Yesterday I returned to Felicia Suzanne Restaurant’s 25 cent martini lunch with my friends Stacey, Nate, and Mary Ann. I made the reservation earlier in the week for 1 PM. After I called in the reservation, I told Stacey “NO NAPS,” reminding her that she overslept the last time we went to Felicia’s and was 50 minutes late.
So, yesterday morning I led off at Bardog, figuring I’d get a few PBRs in me to pre-game. Around 11 I texted Stacey, “Felicia Suzanne’s 1 PM. Be there or be square. NO NAPS.” She texted back about 11:50 and said she would be there.
At 12:56 I tabbed out at Bardog and walked over to Felicia’s. Nate and Mary Ann were there. No Stacey. At 1:08 she texted me, “On my way.” We went ahead and got seated and got our first drink. At 1:30 Stacey walked in.
“You took a nap, didn’t you?” I asked her.
She stared at me and smiled for about 10 seconds and then nodded yes.
I took a look at the menu. I couldn’t believe I was doing this on a rare visit to the restaurant, but my eyes were set on a vegetarian entree, the mac & cheese. “If Felicia’s putting that on here as an entree rather than a side, it’s got to be good,” I reasoned. It turns out I wasn’t the only one thinking that way – Stacey and Nate ordered mac & cheese too. Of course we all got the 25 cent martinis, of which you can purchase up to three with the order of an entree. Nate and I got dirty martinis, Mary Ann got “just barely dirty,” and Stacey got a gin martini with orange juice. All came out perfect.
The mac & cheese did not disappoint.
So cheesy and chewy rich and good! I finished every last bite.
The mac & cheese came with a side of sweet greens with big pieces of bacon, satisfying my need for meat as part of my lunch. The cornbread stick was delicious too.
Mary Ann got the crab crepes. “They are loaded with crab,” she said.
What an elegant lunch table! You know, I did not grow up a fan of mac & cheese. My attitude toward it was, “What’s the point?” I saw eating mac & cheese in the same light as I saw ordering a steak well done and then dipping it in Hunt’s ketchup. It wasn’t until I moved Downtown and had chefs tell me, “Yeah I know you think you don’t like mac & cheese, but let me cook it for you and change your mind” that I started to open my mind to it. Felicia’s mac & cheese was among the top two or three I have ever had.
Back in 2014 I had a groupie. She’d come to the Blind Bear many Saturdays, asking Brad about me, asking my relationship status, asking if he thought I would be coming in that day, asking to be introduced to me. This went on for months before I found out. She was such a huge mac & cheese fan that one of the local teams cooked smok’d mac & cheese at BBQ Fest for her. If she’s reading this (and I know she is), she should try Felicia’s mac & cheese sometime. She’ll have to find someone else to go with, though. These days I would sooner ask Rahul & Tony out on a date than I would her.
Those martinis are little but they’re potent. Man… I was pretty well sloshed the rest of the day, and it didn’t help that Jessica talked me into doing a shot at the Silly Goose. And OF COURSE after I finished the martinis I discovered a voice mail from a recruiter with a great lead about a job. I decided it was wise to wait until Monday to call her back.
On to the news, and I don’t have much since I spent most of Friday recovering from those martinis… Nine Inch Nails plays the Orpheum this Monday, along with Jesus and Mary Chain and Tobacco.
Flight restaurant at Main and Monroe is hiring bartenders.
Lisa’s Lunchbox is looking to hire someone for line prep. The hours are 9 to 2, so this would be perfect if you have kids in school.
You can get free admission to museums today by downloading a ticket.
Comedian and actor Nick Cannon brings his Wild ‘N Out Live Tour to FedExForum tonight.
That’s it for now. Time to go spread a little sunshine. Back tomorrow with more news.