago I took the Virginia Master Naturalist training. A naturalist’s challenge is learning to move slower. We watch, listen, get down on knees to study critters and earth bound plants. The efficient life of getting to that one special mountain view or fishing hole means less while learning of life all around and finding interest in it.

Cults produce opposites too. The cult of efficiency is, I think, producing increased demand for hand made crafts signed by local artists, home grown foods sold by real live humans we can talk to at farmer’s markets. A new young generation is hiking, biking, floating. Even sitting in silence on meditation pillows in a Zendo, going no where, but traveling inside again, is becoming trendy.

If we chose breaking the spell of the “cult of efficiency" we’ll have to learn again the value of moving and doing slowly. Mystics, artists, lovers, even scientists remind us of the illusion of time, as we experience it. I’m trying to slow down, take a breath and enjoy the scenery more. Often when driving I pull over and let cars pass. I’m very capable of driving fast. Driving slower may not be good for business but can be good for the soul.

Efficiency won’t go away. We need machine-like efficiency for some goods, gear, especially computers and electronics we can’t live without. But we don’t need to be enslaved by efficiency.

As one saying goes, “Life is short, we should move very slowly.”

          --Devan Malore lives on the fringe of Lexington, where he's busily working at slowing down.

NOTE from Martha: I'm happy to report that the WMRA blog gets a lot of traffic. I'm less happy to report that the WMRA Civic Soapbox blog gets much less. So, in an effort to get the  excellent C.S. essays more out there on the blogosphere, I'm going to experiment with posting them Fridays on the WMRA blog.


Any thoughts?