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Sunday, February 24, 2008

Showing My Parents Tallahassee

As I try to get my life back to normal, my parents are in town and I spent the weekend showing them some of the Tallahassee I know. They visited last year and I wanted to show them something different.

Friday night was Salman Rushdie. They dropped me off and picked me up at Ruby Diamond Auditorium. (I know, sounds as though I'm 12-years-old but there's a logical explanation - the office handed over budgets at 4:15 Friday afternoon, meaning I worked past 5, pushing back dinner, oh, never mind. I'm a geek!)

Saturday was a full day of sightseeing with a visit to the Knott House, the Tallahassee Visitors Center, lunch in Havana, shopping in Havana followed by a visit to Bradley's Country Store.

Lunch at Havana's Mockingbird Cafe (211 NW 1st Street, tel: 850.539.2212) was fabulous! I was hungry and opted for the Cuban-style black beans and rice. It was served in a rustic looking clay pot topped with fresh green scallions. The main course was even better, the house salad topped with tender lamb. The salad was yummy and pretty at the same time, hence the photo on the left. To the right is a photo of the back entrance to the cafe.

Ordering was a bit different, you order at the counter and the staff brings out the food. Don't forget to pick up your silverware, etc. Being a perfect chamber-of-commerce-day, we sat outside. Inside is an eclectic mix of local artwork like pottery, paintings and hand-knit purses and scarves.

We browsed the Havana shops like The Planter's Exchange, The Wanderings and Cindy's Chapeaux.

It was fun browsing the costume jewelry, antique trinkets and kitsch buttons and petting the little stuffed seal made from seal fur. I love the shop's presentation and snapped this photo of tiny ribbon flowers.

Bradley's Country Store (10655 Centerville Road, tel: 850.893.4742) is a nice slice of old Tallahassee. A wood-deck patio with wooden rocking chairs welcome visitors. In the back of the store is what we came for, the sausage. After browsing the collection of the store's essentials, we left with a pound of small sausage links, devoured this morning for breakfast.

Dinner at San Miguel (200 West Tharpe Street, tel: 850.385.3346) rounded out the day. I just love their $2 margaritas!

Sunday was a little mellow with running errands and showing them a bit of local color at the Tallahassee Flea Market on Capital Circle. I'm happy to say the American dream is alive and well, guys wearing mullets, plaid shirts and cut-off jeans while drinking Budweiser at 11 a.m. are still a plenty.


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