Thursday, February 21,2013.
Liz: Whereya'at? Snack Day.
As early as was convenient for Mary Ann, we went into Mandeville to drop my car off at KT Automotive. We are lucky to have discovered this great independent mechanic shop. On more than a few occasions, they did major work on our cars that everybody else said was beyond their skills, or the wrong work.
That done, we had breakfast at Liz's Whereya'at Café on Florida Street. It's been on my list of places to check since a fantastic breakfast there two years ago. The problem is that on weekends, when I am most likely to have time for breakfast out, it's such a packed house that you can't find a parking spot, let alone a table.
But today was a nice slow Thursday. We took a booth that positioned us perfectly for conversation. Mary Ann's cold has had its usual effect on her. She has not been able to talk for the past few days. This is not fun for anybody, because it frustrates her enough to make her mad. And one of my jobs in our family is as Mary Ann's lightning rod in stressful moments. But this booth put us close enough to one another that I could make out her whispers. Even so, she got into a round of writing notes, which introduced a new frustration: I can't read her handwriting.
She had a basic eggs, bacon and grits breakfast. But Liz's menu ranges wide. I was intrigued by the grillades and grits. It sounded like poor-boy-style roast beef served over grits, but the server assured me that not only do they use two different recipes, but two different cuts of beef. It came out in morsels, in a reddish-brown gravy. I thought it was excellent. So were the cheese grits. The only flaw was in the biscuits, which were cup open, buttered and grilled. A lot of people like that, but I'm not one of them.
I found myself with more appetite. How about a sample of the lost bread? They make the old Creole version of French toast four ways here. I was intrigued by the one with almonds. The server strongly approved. What a great idea! The lost bread itself was French bread soaked in custard and cooked in a pan, with the slivered almonds all over it. Fantastic and unique, too.
Liz Munson's biography is written on the wall. In it she calls herself a Mount Carmel (high school) "charmer." That would be pronounced in my day as "chawma." It denoted a girl with a slight Yat accent and a little too much makeup. It was usually used by girls to describe other girls, usually ones they didn't like because the boys found them attractive. I know I did.
The car wasn't ready in time to drive into town. I would have been amazed if it had been, because I asked KT to do a tune-up while they had it. After the radio show, the Marys didn't want to go out. So I made my way through the rest of the day on the momentum of that big breakfast, and on snacks. Mary Leigh's great salsa is still here. So was some of that Cabot cheese from yesterday. A salad. Days like this are coming along more often.
Liz's Where Y'At Diner. Mandeville: 2500 Florida. 985-626-8477.
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