Happiness is Monterrey Chicken
Mar. 27th, 2007 04:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coffeesnob318As I may have mentioned before, I spend all day, every Tuesday in a town on the border of the middle of nowhere. I have spent a few afternoons this semester exploring the hidden treasures of said town, but mostly I just grab a salad and large iced tea at Sonic during my mammoth break in the afternoon, because a small number of outings is all that it took to completely cover the town.
Today, however, I wasn't in the mood for Sonic salad. I wanted a place I could sit down with a real fork, a real plate of food and a real cup full of coffee. And I found it. It's a little local place on the side of the highway, and it was everything I imagined it would be.
I walked in, and the lone waitress on duty greeted me with a "Hi," complete with the telltale flattened "i" of West Texas drawl that I use to get really good service anywhere north of Oklahoma. I could tell that she was sizing me up as she showed me to the table. Who could blame her - I'm not local, I'm wearing a dress and knee high boots in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, and I had actually waited to be seated like the sign requested. Sure enough, right after she introduced herself as Sandy, the test began.
"What'll you have to drink?"
"Coffee, please."
Sandy narrowed her eyes slightly. "Need room for cream?"
"No," I replied quickly, with a look that assured her that I knew that such behavior would be ludicrous.
Sandy smirked her approval, handed me a menu, and went to get my coffee. As I watched her do five things at once (out of habit rather than necessity, since I was the only person there at the time), Ronnie Milsap started playing on the radio. Sandy started singing along, a quirk that lasted throughout my meal, no matter what the song on the radio was (all country, all the time. God bless Texas...or God help us, rather). She brought me my coffee, hot and fresh (well, as fresh as coffee from a can gets), and that cup never crossed the half empty mark once.
Yep. That Sandy's good people.
I had the Monterrey chicken. I'm still trying to stay somewhat within Sonoma diet guidelines, although Michelle and I discussed the necessity of two "cheats" a week to allow for ice cream and sushi. I've discovered that the beauty of being only 32 and running three times a week is that I can pretty much eat whatever I want, as long as it's not 1200-calorie double cheeseburgers every meal (and why would I want that?). Anyway, the Monterrey chicken sounded very Sonoma-y. Grilled chicken, some mozzarella and grilled peppers on top, a choice of two vegetables on the side, and a trip to the salad bar. Sure, it was served on a bed of rice pilaf, but I reasoned that I would probably be too full to eat the rice by the time I finished all the healthy stuff.
Then the Monterrey chicken came out. To say that it was smothered in cheese would be an understatement. It was lathered and bathed in cheesy goodness. And all that cheese totally sticks to the bed of rice, so to not eat the rice would also be to not eat the cheese, and that's just crazy talk. And I'm pretty sure that there was a ham hock added to the veggies to give them flavor. And there was a roll. And I may have drenched the salad in full-fat French dressing.
I think this was officially my cheat for the week. And it may have to be my cheat for all subsequent weeks for the rest of the semester. It was nothing short of phenomenal. When the cook came out for her break, it was all I could do to not get up and hug her.
I'll definitely be seeing Sandy again.
Today, however, I wasn't in the mood for Sonic salad. I wanted a place I could sit down with a real fork, a real plate of food and a real cup full of coffee. And I found it. It's a little local place on the side of the highway, and it was everything I imagined it would be.
I walked in, and the lone waitress on duty greeted me with a "Hi," complete with the telltale flattened "i" of West Texas drawl that I use to get really good service anywhere north of Oklahoma. I could tell that she was sizing me up as she showed me to the table. Who could blame her - I'm not local, I'm wearing a dress and knee high boots in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon, and I had actually waited to be seated like the sign requested. Sure enough, right after she introduced herself as Sandy, the test began.
"What'll you have to drink?"
"Coffee, please."
Sandy narrowed her eyes slightly. "Need room for cream?"
"No," I replied quickly, with a look that assured her that I knew that such behavior would be ludicrous.
Sandy smirked her approval, handed me a menu, and went to get my coffee. As I watched her do five things at once (out of habit rather than necessity, since I was the only person there at the time), Ronnie Milsap started playing on the radio. Sandy started singing along, a quirk that lasted throughout my meal, no matter what the song on the radio was (all country, all the time. God bless Texas...or God help us, rather). She brought me my coffee, hot and fresh (well, as fresh as coffee from a can gets), and that cup never crossed the half empty mark once.
Yep. That Sandy's good people.
I had the Monterrey chicken. I'm still trying to stay somewhat within Sonoma diet guidelines, although Michelle and I discussed the necessity of two "cheats" a week to allow for ice cream and sushi. I've discovered that the beauty of being only 32 and running three times a week is that I can pretty much eat whatever I want, as long as it's not 1200-calorie double cheeseburgers every meal (and why would I want that?). Anyway, the Monterrey chicken sounded very Sonoma-y. Grilled chicken, some mozzarella and grilled peppers on top, a choice of two vegetables on the side, and a trip to the salad bar. Sure, it was served on a bed of rice pilaf, but I reasoned that I would probably be too full to eat the rice by the time I finished all the healthy stuff.
Then the Monterrey chicken came out. To say that it was smothered in cheese would be an understatement. It was lathered and bathed in cheesy goodness. And all that cheese totally sticks to the bed of rice, so to not eat the rice would also be to not eat the cheese, and that's just crazy talk. And I'm pretty sure that there was a ham hock added to the veggies to give them flavor. And there was a roll. And I may have drenched the salad in full-fat French dressing.
I think this was officially my cheat for the week. And it may have to be my cheat for all subsequent weeks for the rest of the semester. It was nothing short of phenomenal. When the cook came out for her break, it was all I could do to not get up and hug her.
I'll definitely be seeing Sandy again.
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no subject
Date: 2007-03-28 12:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 08:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-30 01:32 am (UTC)even with no monterry chicken, I sure do hope you are in town when we come! i'd hate to come all that way and not get to introduce you to the long-lost nephew :p
no subject
Date: 2007-03-28 03:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 08:19 am (UTC)Speaking of love, I went to the bookstore at school today to get a snack, and what before my eyes should appear but coffee crisps! I was so happy I danced a little jig in the store.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-28 09:17 am (UTC)I cheated today to. I had a granoal bar, part of a cherry coke, fried mushrroms, and the carmel breve w/ whipped cream. I think your might win. I didn't have any cheese at all.
no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 08:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 01:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 08:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 01:18 am (UTC)I'm glad you have found an eatery. I'm even more excited that it can be described as happiness. Those places are rare. I, personally, support the cheating on diets. Of course, this could be the contributing factor for the size of my hips. *slight grimace*
So, yes, Yey! for the exploration of little towns.
Miss you,
Maggie
P.S. I'm sorry I missed your B-day extravaganza. You have no idea how much I'm sad about missing it. BUT Happy Belated Birthday (which, I realize, in no way makes up for missing and not saying it sooner...but I mean it nonetheless.)
no subject
Date: 2007-03-29 08:22 am (UTC)I would like to tell you that we saved you some cake. But that would be false. I didn't save any cake for anybody. It was good.