Lovely Lunch at the Yellow Deli and Bakery

 

 

Across the huge Sidney Lanier Bridge, tucked away on a side street at the edge of Brunswick Georgia, you’ll find a truly rare treat, The Yellow Deli and Bakery.

 

Surely, you’ve been to any number of cafes and sandwich shops.  Forget ‘em! This one is special. Maybe more than special.  A semi-large, shaded parking lot, gives you the effortlessly feeling that you have indeed reached the right spot to settle in for lunch or breakfast. 

 

Politely rustic, with a beautiful patio, surrounded by flowers, the Yellow Deli and Bakery is as welcoming as your grandmother’s garden, and the food may be even better. Better keep that a secret.

 

Sit inside if you wish and enjoy the dark wood interior, watch the kitchen in action, and settle into a very comfortable booth.

 

But, as for me and my very close, intimate friend, we opted for the outside, the flowers, and the sweet sound of trickling water. But, wait a sec. Georgia in the Springtime? Bugs? 

 

No worries. On every table there’s a small, lemon scented, plastic spray bottle to allay your fears and send gnats and such searching for another spot.

 

Am I ever going to get to the food?  Well, yes, in due time. Don’t rush me!

 

The servers are polite and come to you with wonderful smiles and a solid knowledge of what’s on the menu.  I’ll tell you right now, everything on the menu is wonderful, serving the best lunch I’ve tasted since lunching in Europe.

 

We ordered a corn beef sandwich on house made sourdough bread….after all, this is a bakery!  Along with the beef, the sandwich has a wonderfully generous smear of delicious coleslaw.

 

As if that wasn’t enough, we ordered a delicious salad of greens, toasted pecans, blueberries, and bite sized white cheese, tossed with the house made vinaigrette. To top it off, the salad comes with heavy, dark raisin and nut bread from the Yellow bakery.

 

We shared the sandwich and salad and found it was more than enough for hungry,  

gluttonous travelers. 

 

What about drinks?  Delicious coffee and teas, plus water.

 

Nor did we escape the Cream Cheese Pie, with a topping of sweet blueberry sauce. 

I have barely scratched the wonders that are on the menu.  For more ideas, opening hours and so forth, go to 

https://yellowdeli.com/brunswick

 

Something else that puts this delightful spot on the map is that all the servers, bakers, and cooks live together in a large home down the way. It’s a Christian commune, living the Christian life.  But, should you think these folks are from another planet, you’re wrong. Very nice people! They will not bring up religion unless you do. Their aim is to offer the best food to all their customers in the most polite ways.

 

I like nice people, who care for their customers and serve healthy food made from scratch! We found it right there in the Yellow Deli and Bakery.

 

Of course we’ll go back!

 

 

Dazzle Me with An Evening of Tapas in Madrid

A tinto in one of my favorites, Casa Paco

As my loyal readers (both of you) probably realize, I haven’t written in a while.  I know you’ve scratched your heads and tossed through sleepless nights, but there’s no need to worry.  I’ve been traveling and one of the places I traveled was to a small village of a few million people, nestled in the beating heart of Spain.  Everybody’s  heard about Madrid, the capitol of Spain.  Bullfights, flamenco dancing, Hola! and buenas dias.  Yes, but how about cuisine and quaint customs?

Spanish cuisine is not close to Mexican, or Peruvian, or Argentinian.  Nor is it close to German, or French, or Italian.  But rather than dwell on the broad spectrum, let’s concentrate on one little word you’ve probably heard before: tapas.  Yeah, I know, so-called tapas are so au current they’re served in mall-restaurants all over the U.S.  But, let me tell you, those are not the same tapas you’ll eat in Spain.

 Tapas are to Spain what hors d’oeuvres are to France, an endless variety of little tasty tidbits to accompany an afternoon slosh of beer or wine.  While you swap lies with friends, at a tiny table in an outdoor café, tapas help you keep your strength up.   You order a beverage and the cheery waiter brings you a small dish without you even asking.  Slices of chorizo, or cheese, some olives, or potato chips, a small slice of Spanish tortilla, or even some boiled shrimp.  Then there are more elaborate creations of fish and meat and vegetables, some made into pastes and others more recognizable.

Did I say "waiter" instead of "serving-person-who-could-be-either-sex"?  Yes, I did.  In Spanish drinking establishments, the servers are more than 90% men. I arrived at that statistic after hours and hours of careful research.

Time to stop for a moment and reflect on cuisine and culture.  In Spain, prime dinnertime is 10:30 at night.  Spaniards start off the day with a coffee and perhaps a pastry between 9 and 10 in the morning, often in the same bar they drank in the night before.  Then there’s a break for wine about 11.  Siesta arrives about 1 p.m. and lasts until 3.  Small shops close, and the back streets of Madrid, which are lined with small shops, look almost deserted.  Siesta is more than lunch and a nap.  It’s family time.  Important time.

All of this means when you eat lunch about 2 p.m. and wait until 10:30 p.m. for your next meal, something’s gotta give, which brings us back to tapas.

Tapa time is around 6 p.m. until 8.  You gather …. Wait a sec, where do you gather?  Ok, time for another digression:  Bars are not generally called bars in Spain, they’re called tascas.  Not hard to remember.  You eat tapas in a tasca.  Often you drink and nosh, then move on for another drink.  We call that tasca-hopping.  And in the morning, as I mentioned, they serve coffee and pastries.  So when a youngster tells his teacher, “My momma drops me off at the bus stop and goes to the bar,” he’s not spilling family secrets. it’s a grand idea, as a matter of fact, I…anyway…

Quick Spanish lesson.  Want a draft beer?  Ask for una caña.  How ‘bout a red wine?  Tinto.  White?  Blanco.  All come in a small size.

Tortilla Español

 A couple of paragraphs ago, I mentioned Spanish Tortilla.  So, what’s the diff?  A Mexican tortilla is thin and flat, made from corn, or wheat flour, while a Spanish tortilla is a thick, round omelet, with a filling of sliced potatoes, and large enough to share with a group of your favorite inebriates. Spanish tortillas are often served at room temp.

Now that you’ve got the rules and the lingo down, I’m looking at my watch and think it’s time to don those dark glasses, open the top button on the shirt, roll up the sleeves and hit the streets.  You need a little money, but not too much.  Uno tinto, or una caña will cost you about 1 to 3 Euros, and remember those little plates of tapa are usually free.  Oh, yeah, put that dazzling smile on your face! An evening of tapas in Madrid awaits! 

Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE.  Use the button at the top left of this page!