"Joy."..and The Hungry i ..Haiku Heights....a n d......

    My second time linking with Haiku Heights

Remember with me

'Twas written by Three Dog Night

 with frog prodigy  

Mighty fine music

Jeremiah would agree

brought "joy to the world"

by klr




a n d.....one  joyous  memory from the "hungri i" restaurant...
 ...

My memory of the "hungri I" ~

San Francisco - 1961...
we lunched at Fisherman's Wharf, 
rode the cable cars, saw the Presidio, 

drove down Lombard St., walked Chinatown and drove through Haight Ashbury.  And yes, we 
crossed over the Golden Gate bridge, saw Alcatraz, climbed the Coit Tower and even saw a San Francisco Giants baseball game at Candlestick park.  I was 14 and my brother, Alan, 11.  Our parents took us out of our mundane routine to know some of the world outside our own small town.   I remember that 

I wore a scarf  and it blew across my face along with big raindrops as we ducked for cover into the renowned "hungri i"  restaurant one evening.  We were in for a treat!  It was elegant, I thought, 

and I felt quite grown up when I was allowed to have a glass of red wine with dinner, brought to our round oak table by a handsome waiter.  And I was allowed a sip of my father's martini.  We practiced our table manners without cue, or we would get "that look" from our parents.  We had tickets to see the live show after our meal!

                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                            The Gateway Singers

The Kingston Trio, who hailed from the bay area, launched their career at this nightspot. Headlining the show that night was a new comedian, Bob Newhart.  The show opened that night with the powerful Gateway Singers. Billed with Bob Newhart were The Limeliters with tenor, Glenn Yarbrough 

Little did we know that all would become world famous within a short time.  Never having been at a live event, I was struck with how splendidly loud, full-bodied and soulful the music sounded.  The songs were in the folk music genre of the time, like The Christy Minstrels group and The Smothers Brothers...around the time of The Captain and Tenille and The Brothers Four who sprouted from Washington State. Barbra Streisand was a favorite, as was Mort Saul, comedian.  You may include Peter, Paul and Mary and Carol Burnett.  But it was Glenn Yarbrough's splendid tenor voice singing "Baby the Rain Must Fall" that took me over the moon!! They made a lasting impression on me with their raggedy songs.  Below is a 1963 medley including the Brazilian whistling song.  My father especially loved the Irish tune, "Have Some Madeira, M' Dear?" which he would lip-sinc at home in the kitchen, teasing my mother when in a fun mood.  The audience was full of adults and it was smokey and dimly lit.  People drank and laughed.  We wondered if our parents really thought we would enjoy the show or was it that they wanted to see Bob Newhart but didn't want to leave us alone in the hotel?                                                                                                                    

But there were no off color words uttered that I remember, and by the end of Newhart's monologue my side ached from so much laughter.  After returning home I bragged to my friends at school about seeing them in person,  having felt like I had taken a giant step toward adulthood.  Today the restaurant does not exist;  Another club (casino or strip) there now bears the same name. The bare brick walls where Lenny Bruce and others grew to popularity no longer fill the space; you can read more about the "hungri i" and it's long-time owner HERE .  It was totally one of most joyful and special experiences  to be there during it's heyday.

Haiku Heights

Escargot anyone...?

It began as a small boarding house in 1896 and now brags international awards for its cuisine and unhurried hospitality.  This could be a public relations plug for a place, but it is a short story of the first (and only) time my daughter and I ate escargot.....

The Shelburne Inn and Bed & Breakfast in Seaview WA. boasts one of the best of the Pacific Northwest Regional restaurants, The Shoalwater Inn.  With it's own organic garden and patio views, I had stayed there before, but  this particular night was a departure for us,  and a rainy and foggy one...and, it was New Year's Eve, I believe 1984.  Loving the ocean year round, we had finished a walk in town and on the beach, and then found ourselves sitting at a corner table in the dining room of this period decorated old hotel at about 8:00pm.  After the entrance, one passes the cozy hearth and sofas for visitors and wall plaques depicting the history of the building and town.  There is a staircase leading up to rooms with comfy four posted feather beds and claw foot tubs.


There were holiday lights and decorations but only a few people sitting across the room from us.  Carols were streaming from a speaker in the room.  I remember sharing my glass of white wine with my daughter as the waitress served  the appetizer order -  Escargot !!  It wasn't a dare, but rather that I had always been taught to try new things and was passing the idea on.  With a bit of hesitation we took our first bites - expecting to swallow it whole, and for it to be slimy, or spit it out.  Once I had tried overly cooked calamari and found it to be horribly rubbery and without taste.  I was surprised to experience a mellow, tender, pleasing taste...a flavor all it's own.  Alternately with the wine, needless to say,  they went down smoothly with a few chews.  We both were amazed at how delicious they were and knew then why they are considered a delicacy.  I do not have their recipe, and they serve it only in certain seasons when snails are harvested in the area.  The dish in the picture above is mushrooms stuffed with escargot (ours were seasoned in wine and I'm not sure what else, but alone) and sounds very tasty with bleu cheese and pecan sauce.  Together with their cranberry bogs, kite and music festivals, the town draws quite a crowd all year long.


After our meal of clam chowder, shrimp dishes and salads,  we waited for dessert.  Time passed quickly by as low voices came from two other tables.  At about 10:30pm, when we decided to leave, we were asked if we would like to stay for the New Year's party and, of course, said yes.  Soon we were brought the shiny hats that strap under your chin with a rubber band and two noisemakers each...the horns to blow and the hand held kind you wave in the air that make a loud clanging noise.  When they began the countdown to midnight, everyone, including the owners and staff, joined in to sing Auld Lang Synge...so we rang in the new year and rang out the old... with the 9 or so strangers in this dimly lit room.  Everyone saluted one other.    My daughter was 14 years old.  Along came the cake and ice cream with sparklers,  no less,  and finally we said goodnight.

We awoke to a hearty sausage and egg breakfast with their freshly baked signature scones along with the jam, lemon curd and DevonShire cream, complimentary with a night's stay.  We ate quietly, paid our compliments,  and headed out into the blowing storm, ready to drive the 100 miles back home to Seattle and begin our new year.  To this day, it is one of  my fondest memories...and Mary's as well.