Antonio's

There is Old-School Italian food which is served steaming hot and covered with cheese. There is a time and a place for this. There are also tremendous high-end Italian restaurants with excellent food in a more adventurous mode. And then there's Antonio's. We discovered Antonio's when we were living in Farmington and there was a new Antonio's opening in Farmington Hills at 12 and Drake. The bread was a thing of beauty. The salad was wonderful. The pesto divine. The pine nuts plentiful. And the bill under 30 dollars if you didn't drink anything stronger than coffee. When we moved to Canton 7 years ago, we started frequenting the Dearborn Heights location, which while possessing a little less of the "white table cloth" feel of the Farmington Hills location definitely had all of the attention to detail with the food and service and is worth the trip down Ford Road. My Perennial Dining Companion swears by the spaghetti carbonara. I feel the pesto is exceptional. If you get it with Italian Sausage, it's enough for dinner and lunch the next day.

Visit Antonio's! http://www.antoniosrestaurants.com/

Football! - Baseball :-(

Like a salve for my baseball-savaged heart, football has returned! Yes, I know Michigan lost to Utah. Yes, I know that we would need to splice the two quarterbacks together to get one solid quarterback. But the special teams were neat, the defense made adjustments at halftime that WORKED (when was the last time that happened, Wolverine fans?) and as long as we can get the opposite team to commit something like 15 penalties in a game, we can hang in on offense. Just don't make them go the length of the field. And a special "way to go" to Morgan Trent on defense with a few great hits! There is something magic about fall and football and marching bands and I need something to distract me from the chaos that has become my beloved Tigers (Detroit, that is).

The Detroit Tigers. My Sean Casey-less team. The team that took my favorite player (Brandon Inge) who was an athletic genius at third base out of the day-to-day line up until they put him in at catcher (where he certainly has the game smarts to play but is not necessarily optimally used) after trading away Pudge. The team that paid top dollar for a roster full of hitters who weren't hitting, then took the best defensive player on the team off the starting line up. The team that let my second favorite player sign with Boston. Captain Single, aka Sean Casey, The Mayor. But last year at Comerica Park, I got to see Sean Casey hit a triple with the whole bench going nuts for his effort. I've seen nothing like that this season. Oh well. Maybe next year. Just goes to prove you can't buy chemistry. But keep Cabrera (I've turned into a fan - as long as he doesn't play third base). Polanco. Galarraga. Granderson. Inge if you can (and if you can't, the team he lands on will become one of my favorites similar to Brad Ausmus and the Astros). Just fix the team and give us something to cheer about in August and September next year.

Squeeze!

Wow! When I made my Perennial Dining Companion get me tickets to see Squeeze at the Royal Oak Music Theater I didn't know Aimee Mann would be warming up. I love Aimee Mann's plaintive yet powerful songs. She was wonderful, although I would really like to see her in a smaller venue. That said, Squeeze was amazing. Despite the fact that we are 25 years passed their heyday, the band were beyond tight, nailing song after song both vocally and instrumentally (and somehow making me proud to be in my 40s like the band). And despite the fact that I grew up with my sister playing a Squeeze cassette in a boombox in our 79 Caprice Classic (lemon yellow, no less, but with a broken tape player), I had no idea how intricate the music was and how talented the musicians are. Still in full voice, the band delivered in a way many reunion tours don't. If they pass through your town, buy tickets and prepare to enjoy yourself. It's a rare treat for those of us at (or past) a certain age to hear our music played this well.

Atlanta with my sister

I don't often dine without my Perennial Dining Companion, but the weekend before Labor Day I left him at home with the cats and headed to Atlanta to spend the weekend with my sister, who is camping out in Buckhead in a rented townhouse with her two dogs, getting a feel for the city. There are many things I love about Atlanta (and many more I love about Michigan) but one of the things I do love about Atlanta is how close nice, tree-filled, residential neighborhoods are to the city proper with the restaurants and the skyline. And the availability of parking if needed. Atlanta is full of runners, bikers, and folks walking their dogs. And lots of tasty food (in a mostly non-smoking atmosphere).

