Flavor Boulevard

Here in College Station, the first weekend of spring break is a wonderful time to eat out (except on Sunday, when no non-chain restaurant is opened). Especially when it rains lightly and is cold. Like today. No students, little traffic, plenty of parking space. We tried out Madden’s today. I’ve been there before, but I tend to ignore street names and number, rely on my sense of direction and memory of the building’s color and architecture to find a place. It’s a mistake in downtown Bryan. Every building is about the same style, either stained white or bright red brick. We got lost, and hungry. But that’s ok, we were treated by crusty fresh bread and a very friendly waitress once we were seated. I feel bad when the waitresses say their names and I can never remember them. So-so oil dip, not too much of an enhancement. A little more butter on the crust than for those who are not interested in buttery fingers. Anyway, strong recommendation for the bread.

We did not have to wait long for our entrees. 3 plates, 6 crab cakes total. School work has kept me from blogging for so long I forgot to bring my camera, hence no pictures today. But the crab cakes were pretty, I assure you. Tasty too, if you’re concerned. At first I thought there was no way a polenta crusted crab cake and a seared crab cake could fill me up, each of which was about as big as a small clementine (with 2 flat ends, of course). But perhaps the aid of 2 squares of appetizing bread was more significant than I expected. I ended up stuffing down my last scoop of crab meat slowly as the eager waitress took away my plate. The lunch menu did disappoint me a little, what’s with tacos and quesadillas? It’s economic down time and all, but have some respect for the quiche and the creme brulee. How about a glass of Gemtree Citrine Chardonnay to go with a fish taco, your excellency? Geographically we’re close to Mexico, but some things just can’t stand side by side on a menu, you know…

Put it this way, at Madden’s, you pay a decent price for a good meal, in a cozy red brick room, served by a well-mannered waitress, it’s overall a very satisfactory experience, but not too high up there. Perhaps I’m just picky about what I see.

On the way home, we took a long detour on Texas 6 to watch bluebonnets blooming in thick formation on the hilly sides along the road. Rain and fog clouded our vision, but it feels refreshing to see spring time. Still the sporadic cold fronts are too harsh for buttercups, but little yellow daisies and Indian paintbrushes have lighten up. For completeness, here’s La Nuit, by Salvatore Adamo. There, sight, taste, and sound, for a rainy Saturday. 🙂