Well. That's a Shame

I love(d) the Olive Garden. I would go whenever feasible. I gave gift cards for this chain. I was thrilled when a branch finally opened within 20 miles of us just a few months ago!

And today, I read that in it's questionable wisdom, displaying the AMERICAN FLAG was deemed as potentially "disruptive" to SOME of it's diners and therefore DENIED to a group of Alabama Kiwanas members as they were preparing for a meeting/dinner.

Okay. Don't believe me (and why should you.... it does sound far-fetched) go here:

So,the possibility of a couple of people in ALABAMA being upset and whining or leaving in a fit was more aggravating than accommodating a large group of Kiwanas and EVERYBODY ELSE IN AMERICA that learns about it.

Okay. So, spread the word. And I hope enough people enjoy dining out anywhere else other than the Olive Garden, where "When You Are Here, You're Family*"... *unless you're an American who flies freely the very symbol of her existence.... then you are SOL.

Or better yet...... let's ALL GO and WEAR the American Flag. Then what are they going to do? Ask us to leave?

Ramsey Bait Shop

There's a spot on Hwy 25, a few miles north of Covington that features several small buildings, a large gravel parking lot and one defunct gas pump. It's been there, morphing from one entity to another over the years.

The last thing it was was a restaurant that featured All You Can Eat Catfish dinners every Friday night. We never though of it on a Friday evening but we did stop in one afternoon for a late-ish lunch. We ordered the fried catfish (because I truly do love catfish when it's done right) and iced tea. The meal came with a slice of cake for dessert which caught me off-guard.

The tea tasted like tea. The catfish was fabulous and the cake the perfect topper to a surprising meal.

The joint closed a few months back and we watched over the course of a month or so as the interior was hauled out to the exterior and an awning attached and the place cleaned up. When the neon beer signs lit up, I chalked the place up to an ice house. Well, at least it didn't close altogether in these tough times.

So as we passed by it today, we said, "Let's pop in and find out what this is....."

Well, shut my mouth! It just got better! The same catfish is available at night, and fried chicken all day, egg sausage biscuits for the morning commute and BOUDIN balls! Man alive! I died and went to heaven.

Yeah, it has beer and bread and quick-pick items to save you a long drive to the groch but wait! It gets better again!

Bait. They sell bait. Lures. Cane poles and floats and weights. You wanna fish? No problem.

Rasmeys' Bait Shop. They're waiting for you