…I stop at Waffle Houses along the way, they usually get things right.

But, alas, while on vacation last week, there was no Waffle House in sight, and being really hungry on Friday morning, and needing coffee badly, I stopped at another breakfast shop.

I’ll not mention any names, but Waffle’s isn’t their specialty. 

My order was pretty simple, like I’ve said before, I’m a creature of habit.

Scrambled eggs with cheese, wheat toast, and since I was starving, I went out on a limb and ordered sausage.

When the waitress placed the plate in front of me, I was sure it was someone else’s order.

The eggs were scrambled and toast was wheat.

But, the hash-browns and the bacon gave me pause.

I didn’t order them.

And I ordered cheese in my eggs.  There was none.

And there was no butter on the toast, and the jelly was strawberry, and I remember saying, “Anything but strawberry.”

Sorry, I just don’t like it.

I indicated politely, that my plate wasn’t what I ordered.

She could not have been more surprised. 

Now, I’m sure it wasn’t someone else’s order as there were only two other people there…now I know why…and both of them were eating.  Probably not what they ordered, but they were eating anyway.

When I told her that A. I didn’t order bacon, and B. I didn’t want hash-browns, and C. I wanted butter on my toast, she looked completely surprised.

Completely.

Perplexed even.

As in, really, really surprised.

I indicated that I wanted what I ordered, and again, she was surprised.  The look of exasperation was one for the record books.

After a small argument with the cook, he agreed to fry UP some sausage.

She came back with a the same plate.  No butter, and a melted piece of cheese on top of the eggs. 

Sorry, but that’s just not what cheese eggs are supposed to look like!

Again, she was surprised when I answered with a “No, thanks.” to her question of , “Do you want the bacon anyway, while you wait for your sausage.”

My third request for butter was met with a scowl.

Breakfast just shouldn’t be this hard.

And cheese eggs should have cheese IN them, not on top of them.

And toast needs butter.

Frankly, I was beginning to look around for my heart doctor!

When she brought the sausage patties, I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I’d ordered links.

Next time, I’ll just drive further.  There has to be a Waffle House down the road.

Yes, I know, it’s a Prince song…and movie.

But not this time.

Purple Rain Restaurant and Lounge is a new restaurant near the Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, GA.

Duluth, you may remember, stole NCR away from Dayton and disrupted thousands of lives and trashed a 100 years of history is the new home of NCR.

Purple Rain is different for Gwinnett County.  It’s a tapas restaurant.  There is some “infusion”, different spices, different foods, different combinations.  All beautifully prepared and presented on geometric stark white dishes.  The linens are black…or maybe purple, very dark purple…it was dark in there.

First of all, there’s a dress code!

Yikes, how did that happen.  No flip flops, no athletic wear, no baggy shorts, etc. 

Very classy, and very refreshing.

But, they let me in anyway.  Hey, it was early.

The power was off at home, the entire neighborhood as a matter of fact, darn those summer storms.

I couldn’t cook, didn’t want to open the fridge, and well, I didn’t want to cook anyway.  So, on my way to Steak and Shake, I passed Purple Rain. 

So, I turned around and stopped in.

What a beautiful place.

The countertop of the bar changes colors constantly, the furniture is elegant, very modern, very classy.

The wait staff, all in black, very sleek, very trendy, very sexy.

The food, really different, and really good.

The menu includes:  

Morroccan Yucca Fries – spiced yucca, roasted garlic, parsley, lemon essence, and tomato chutney.

Camarones Tacos – grilled shrimp, pineapple pico de gallo, and mango habaner creme fraiche.

Crispy Pig Ears – yes, you heard me – fried pig ears, sweet cherry pepper, and sweet lime chili sauce.

Pork Belly – Korean braised pork belly, house made cucumber, napa cabbage kimchee, and dried red pepper thread.

Lamb Gyro – Lamb, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce and grilled pita bread.

And for the un-daring of you, beef sliders and chicken sliders.

Those are the appetizers.

Entree items include, paella for two, pan roasted duck breast, NOLA shrimp and grits (that’s New Orleans Lousiana) and again, for the totally un-daring – filet mignon.

Amazingly, the prices are great too.