Friday night we went to Cafe Intermezzo for champagne cocktails (it's a celebration when sisters get together after all) and appetizers in lieu of dinner. Very tasty. Visit at http://www.cafeintermezzo.com .

On Saturday, due to mild and damp weather (Tropical Storm Fay was passing south) we went to the movies (very entertained by Mama Mia - I will be singing Super Trooper for weeks) and then met my sister's friend for vino and snacks at Taurus. We sat on the covered deck so we could watch the incredible city lights as the sun went down (the lights look great with cloud cover as well as clear skies) . I had the Kobe Beef Sliders. Truly tasty with sweet onion marmalade, Dijon mustard and perfect little buns. My sister had a soup which looked excellent as well. The location was perfect for a relaxed evening. Visit Taurus at http://www.taurusrestaurant.com/.

The Golden Harvest

As if we hadn't already eaten enough in the last two days to sustain us for the week, after a walk through downtown Lansing (I must say our Capitol is well-landscaped with a nice variety of perennials) we found ourselves at The Golden Harvest for another snack. We had to wait a few minutes for a table, but a wait of twice as long would have been well worth it. The food seems to be made to order. We each had an order of biscuits and sausage gravy (the sausage is the house specialty) with great coffee. My order was a 1/2 order and I couldn't finish it, but on another day I probably would have no trouble with the portion size. The biscuits were perfection and the gravy a marvel. If it wasn't an hour drive from home, we'd be back twice a month. The menu had lots of vegetarian friendly options and everyone's food looked delicious. Easily the most amazing breakfast I've had in a long time. They don't have a true online presence, but you can check out this website:

http://www.myspace.com/golden_harvest

The English Inn - Eaton Rapids, MI

We discovered the English Inn thanks to a gift certificate received as a wedding present from some friends. We've been three times, and it's worth a trip to the wilds of Ingham County. The English Inn sits on 15 pretty acres on the Grand River just north of Eaton Rapids, MI. The rooms are pretty and roomy with lots of cable choices (I like to play rummy and watch the food network after dinner with my Perennial Dining Companion). The Inn boasts an elegant restaurant and a more casual English Pub.

For our 7th anniversary we decided to visit the English Inn for one night and have dinner as well. We stayed in the Somerset Room which I think we will choose again when we return.

Dinner was simply beautiful. We started with a mushrooms florentine appetizer and then shared Chateaubriand for two with duchesse potatoes and vegetables accompanied by a very nice red wine that I neglected to note. The service was very good and the food simply perfect, although I was left no room for dessert. The crowning touch was the piano background. We got the card of the pianist, Padraic Smith (www.padriacmusic.com), who kept us thoroughly entertained (and occasionally guessing) as he converted eighties pop songs into jazzy piano numbers (Asia or Journey anyone)?

Breakfast the next morning was very nice as well. I had quiche and my perennial dining companion indulged in eggs benedict.

I recommend the English Inn to anyone looking for a weekend getaway. The Inn excels over other bed and breakfast establishments by virtue of it's size, grounds, and especially the restaurant. Dinner is always excellent.

Visit the English Inn at http://englishinn.com/index.shtml.

Izabella turns 1!

My baby cat is a kitten no more! She turned one year old yesterday and weighed in at 10 pounds (dwarfing the senior Phoebe who at age 10 still rules the roost despite the size factor, but still much smaller than the incongruously named Itty Bitty Kitty who waffles between 14 and 15 pounds). A far cry from the 2-pound, 8-week old kitten who followed us home from a walk only to find her new family when we had to take her in rather than leave her outside and alone at night in October. No one responded to our posters and she didn't have a chip, so we decided to make her a permanent addition. And what an addition she has turned out to be! Aerobatic, highly chatty (she's mostly Siamese to our uneducated eye, but with a tabby-shaped face with Siamese coloring) and very personable - she's a quintessential cat and the first one we've "raised from scratch". Happy Birthday Izzy! Many Happy Returns!