The Witty Lizard

Ramblings of a grilling, drinking, black flag hoisting father and philosophical eclectic.

The Witty Lizard - Ramblings of a grilling, drinking, black flag hoisting father and philosophical eclectic.

Tag Archives: food

Friday Five

My favorite American cities.

  1. New York
  2. New Orléans
  3. San Fransisco
  4. Chicago
  5. Dallas

I struggle with New York and New Orléans. Both incredible cities with rich history and culture. I have to choose New York because I’ve been there more than any city on my list (except Dallas), almost ten times. I know New York. Where to go, how to get around, what to do, what not to do… I have all these things figured out. I even have a favorite bar, McCoy’s on 9th avenue between 51st and 52nd. I always go to McCoy’s when I’m in town. It’s a wonderful little Irish pub. The barkeep speaks with a heavy Irish brogue as though she recently arrived in town, although with knowledge of the city only a local would have. And I’m quite sure the 3 guys in the corner booth last time I was there are mobsters from the old days of Hell’s Kitchen. Sports, food, music, bars, and theater are among the best in the world.

New Orléans is my second favorite for the pure debauchery of the place. OK, I know, it’s not always about drinking and carousing, but damn, it’s NOLA. The history and culture of the place is so unavoidable that the city oozes with it. The river, the architecture, the food, the music, how can you not love New Orléans?

Number three is a recent addition to my list. I had not been to San Fransisco until a summer trip in 2010, I instantly fell in love with the city. I’ll admit that I haven’t done much past the usual tourist stuff, Alcatraz, the Mission, the Golden Gate. But the vibe of the place is incredible, reminds me of NOLA in that way, and I can’t wait to make a return trip.

My dad, that’s Chicago for me. We have taken 4-5 trips there over the years to watch baseball. I have taken trips to baseball games with him since I was about 10 and Chicago has been our top destination. It is an incredible sports town. Plus, the bar scene and the food are top-notch.

Dallas… What to say except I grew up not far from there, I lived there as an adult for 12 years, and I still live close enough for a quick road trip. It is my town. And for travelers, it offers all the same things any major city offers except public transportation. Like any city, if you know what you’re doing, it has great bars, great food, sports and culture.

There you go, my favorite American cities.

Damn, I need to catch a plan….

 

 

Dinner Tonight

Was wandering the grocery store wondering what to make for dinner. Roaming through the produce section and the zucchini and squash inspired me. I was thinking roasted vegetables.

Now, protein, what protein. Where I’m from, if there is any confusion, beef is always a good choice. Found a nice tenderloin and away we went.

So I took the little tenderloin and cubed it. Splashed it with a little EVOO, salt, and pepper. Sautéed the vegetables and threw in a dash of cayenne. Because why wouldn’t you add some cayenne? Added the tenderloin at the last-minute and simmer.

First time I put all these things together and while it needs some tweaking, it was very tasty.

Supper simple and easy dinner.

Stuff About Me and This Blog

This blog started in a different format a little over a year ago, albeit in a different form. It started shortly after my mother died at 59 of the most “curable” form of cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Cancer blows, but that is for another post on another day. The thing that happens when you are faced with one of the most difficult times of your life is you find out real quick who your real friends are. I know that sounds cliché but if you are ever there you’ll find out I”m right.

So, it turns out that the few people who actually care about me were all still in my home town. You know, that place that you spend your entire youth trying like hell to escape. Well, I escaped, or I thought I did… I spent 12 years in the big city and had no intentions of ever returning. But a funny thing happened on the way to the forum… My marriage fell apart and my mother got sick. I’m not real sure which happened first or how one is related to the other, but they happened roughly the same time about 4 years ago. It was obviously the most difficult thing (s) I had ever endured.

It then became clear that the people I had worked with in said big city for 10 years didn’t give two shits about me. At least not deeply and spiritually, oh they like me but didn’t like my angry, loud, and obnoxious ways. Those things only bothered them because they affected them… What would people say? Would he lose it at work? Would he shoot someone? WTF is going to happen to me if I’m to close to him? You know, the lizard…

Not one of them ever asked about my mom, never asked about what was going on in my world. That probably sounds selfish and I guess it is, but I spent every day for almost 2 years in a hospital room with my dying mother. Seems to me like the people you spend every day with might ask occasionally. And what put it in perspective for me was the fact that those people from home asked almost daily. Why were people I hardly talked to for 15 years (or more) more concerned than the people I spent everyday with for the better part of 10 years?

Anyway, my mother died on September 20, 2010 and from that moment on, things began to come into focus for me. I made 2 decisions on or about that day.

  1. Get the hell out of there (and move home).
  2. Find happiness.

So the first one is done. I have returned home. I get to see my dad on a regular basis. I get to see my friends all the time. It’s a good time in my life from the standpoint of not dealing with people who don’t care about me and I don’t trust.

The real trick is number two on the list. When I talk about happiness, I talk in relative terms. I was miserable for a long time. Ultimately, the idea is true happiness. Intrinsically happy. Happy because of the people in my life. Happy because of how I feel about myself. But that is still a work in progress. The plan is to work toward that ideal everyday.

Thus, I embark on a journey for true happiness. I will fight the lizard brain inside me. This is the journey for great food, good drink, real friends, and adventure.

Hang on for the ride because I have no idea where we are going…..