Beginning Anew

When the Ground Pat’i burned to the ground in January we spent an entire Food Show (airs 2-4 pm weekdays on WGSO 990 AM) eulogizing it. I wondered how they would recapture the time warp that it was when it was rebuilt.

Much speculation has occurred on the show since then, and one day someone called to report that they had secured a space in Rivertown where the short-lived Porch & Patio was. Since the David Dr. spot has been cleared and fenced with a sign for lease or sale now up, It’s clear that this new location is permanent. We had to see what is happening there.

They are open now for pickup only, and I had an image that it meant you ate on the patio. But the patio is used as a walkway for food delivery from the kitchen, and a massive renovation and expansion of the property is underway. 

One of the “waitresses” explained that they expect to be finished in six weeks because they are moving rapidly on it. She was very excited about the plans for large windows looking out to the road. There is much to be done, so that seems an ambitious timeframe, but they feel quite sure of it.

Ordering takes place on the steps of the old entrance to Porch & Patio. A small tent gives shade over a table with old menus. There are paper ones too. Bottled drinks are on display for you to see what you want to drink. No iced drinks.

Food comes in styrofoam containers and is lukewarm at best. The food this day was nothing like it was and will be again, but those standards are impossible under these conditions. No one seemed to mind. When your name is called you pick up the food where you ordered and bring it to one of many tables under umbrellas. There are also tables without umbrellas, but those are the choices.

We ordered onion rings, which were very good at the David Dr. location. These seemed quite large, which I am noticing everywhere. Medium onion rings have gotten larger. This may be a staffing thing. They were perfectly fine and served with that honey mustard orange onion mum sauce.

The Ground Pat’i comes with fries but I got it with a baked potato. The potato was also a little cold and not very well-loaded. The bacon seemed undone. The burger seemed unchanged from the David Dr. Location. Again, these problems are definitely due to temporary conditions.

It was a pleasant afternoon for observing this new scene. There were a lot of people doing the same thing. It was clear that the folks at Ground Pat’i are moving on and not hanging on to the past. Since the past is in the past, it is good that they seem to have made peace with the loss and are looking forward to the future. Good for them. And us. And definitely Rivertown.