I had the shrimp tacos and a glass of sweet tea – this is Georgia afterall, and I’m not that brave!

Ok, so the cell phone picture didn’t turn out so great!  But, they were excellent.

Frankly, I can’t wait to go back…and I’ll know to dress better!

If you’re in the area, check it out!

…Back in the 80’s, Coca-Cola came out with the NEW Coke.

It sucked.

It was a disaster.

No one liked it.

They went back to the original recipe…supposedly.

Frankly, Coca Cola hasn’t tasted the same since they screwed UP the original in the last century.

Well, hand it to Frito Lay to do the same thing to Tostitos.

Whole Grain Tostitos!!

WTF?

Imagine my disappointment at the sUPer-market Saturday when I looked for good old corn chips.

I was in the mood for a Taco Salad.

Felt domestic, and decided to make one.

With the cart loaded to the rim with taco trimmings, the last thing on the list was Tostitos.

Because I like the brand, I like the corn taste, and I wanted them.

But, alas, no regualr chips.

There were ones with a hint of lime.

Artisan chips with chipotle, red pepper, basil, and who knows what else.

And all of them were made with WHOLE GRAIN!

So, Frito-Lay, if the earth shoe wearing bra burning tofu eating health nazis are badgering you about your product, please listen to a voice from the other side.  We’re tired of people telling us what’s good for us.

Taco chips are bad for you, we know that, we like that, so stop the maddness, bring the REAL ones back!  Because, in Gwinnett County, GA, there are enough Carnecerias, Bodegas, and Mexican Food Stores for me to find REAL ones.

If you’re old enough to remember that from the old Wendy’s commercials, well, then you’re old.

These old broads ladies were quite the rage back in the 70s and 80s.  And Wendy’s restaurants challenged the rest of the burger world to beef UP their burgers and make the beef fit the bun.

Well, now it’s Taco Bell that is being asked that question.

Attorneys in Alabama are questioning if the beef in the Taco Bell menu items is really beef!

Please tell me it is.

Everyone knows that Taco Bell is the “open late stop for stoners and other hungry folks”, and Lord knows I don’t want anything in my tacos but beef.

The USDA standard for what constitutes beef is pretty clear:  flesh of animals.

Wait a minute, that’s not too clear if you ask me!

Taco Bell says: “”Our taco meat is made from USDA-inspected beef and is subjected to quality check points. It tastes great because it’s simmered in 12 authentic seasonings and spices and is never frozen. Moreover, our taco meat is leaner than what you’ll find in a restaurant-cooked hamburger because of the unique way that we prepare our taco meat and remove fat.”

But the Alabama law firm of Beasley Allen says, “liar, liar pants on fire!”

The firm contends that that Taco Bell shouldn’t market the taco meat filling as beef because their testing shows that it only contains 36 percent ground beef. 

Oh crap!

If that’s true, Taco Bell’s meat filling product would fall below the already generous USDA standard for it to qualify as meat – the present standard demands it consist of at least 40 percent meat.

Generous!!!!  Seriously folks, I was hoping for 100% meat!

According to the law suit and the “tassled loafer wearin’ lawyers” from Alabama,  “The remainder of the Taco Bell’s meat filling product consists of “extenders” like water, “Isolated Oat Product,” wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch, sodium phosphate and silicon dioxide.”

Again, I say, “Oh crap!”

The Bell boys actually address the silicon dioxide issue on their “Food Facts” website.  They say, “silicone dioxide is “a safe, common food ingredient that’s primarily used in food to prevent ingredients from sticking together.”

Ah, gross!

Taco Bell did issue a response to some questioners: 

At Taco Bell, we buy our beef from the same trusted brands you find in the supermarket, like Tyson Foods. We start with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. Then we simmer it in our proprietary blend of seasonings and spices to give our seasoned beef its signature Taco Bell taste and texture. We are proud of the quality of our beef and identify all the seasoning and spice ingredients on our website. Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case elected to sue first and ask questions later — and got their “facts” absolutely wrong. We plan to take legal action for the false statements being made about our food.”

This comes from Taco Bell President and Chief Concept Officer, Greg Creed.

This kind of press is bad for Taco Bell, and I love Taco Bell; I’m just hoping the lawyers are wrong…they are sometimes, aren’t they?