Family Style Cooking

Apparently, I had family in downtown Roanoke and didn't even realize it. Thelma's Chicken & Waffles is welcoming people into their family and they have a new home in the downtown area on Market Street. Over the past few weeks, I had heard nothing but good things about Thelma's but I still hadn't been able to try it. I had also heard about chicken & waffles on many different occasions and had seen it in different restaurants, and I was excited to see that Thelma's serves an option of chicken fingers & waffles, instead of just chicken wings & waffles.

When we went for dinner on Friday night, we didn't have to wait at all to be seated. I hope Thelma's has a strong lunch crowd because the empty tables for dinner on a Friday night can't be good for business. As we walked in to the restaurant, there were two ladies standing at the door to welcome us and they also said, "welcome to the family." We were told the same thing by our waitress, and we were treated like family through the entire meal. It felt like the staff at Thelma's were cooking food in the kitchen and they were excited to be able to share it with their guests - a feeling I rarely receive at restaurants. They also make sure you are taken care of through the meal, joke around with you, and do everything they can to provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

As for the food...I LOVED it! We ordered the Richie Rich Chili Mac & Cheese as an appetizer for the table and everyone was a big fan. Nothing fancy about it - elbow macaroni, chili, and cheese - but it was delicious. After that, I was excited to dive into my entree - chicken tenders, belgian waffle, & fried potatoes. There were three decent sized chicken tenders that reminded me of Zaxby's and a thick belgian waffle with some butter melting in the middle, along with a side dish of fried potatoes. The potatoes were very good but the chicken and waffle were the stars. I spread the butter around and poured some syrup over my waffle, then cut a piece of waffle and a piece of chicken and put them together in one meaty, syrupy, buttery bite. MONEY! The waffle even had cinnamon mixed into the batter which added another layer and flavor to the palate. It's a wonderful combination of flavor and texture that everyone should try. I finished everything on my plate and enjoyed every bite of it and wondered what had taken me so long to get to Thelma's. Everyone else enjoyed their food and I also tried Nicole's cornbread, which was delicious. It was more like cake than bread, but that's the way I like it. I also washed everything down with a few glasses of sweet tea, which couldn't have been more appropriate.

Thelma's is the sort of restaurant I love. Great staff that make you feel welcome. Simple menu with great comfort food that isn't overly complicated. Cool location and atmosphere. Great value/prices for the food you get - it costs around $7-$10 per person.  And an experience that makes you want to return. I loved everything about it and can't wait to go back. Thelma's, thank you for welcoming me into the family - I'll come around more often.

Rinse. Repeat.

Break out the old game tape, the NBA will have a rematch of the 2006 NBA Finals. The Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat both finished their conference finals series in five games and both teams have clearly played the best basketball in their conferences over the first three rounds of the playoffs. The Mavericks defeated the Portland TrailBlazers (a team I thought would pull the upset) in the first round, destroyed the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round, and flexed their muscles against the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the Western Conference. The Heat have handled the pressure and expectations through their first three rounds against the Philadelphia Sixers, Boston Celtics, & Chicago Bulls and they seem to be putting it all together at the right time.

2006 was all D-Wade.

When these two teams met five years ago, things were quite different. The Mavericks had the young head coach (Avery Johnson) and Miami had the well-known veteran (Pat Riley). Dallas had a quick, explosive, young point guard in Devin Harris. And Dwyane Wade put the Heat on his back and carried them to a championship while averaging 35 ppg and earning the Finals MVP award. However, it's interesting to look back and see the similarities between 2006 and 2011. In 2006, the Heat were the 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and defeated the top seeded Detroit Pistons to reach the finals, another team that was built on defense and had the best regular season record, similar to this year's Chicago Bulls. The Mavericks entered the playoffs with a good record, but were not considered to be the class of the Western Conference and didn't carry the expectations they've had in other years, similar to this year's Dallas team. And both teams will create interesting match-up problems for each other, similar to 2006. Who guards Dirk Nowitzki? Who prevents LeBron from getting into the lane at will? Who does Jason Kidd guard? Will Miami be able to counter Dallas' depth off the bench? Will it even matter? There are so many questions that will be discussed over the next few days, and that's part of the fun in the build up to the NBA Finals.

Will Jason Kidd be the difference?

When I look at this series on paper, I think the Heat will win - but I'm not confident enough to put money on it. The Mavs are playing great right now, and Dirk Nowitzki might be playing better than anyone. I know the Heat just shut down Derrick Rose, but he was also inconsistent in the two rounds leading up to playing against Miami. I think Tyson Chandler can present problems for Chris Bosh he hasn't had to face yet, and I like what Dallas brings with their second unit. Even though they'd have to close out on the road, I like Dallas' chances a lot more if this series goes six or seven games. Still, I think the Heat are the better defensive team and I think they'll be able to keep the Mavericks from getting many open looks. I also think the Heat are the type of team you look for when filling out your bracket for the NCAA Tournament every year - the team that may not have played the best over the entire season, but they appear to be peaking at the right time and playing their best when it matters most.

