Ober Gatlinburg Sno Cone (Cherry Flavored)

At the top of the Smoky mountains lies a cozy little amusement park called Ober Gatlinburg. Plenty of rides to have fun including the Alpine slide and the Go-Karts, but today's post is all about the cherry. As in flavor. Cherry flavored sno-cones.The beauty above hit the spot on a warm summer day. The shaved ice was not clumped in a big chunk, and there was an ample amount of cherry syrup to give the sno-cone great flavoring. All in all, a pleasant experience.

The cost is the only drawback. Being on top of the mountain, you are literally a captured audience. You either pay the price, or you go thirsty. I opted in and shelled out $3.00 for this sno-cone. (Ahh yes, I remember as a little kid buying sno cones for a nickel at Idora Park and Geneva on the Lake.)

Ober Gatlinburg cherry sno-cones receives 2.75 shots out of 5 and recommends them on hot summer days.

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Thanksgiving Turkey Tradition

Thanksgiving Day Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving from all the Grassy Knoll Institute rocket scientists.

Typical Thanksgiving at the GKI.
Of course, our Thanksgiving day meal is all about the turkey. Doesn't it look just delicious?
Stuffing, home made and cooked with the turkey allowing the natural juices of the turkey to soak through adding that perfect blend of taste and texture.
Mashed potatoes, not the instant type, but peeled and mashed and cooked potatoes. (Sidenote: peel a potato. Run it under cold water for 30 seconds. Sprinkle just a dash of salt and bite into a delectable treat)
Corn, not on the cobb, but fresh corn smothered in butter and pepper.
Cranberries, a little wild tasting, especially if you take a sip of cold milk right before or after taking a bite on cranberries. (Go ahead, you know you want to try that)
Pea's and carrots, which I usually pass to the family member on my left.
Crescent rolls, hot from the oven, smothered in butter.
Celery, plain, with cream cheese, and peanut butter.
Green olives, Cashews, Chocolates.
Dessert, Pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie.
A lot of football in between and after.

And today as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us all remember John F. Kennedy, out 35th president who was assassinated this day 44 years ago.

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Hide The Sausage

Holiday Turkey Shoot

Thanksgiving and Christmas were very special times growing up as a lad. You see, we only had turkey dinners on these two days and with seven brothers and sisters, it was a scramble for leftovers the next day. Of course, as always, there was plenty of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and all the fixings the day of the holiday. It was the days after that concerned us.

The day after Thanksgiving and Christmas all the kids would run to the fridge for leftovers. Who am I kidding; we were drooling for some leftover turkey. Sure, the other leftovers were good and complimented the turkey ensemble but the turkey was the prized possession. Problem was, seven kids plus two parents and only one fridge and only a certain amount of turkey leftovers. This meant that the leftovers were gobbled up the day after and we would then have to wait for the next holiday.

This brought on another family tradition. Each child, and parent, would hack off some turkey and hide it some place in the fridge. At first it was simple to find the hidden treasure (Turkey) as it was placed behind milk cartons, behind a Coke bottle, inserted in the Land O Lakes butter box, and in the bottom crisper door. We then became a little more creative and began taping the turkey (In bags of course) to the ceiling of the fridge and behind items that would stay in one place for a while. In time, all hiding places were quickly found and pillaged like Vikings on a drunken binge.

Until I found the ultimate hiding place. Of course, because it was winter, it was cold outside and we had plenty of snow. One time, the day after Christmas, I built a snowman in the backyard. I then carefully inserted the wrapped up turkey in the center of the snowman and filled it in with snow. The perfect icebox.

Several freezing days went by and the turkey and all the trimmings were long gone. It was time to strike. I put my coat on and went outside to play. I immediately went to the garage, got my dads screwdriver, and chipped out the block of frozen turkey hidden in the mid-section of the snowman. Into the house and to the kitchen I went. I turned on the oven to low heat and put in the turkey. Ten minutes later, it was thawed and warm. The turkey was fantastic. Within minutes, several brothers and sisters came in to investigate as the smell of turkey filled the kitchen. Many questions were asked where it was hidden but no answers were offered. I had found the perfect hiding place.

Footnote: The next year, I built another snowman and hid the turkey in the same spot. Several days later I went out for the turkey and dug it out. Like the last year, I went inside and turned on the oven and unwrapped the turkey delight. But something was terribly wrong. As the outer tin foil wrap was taken off, there was only a block of ice and a sandwich baggie with a piece of paper in it.

The note simply said, saw you building the snowman, took a guess and got lucky. Thanks.

It would be years later that my brother George told me he was the one who saw me building the snowman and guessed that was my secret hiding place.

R.I.P. George 11/20/1997

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Stage Deli - New York City

Stage Deli, Times Square, New York City

This sandwich was so good, I posted it twice......

Just a quick walk from David Letterman's theater is the Stage Deli restaurant where legend has it the portions are so huge you will not be able to finish it. The Grassy Knoll Institute needed to investigate post haste.

