Bob Cramer's Blog

During my blogging absence this summer, my wife insisted that, once and for all, I remove my computer from the breakfast table, leaving me basically a homeless blogger in my own home.  Her rational for this new draconian household rule had something to do with the breakfast table not being an office, it’s for eating and while she has tolerated three print newspapers a day strewn across it for years, the computer put her over the top.

So in honor of our clean breakfast table and my exile from the kitchen,   I sit solemnly with my computer on my lap like a 60’s style, metal-molded TV dinner and contemplating one of my favorite subjects, food.

I am reminded that at times I do have one heck of an appetite.  But when you are a seasoned athlete now with a hole in one (see last post) and numerous camp trophies how can you blame me.  I am no foodie, for sure, and, honestly, prefer quantity over quality.    I am dangerous at a buffet, and seem to have a strong affinity for the casual restaurant chain category.

A few nights ago, I ate at one such place, LongHorn Steakhouse.  Started here in Atlanta, and now part of Darden Restaurants (nyse: DRI), LongHorn offers nice quality meats and seafood at a reasonably price in a pleasant atmosphere.    We have many other much fancier steak place in the ATL, but for me, LongHorn hits the spot.

I ordered up one of the biggest offering off the impressively sized menu, Flo’s Filet and LongHorn Salmon combo (7 oz. of “our guests’ favorite—the most tender cut of beef” and “fresh, hand-cut salmon, grilled using our secret bourbon marinade”).  It came with salad, honey wheat bread and a side, which I choose a sweet potato decked out with marshmallow topping as a warm up to fast approaching Thanksgiving.  Mistakenly, I also ordered the most fattening appetizer on the menu, French Onion Soup, and very soon realized that the ol’ eyes were bigger than the stomach (a quick note to my loyal reader(s), I did play four sets of tennis, doubles, before this eating bonanza).

I snapped a quick picture of the main meal before diving in, which embarrassed my family and friends but the blogger in me was undeterred.   Here it is:

Another dinner favorite that I want to highlight here in a picture is the Salmon Florentine from a local chain called Brooklyn Joe’s, now open in the Prado directly across from Taco Mac and near the brand new Lifetime Fitness which thankfully I have also joined to keep me off of one of the reality shows like the Biggest Loser or the Bob Cramer fat makeover.   Anyway, here are the luscious details on this fine dish: salmon sautéed with garlic, butter, shallots, fresh tomatoes, spinach in a pink cream sauce over bowtie pasta for under 12 bucks including fresh garlic cheese bread which you need like a hole in the head.   See this fine bowl of delectable calories:

Some of my other all time favorites for breakfast and lunch include iHOP’s Chicken Fajita Omelette (grilled fajita seasoned chicken breast strips, onions and green peppers with salsa and blend of cheeses, topped with sour cream), California Pizza Kitchen’s Original BBQ Chicken Chopped (“our most popular salad since 1985, with our signature BBQ sauce, housemade herb ranch and cilantro”), Jersey Mike’s Chicken Salad sandwich served Mike’s Way (perfect now that the NFL is back), almost anything from Waffle House, Chick-fil-A and Goldberg’s Deli, where I struggle between good Bob with the Oatmeal or Fair Bob with the Nova platter and Bad Bob with the cheese and bacon scrambled eggs.

I suppose it is a good thing that I bought a brand new pair of ASICS running shoes yesterday and probably need to break them in sometime today, before I retire to the couch for Falcons football, the final round of the BMW championship, the US Open and a new year of 60 Minutes.  But now I need some breakfast and despite all of the gastronomic delights listed above, I will probably resort to the lightly sweetened whole grain flakes with honey clusters goodness known as Fiber One.