And because we still have 4 days until this series actually starts, there will be a ridiculous amount of coverage and discussion about the same topics. Here are some things I'm sure everyone will be sick of hearing, if they aren't already:
  - The "I'm taking my talents to South Beach" quote by LeBron James
  - What would winning a title do for LeBron's legacy/image?
  - Is Dirk one of the best players never to win a championship?
  - Is this season a failure for the Heat if they don't win the title?
  - Can the Heat handle the pressure and expectations of the NBA Finals?

Jalen Rose - ESPN's NBA Idiot

Here's my last thing about the Heat and the way they are talked about in the media - MAKE UP YOUR MIND! One day, Miami can't handle the pressure, expectations, hatred, can't finish, & "championship or bust" mentality they have experienced throughout the season. The next day - the story is that the Heat have magically handled the pressure, tuned out all the distractions, their coach has done a masterful job, LeBron will be the best ever, this team will get better and better, and let's give them every championship for the next five years. Their goal at the beginning of the season was the same as every other team - to win the NBA championship. Now, they are four games away from meeting that goal. How about we wait to evaluate their season once it's actually finished? Oh wait, that doesn't help ratings and doesn't give our former NBA player now turned useless analyst something to talk about. Nevermind.

My "Teams"



J.J. Redick likes the Magic as much as I do.

As much as I enjoy following professional sports, I'm really not a die hard fan. I'll watch games, read recaps, look up stats, & follow front office decisions, but not for just "my team." I have always been a sort of sports statistical/trivia freak (it's more pathetic than cool) and I enjoy learning as much about different players and teams and leagues as I can. I'm much more passionate and loyal in college sports, following Duke basketball and Georgia football and baseball very closely, but I don't really have strong professional allegiances. In the MLB & NFL, there are certain players and teams I enjoy watching, but I don't really have a strong rooting interest in any of the games. In the NBA, I want guys that went to school at Duke to succeed and I usually pull for their teams. However, when I was younger, I was much more loyal to two specific teams.

Growing up in Roanoke, Virginia, there wasn't a local pro team to follow - in any sport. We had minor league baseball and hockey teams, but they constantly changed affiliates and no one really cared unless you went to a game. The closest teams to the area were the teams in Washington, D.C. (Redskins, Bullets/Wizards, later Nationals) & Charlotte (Hornets & Panthers). We never went to any game in Washington and my dad and I would occasionally go to Hornets games, but we weren't big fans. Instead, I became a fan of the two teams I could watch on TV all the time, the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Braves. As part of our satellite package, WGN (the Chicago station) was one of our channels, and we were able to see almost every Bulls game. And because the Braves were owned by Ted Turner, we watched nearly all of their games that were shown on TBS.

Johnny "Red" Kerr

It didn't hurt that I grew up in the Golden Era of Bulls basketball and Braves baseball. The Bulls teams of the early/mid-90's are some of the greatest in the history of the game and the Braves were dominating the National League and regularly playing in the World Series. I knew everything about the starting five for the Bulls and their second unit, and I could roll through the Braves lineup and give you the starting rotation - important priorities for a 7 year old. As I look back on it, it's funny to me that those were my teams, even though I had never seen either of them play in person.

"BRAVES WIN!"

I watched the two teams religiously on what were essentially their home tv networks and had strong loyalty. I grew up listening to Johnny "Red" Kerr announce Bulls games and Skip Caray cover the Braves. I have memories of Michael Jordan chalking his hands in front of Red Kerr before tip-off and Kerr yelling "MICHAEL" when Jordan would hit another back-breaking shot during those dominant seasons. I have memories of Skip Caray calling the masterpiece pitching performances of Maddux, Smoltz, & Glavine and announcing "BRAVES WIN! BRAVES WIN!" when Sid Bream slid safely into home to put the Braves into the World Series in 1992. Those are the sports memories I grew up on and part of what made me so passionate about sports. Those two announcers brought sports to life for me and made me feel like I was part of the game. Both have passed away in the last couple years, and sports broadcasting isn't the same without them. They were two of the greats and they were the two primary sports voices of my childhood.

 

I still hate the Knicks.



