What I Ate for Thanksgiving

I raved about the fried chicken at Jack and Mary's so much I just had to have it again. The house was packed, and we eyed the others suspiciously, wondering what kind of people go out to eat on Thanksgiving. We alone represented the entire 18-55 age bracket, as the servers were too young to legally serve my wine, and the patrons were clearly old as f***. One of the fellow diners told us he dropped his Demerol tablet somewhere near the salad bar--hopefully not in the dressing--and successfully had every member of the staff on the search. (He eventually realized it was in fact still in his pocket.) All of this and more was our entertainment for the evening. Let the photos tell the rest.

The salad bar:
Bagged iceberg mix, black olives, genetically modified cherry tomatoes,
and sweet French dressing were the stars.
Don't mind the veiny hand. We didn't.

Sutter Home Chardonnay:
The rich, creamy pear and apple flavors, and the smooth, round texture made it an ideal pairing for my fried chicken. Pictured with the elegant salad I made for myself.

Wouldn't be Thanksgiving without the puffy white oven rolls, now would it?

Finally, the Feast:
Canned, microwaved green beans, stuffing and mashed with gravy,
and four pieces of fried chicken. LOVE IT!

At the risk of being too full to carry on with our drinking, we had to get the pie (included in the $12.95 price) wrapped to go. Rest assured it provided a swell midnight snack the following day. Jack and Mary's feast wasn't nearly as good as Mom's cooking, but to see the folks genuinely excited to eat and be together on this day made it great for me. For many, Thanksgiving 2011 has already been flushed away and forgotten, but for me, this will be one to remember.