Saturday, March 16, 2013.
Talking To Doctors.
Mary Ann's desire to have breakfast at N'Tini's continues. I think part of the motivation is to sell owner Mark Benfatti on an ad, but she genuinely likes the eggs they overcook to her desire. She gets the same combo platter every week. Over easy, with hash browns (tri-colored brabant potatoes, really), jalapeno grits, bacon. I get something different each time, as a good restaurant reporter should. Today, because of my scant eating yesterday, I fell for the filet mignon and eggs. This strikes me as a good deal at around twelve bucks. I even persuaded the chef to send me some hollandaise to go with it.
That was a nice beginning to a very full day. A three-hour radio show from home came next, followed by a drive into town to cut a few commercials at the studio. Then I walked to the Windsor Court to give a talk to a group of mostly-retired, emeritus and laureate doctors of internal medicine.
I was worried. I spoke to these doctors in the past, and didn't keep them or their wives sufficiently entertained. I got the impression that they couldn't wait for me to finish. Not only that, but I began that talk with my boilerplate anecdotes about soups du jour--a crowd-warmer I've used to good effect for thirty years. Only a scattered three or four people ever told me they heard the stories before. But I was sure that the doctors would remember, and roll their eyes at the prospect of letting me bore them again.
But Dr. Jay Shames, the organizer of this affair, seemed pleased to have me. He had dug through the files and found that my earlier appearance was in 2002. I found that hard to believe, but a great relief. Maybe the doctors forgot the Soup Du Jour Trilogy.
"I'm sure the ones who were here then did," he said. "Most of them have died. Almost everybody here tonight was not here in 2002." That was good news. Just to be sure, I asked Dr. Frank Incaprera, who I've know for decades from Manresa. He was the one who invited me to the 2002 conclave. The Soup Du Jour bit was new to him, he said. Whew.
It also helped that the Windsor Court had the full bar going with appetizers, and everybody was in a good mood. We sat down to a dinner of seafood gumbo, the Windsor Court salad (a.k.a. the Tom and Mary Ann Wedding Night Salad), and pan-broiled drumfish with a buttery sauce. Creme brulee for dessert. It was Windsor Court banquet food.
Soup Du Jour got three big laughs. The doctors and their spouses people had a lot of questions and comments. It couldn't have been more different from the 2002 massacree. I think there's a chance I might speak to these physicians again in another eleven years. I'd better get some new material ready, or I will be trying to light three cigarettes from the same match.
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