Even though I'd no longer consider myself a huge fan, I still want the Bulls & the Braves to do well. I was fortunate to be able to attend a number of Braves games while going to school in Athens, and the Bulls have a couple former Duke players, Luol Deng & Carlos Boozer, who are both doing well. The hatred I used to have for the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, & Los Angeles Dodgers still lingers from the 90's and I hardly ever pull against the Braves or Bulls. I'm not nearly as passionate as I used to be, but those were the teams I grew up with - and, in a way, I guess they'll always be "my teams." 

Nawab

Two years ago, I wouldn't have even considered eating at a restaurant that served indian food. I didn't like the smell of most indian food and figured everything would be spicy and bizarre, and I had no interest in trying it. I also thought they used different kinds of meat, which scared me off. Fortunately, the past two years have exposed me to cultures and food from around the world, and I've been able to expand my tastes and become more adventurous. When it comes to indian cuisine, I've learned about the different types of curry, the incredible variety of spices and seasonings they use, the unique cooking style with many of their dishes, their varying levels of spicy-ness, and the creative dishes and combinations they put together. We had excellent indian food during our time in South Africa, so we decided we'd have to check out Nawab once we came back to Roanoke.

Nawab is located in downtown Roanoke on Campbell Avenue and it has been there for a number of years. I had previously heard good things, but I was too afraid to try it - until yesterday! I went to lunch with Nicole and my dad and I was very impressed. They have a regular menu, but they also serve a lunch buffet with a variety of dishes, which is what the three of us had.

Tandoori Chicken

The buffet isn't huge, but I felt like there was plenty to chose from - especially for the very reasonable price of $7.95. They offered two kinds of basmati rice, chicken curry, roasted tandoori chicken with peppers & onions, tandoori chicken with a creamy tomato sauce, korma curry, and a variety of vegetables that were prepared in different ways. There was a small salad bar, which also had fruit, chocolate mousse, & rice pudding. AND - they bring you a basket of garlic naan! I'm sure there are more appropriate names and descriptions of the food, but I'm not an expert and didn't really study the descriptions of the dishes. I was a huge fan of the curry and the two tandoori dishes. The curry and the tandoori with the cream sauce went great on top of the rice and the roasted chicken had a great skin and tasted like a really good rotisserie chicken. The garlic naan was delicious as well - and I particularly liked it with the tzatziki-like sauce (which was much better than the ranch dressing I accidentally got). I wasn't too fond of some of the vegetables (particularly the fried broccoli) or the rice pudding, but the chocolate mousse and orange slices served as a nice ending.

The service was very good and the atmosphere is cool. It's not the tacky Bollywood look that some Indian places have and there is plenty of space to handle busy crowds. As always with downtown restaurants, parking is a bit of an issue, but this is a good change of pace from many downtown Roanoke spots. And while I used to be a skeptic, I’ve now converted. The buffet at Nawab was worth a try and I look forward to going back to try dinner.

Oh Snap

Nothing says "I Love You" like this...

I don't consider myself to be very good at coming up with creative gifts, especially for Nicole or my mom. I am decent at finding practical gifts I think would be useful for a person (sometimes things they don't even think of), but that can lead to some weird gifts. Examples: one year I got Nicole a mini ladder to help her reach things in her closet; another year I got my mom a laptop cushion; & I think I bought Nicole a hairdryer once. Maybe they aren't, but those feel like weird gifts. All of them were functional and I think they all got a lot of use, but they aren't very sentimental. I'm not in to giving the popular gifts of flowers, spa/massage days, or any of that packaged junk you can get in Bath & Body Works. And when I've tried to be creative with making a card or something like that, it usually backfires and the card is so bad that it looks like I forgot and tried to do something at the last minute.

For Mother's Day this year, I decided to try something different. When Nicole and I were married, one of her friends gave us a photo book as a gift, and I thought it was a great idea. She used a website to format everything and was able to make a book full of different pictures of us - and it had a lot cooler design than the old-fashioned photo album. And while I like putting pictures online as a way of having easy access to them from anywhere, I love the idea of having photo books you can put around the house with pictures from different things you've done. So as a Mother's Day gift for my mom and for my grandmother, I used Snapfish to make a photo book for each of them.

I put together different pictures of my brother and me from all different stages of life and was very pleased with how it turned out. I was able to find baby pictures, old family pictures, sports pictures, and all sorts of other random photos that came out great. I used a scanner to get the printed shots uploaded to my Snapfish account, and the quality didn't suffer much at all. I also took some images from Facebook and saved those to my Snapfish account and didn't have any trouble with image quality in those either. Snapfish made it very easy to get all the photos I wanted and they provided a ton of variety in the layouts of the images and the ability to customize things. It was a good balance of not being too formal, while still looking professional. Another plus is that there always seem to be various discounts and coupon codes online for purchasing Snapfish products. So for once, I was able to come up with a cool, sentimental gift that wasn't corny and my mom and grandmother both really liked their books.

