Long Live the Monte Cristo!
Thu Jul 31 20:50:00 CDT 2008
I heard on the radio that Bennigan's Grill and Tavern chain has entered bankruptcy and is closing many of its restaurants. I don't know if the Austin restaurants are closing.
Bennigan's was where I was granted my honorary womanhood. My old friends from the Shire of the Shadowlands used to gather there after a day at TRF. I fondly remember Cedric and Hawk playing outside.
The margarita was not special.
What was special, was The Monte Cristo.
A delicious combination of ham and turkey, plus Swiss and American cheeses on wheat bread. Lightly battered and fried until golden. Dusted with powdered sugar and served with red raspberry preserves for dipping.
I like the Monte Cristo, far too much, and have limited myself to no more than 1 per year, as it supposedly ranks up there with Chicken-fried Bacon Sausage Alfredo Fettucine1 in the Heart Attack on a Plate list.
I recognized a couple of years ago that I could not count on Bennigan's to provide Monte Cristo's after the nuclear holocaust, so I practiced making my own, from scratch, including home made bread, but with store bought cheeses, ham and turkey. It was necessary to pin the sandwich together with toothpics while frying. I didn't have raspberry jelly, but homemade Mustang grape jelly worked very well. Hmmm. Was pretty good. So good, it inspired a short story that I'll post at some point.
I missed getting a Monte Cristo and a chocolate shake at Bennigan's for my birthday this year, and I kinda feel bad about it. Silly, I know. I hope the Austin outfits make it.
Saw the doc about my shoulder yesterday, and the nurse congrat'd me losing 20 lbs since my appointment for a fever (prob sinus infection) in June. I think their scale was off. How much could a Monte Cristo weigh, anyway? :)
-s
1 I made that up, but now it sounds gooooood.