Upon arrival, the joint was packed but the waiter squeezed us in at a table that looked out to the street. Although we were piled in, we were comfortable. The service was exceptional. Although the deli was crowded, the hostess seated us immediately and even obliged our request to sit by a window. In just a matter of minutes, our drinks were on our table and several minutes later our dinner arrived.

I ordered the turkey breast, American cheese, on a Kaiser roll sandwich and of course already drinking the coke provided. Potato pancakes and French fries were also ordered as side dishes.

When my sandwich was brought out, I could hardly believe it. The sandwich was packed so high with turkey and cheese that to eat it, I had to re-distribute the sandwich using the top and bottom of the roll. It was the equivalent of four large sandwiches at other restaurants. And I was staring down two side dishes that were huge as well in portion.

Of course the sandwich was tasty, fresh, and perfect. The coke, a fountain coke, was exceptional as well. The cost was just under $20.00 excluding tip. Remember, the Stage Deli is in the heart of Times Square where everything is expensive. And BTW, I could not finish the sandwich. Not even close.

The Grassy Knoll Institute recommends Stage Deli and it scores a perfect 5 out of 5 shots.

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Open Hearth Restaurant

While in Gatlinburg, Tennessee this past November, I found that the Open Hearth restaurant had closed it's doors. Perhaps they had lost their lease, couldn't afford the property taxes, or just had a bad business plan. Whatever the reason, here is a last meal from the now defunct Open Hearth.

We walked to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and saw the sign, Open Hearth and walked in. It was very eloquent inside and we were waited on right away. For being a busy evening in Gatlinburg and waiting lists of an hour or more at the other restaurants, this was a pleasant surprise. I asked what the soup of the day was and the waiter said that they didn't have any soup today. Oh well, I went for the Loaded Potato Skins and for the main course, Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti.

My fellow Grassy Knoll Institute scientist tried to order several different appetizers but none were available. Even the main courses were not available. he settled for the prime rib. Five minutes later, the waiter came back and said that he was sorry but the prime rib was also not available that evening. Reluctantly, he settled for the fish.

The potato skins were cooked just right, plenty of bacon, cheese, and no sour cream which I asked to be left off.

The chicken parm was very good as well. A very generous portion with plenty of tangy sauce. The spaghetti was average, a little to rubbery, and almost cold, like they forget to warm it up. But I was so full from the skins and parm, that the spaghetti was left on the plate and not touched.

The cost was just under $30.00 without tip which was reasonable, but not the best. The Grassy Knoll Institute rates Open hearth 2.75 stars out of 5 shots and barely recommends Open Hearth for dinner.

The lights are on, but no one's home.

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$3.00 Hot Dog

This is what a $3.00 hot dog at a typical trade show looks like. Yes, 3 bucks for a hot dog. And not even a foot long, or a chili dog, just a plain hot dog.

This one was purchased at the Smoky Mountain Gift Show in Gatlinburg, Tennessee November 6th, of this year. Being a little busy that day, I decided to stop at the kiosk and grab a dog. What a mistake. I re-tasted that hot dog all day long and well into the evening. That was the last hot dog I will buy there. (BURP!)

The Grassy Knoll Institute fires 1 out of 5 shots and does not recommend trade show hot dogs.

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Summitville Turkey Dinner

There's a little old church in the small town of Summitville, Ohio that every October hold a fund raising turkey dinner. The Grassy Knoll Institute usually makes it to this event. The dinner is held in the church basement and after you bought the dinner ticket (Which was $7.00) you could spend your time playing dollar bingo with the townsfolk. Or take a stroll around the grounds.

As you can see from the photo above, there was plenty of juicy oven baked turkey, home made stuffing, whipped mashed potatoes with home style gravy, fresh corn, fresh warm rolls with butter, and a home made piece of pumpkin pie. There was no limit to how many servings you could have. I had three go arounds with the turkey plate and a double dip with the stuffing and potatoes. Right to the score. Grassy Knoll Institute ranks Summitville 5 out of 5 shots.

PS: The pumpkin pie was still warm and was a very generous portion. There was a selection of cherry, apple, pumpkin, and several other desserts to choose from, but being that it was October, the pumpkin seemed the logical choice.

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Canters Deli Las Vegas - Turkey Sandwich

Canter's Deli At Treasure Island

On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I stopped at Canter's Deli, an in house restaurant at Treasure Island Casino. They have several great places to eat, which I will critique at a latter time but lets get to Canter's.

The restaurant area was set up as an almost self serve type. You would order from the window, pay, and move your tray down the line. I ordered a turkey breast, American cheese sandwich on a Kaiser roll. Added french fries and a coke.

It was only a five minute wait and the order was correct. The cost was under 20 bucks. Not bad in Vegas.

I found a table with a view to the wide screen TV's around the restaurant. The tables were clean and comfortable. The turkey fresh and good, the bun fresh, and the fries, well, its hard to describe. They were crunchy yet fluffy. Very unique quality.

They did not skimp on the turkey, or the cheese and the fries were plenty. All in all, good value for the price.

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The Grassy Knoll Institute gives 3.5 shots out of 5 and recommends Canter's Deli.