While this isn't a commercial and I'm not brand loyal, especially when it comes to photo books, I had a very good experience using Snapfish. I look forward to creating more photo books in the future and it's a gift idea I'd certainly recommend.

Life of Chai

I have never been a big fan of coffee or tea. There have been multiple times when I tried to like coffee, but I couldn't get used to the taste or the way it would make my stomach feel so I gave up. And I've always liked sweet tea, but hot tea wasn't something I was able to get in to because I didn't think it had much flavor. But, as we've traveled around the world over the past year, I've been introduced to a number of different flavors of tea (I'm looking at you South African Rooibos) that I've started to like.

Milk Frother = The Difference-Maker

So once we returned home and went to a normal grocery store, I was intrigued to find the Tazo Chai Latte in a concentrate where it is already made and you mix it with milk. I tried some of it and really liked it. There is a great combination of cinnamon, vanilla, and other spices that remind me of pumpkin pie. Then, once we purchased our insanely cool Nespresso Milk Frother, I figured I could become a master Chai Tea Latte maker. I must say, I think I've perfected it. I put about 3/4 cup of skim milk in the milk frother and heat up about 1/2 cup of the Tazo Tea in the microwave for one minute. The milk frother heats the milk and I pour it into the glass first when it is ready, which takes about 45 seconds. Then, I pour in the hot tea, which gives it the cool look and allows the milk foam to stay on the top of the drink. I'm still working on creating designs in the foam as I pour in the tea.

Starbucks' Tazo Chai Latte

My Tazo Chai Latte

I noticed Starbucks offers their own Tazo Chai Tea Latte and I tried it this past Sunday when we were there to watch church. It was very good - hot, nice foam, sweet, blend of spices - tasted just like mine. They probably use the same ingredients, but don't have the same milk frother and use less of the tea concentrate, and they happen to charge $3 - for a small! I think it would cost me $5 (we won't talk about how much I paid for the frother) to have the ingredients to make 10 mediums of my own. This allows me to save money in hopes of getting a camera that can take pictures to make my drinks look as good as theirs.

My Chai Latte's have now become a regular drink and it's a great post-breakfast beverage to have throughout the morning. I would become a fan of hot tea by picking a high maintenance drink that requires a spiced tea concentrate and frothed milk. Keeping it simple.

Best & Worst

There have been a number of big things happening in sports over the weekend with plenty of excitement. There was the NFL Draft, the NBA Playoffs, the MLB season in full-swing, the Stanley Cup Playoffs, & much more. I haven't been glued to the TV for any of the previously mentioned events, but I have kept an eye on most of them and have a general idea of what's been happening. All that being said, I'm picking what stood out to me as the best and worst performances of the weekend. I'm completely ripping this idea from The Dan Patrick Show (by far the best sports radio show out there). So...who did and didn't get it done this weekend?

Best: Memphis Grizzlies
Who would have thought the Grizzlies would handle the Spurs with relative ease in the first round of the playoffs? They ended the series in game six on Friday night in Memphis, but they really should have closed it out in game five earlier in the week. Zach Randolph was unstoppable down the stretch for the Grizz' and they played like the more talented team. It ended an era of playoff futility for the franchise and seemed to mark the end of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty. Still, most people probably thought the celebration would end Sunday afternoon when Memphis would have to travel to Oklahoma City to take on Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Coming off the emotion of the big win Friday night and having to face a young, talented, physical team in an early start Sunday afternoon seemed like a bad spot for the Grizzlies. I guess everyone forgot to tell the Grizzlies that. They led throughout against OKC and were carried by strong post play from Randolph and Marc Gasol and have jumped out to an early series lead again. It'll be interesting to see how far they can ride this momentum. And one other thing - if I'm coaching an NBA team, I want Shane Battier. He's not going to blow you away, but he changes the culture of a locker room and his teams ALWAYS have success.

Worst: Atlanta Braves Bullpen
I don't care that they pulled out the win today, the Braves bullpen has been terrible this weekend. In the three games against the Cardinals, they have given up the lead in the 8th inning or later all three times. Are you kidding me? With all the negativity and controversy that has surrounded this pitching staff over the past week, I was hoping they would rally together and have a strong weekend on the field. The starting pitching has been very good, but the late inning guys have not done their jobs. Allowing the leadoff man to reach base has been a problem and there have been too many bad pitches to good hitters. The Cardinals are not an easy lineup to retire and Matt Holliday might be hitting the ball better than anyone in the game right now, but you have to be able to get tough outs in the 8th & 9th innings. It was thought that Jonny Venters & Craig Kimbrel would be able to shut the door in most games (and I still think they will) but this weekend will not go in their highlight tapes.