Monday, August 30, 2010

Fresco’s Bakery and Bistro: Just Plain Good Dining

















Location
Lakeland, FL, 33801


When I find a restaurant I like I want everyone to like it too. Fresco's Bakery and Bistro serves a great breakfast in Lakeland Florida (the 863). You are made to feel at home in this restaurant that serves a genuine home-style spirit.
The menu has a lot of great selections that are unique to Fresco's. I had the Denver Omelet served with potatoes and wheat toast. The wheat toast was according to Tim Calhoon (the husband of Tina the owner) from the local Saturday Market. I also think they used Boar's Head Virginia Ham.  The green peppers, mushrooms and onions were perfectly sautéed before they were added to the omelet. The crescendo was the perfect blend of cheeses melted just right on top.  The Denver Omelet was mouth watering, yummy.

My wife had the Key West Benedict (poached eggs with crab cakes topped with Hollandaise Sauce). The Hollandaise sauce is made from scratch, the flavors were very delicate. The dish was perfectly rich.

They serve good coffee, and they serve it in unique cups for every patron.

And it's not just me and my wife Jessica raving about Fresco's, people's comments on Facebook include:







I just had a piece of the red velvet cake you did for our office today and it was sooooooo good!
I wish I was there...I love that soup and the meatloaf!
I'm sooooo there today!!!!!

Families are welcome in this place. And the restaurant holds parties for kids. The restaurant is handicapped accessible; a man in a motorized wheel chair had no problem getting to the back of the restaurant.

I am glad that they are embracing the community in their display of Lakeland Artists.

The prices are affordable. Breakfast prices range from $4.50 to $9.95.

Lunch prices range from $3.95 to $7.95













Fresco's Serves Up Home 
Check it out this week and let me know if I am correct to make it one of my favorite new restaurants in the 863. Rating: Clucking Real Loud


Sunday, August 29, 2010

5 Things to Cluck About the Music Addition:




  1. EXFM Download... its really good at presenting music to all ya bag-piping music junkies.  
  2. Funky 16 Corners   : Good Source of the Funk.
  3. We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Years :  Great book about the OHIO DIY spirit. 
  4. Punk Rock Radio: Great Punk Rock Music all day long.
  5. Spork: Twist and Shout Records one of the best record stores on the planet.  

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Saturday Note from Gregorio


I went today to Fresco's Bakery and Bistro.   I loved the meal and will be describing it in an upcoming review... as soon as I have the time to write it.  Right now I get to go to work and meet all my great customers.   I hope your day is a blessing and that you find peace and time to try that Peach and Mozzarella Dessert.   Love Gregorio Roth

Friday, August 27, 2010

Boars Head Mozzarella and Peach Dessert (Improvised from a KCRW Los Angeles idea)

Peach and Mozerella Salad
3 large peaches
1 pound Boars Head Mozerella Cheese (can get at Publix, and other grocery stores that carry Boars Head Products(Eg Kroger) 

Several sprigs of Italian basil
A good salad salt, such as Maldon Sea Salt (To Taste)  
Freshly ground black pepper
Roasted salted Emerald Almonds, optional

_____Directions______
Start Grill and set to medium heat.   Allow Grill to heat up for at least 10 minutes.
Cut peaches into 1/8 inch slices.   (The Cut should be thick to stand up to the heat on the grill).  
Place peaches on heated grill. In cast Iron Pan.  Place cheese slice on grill.  
Sprinkle Brown sugar, and Sea Salt  on top of Peaches and Mozzarella.  
Allow cheese to caramelize (Cheese should coming to beautiful auburn brown color.) 
Place carefully onto a plate.   Tear basil and scatter over Mozzarella.  
Top with nuts, if desired. 
Can be served with Ben and Jerry's Creme Brulee Ice cream.  
Makes 6 servings.
Publix would love to slice you a sample of  Boar's Head Mozzarella, 
and Ben and Jerry's Ice cream is BOGO,  be sure to stop buy and get some.... its ohhhhh so good.


Link to Poem: Friend


Although I work for Publix and Boars Head Indirectly this is not a sponsored endorsement of any products mentioned in the review.  I also was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Neither Boars' Head nor Publix have asked me to write this recipe. Nor am I being compensated for my remarks, now or in the future. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Oakland: Colorado County


12.21 spent at Sonoco station in Lakeland Florida, filling up a fraction of my Honda Odyssey's gas tank. 

Gas stations ornately sprinkle the land in bright red, neon, luminescence.

Kerouac on nickels and dimes transcended the arteries that made America.

The highways, byways, and scenic routes of this country; when he ran out of funds he slept where he could. Working at KFC, I knew all was right because Kerouac had come and slept at a gas station nearby. The legend of his sleeping at the corner of State Road 66 was a calling to my need to free myself from the bonds of Longmont Colorado. Not that there was anything wrong with Longmont, I just knew I had to drive away from there.

The yearning was strongest when I turned 16 and I got my driving license. It was like a ghostly song that never quit faded away, and never changed its tune. On and on it went like the picking up of speed as the tires turned against the black pavement.

So I went.

I knew it was all right for my life could be intertwined in the drama started by Kerouac and ending in a back road in Longmont Colorado.

I knew it was all right!

And it was all right!

And it was all right!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Lead Like Ike by Geoff Loftus






"Okay let's go."  And we started another close at Publix Grocery Stores.

 I am usually scheduled to close the Deli at Publix. I look forward to the challenge almost every night, because closing is a difficult task. You need to be able to give 100% of your attention to the customers while being flexible enough to get the cleaning done.

The book Lead like Ike is a great game plan for getting to the much needed success of our store.

Eisenhower began the Longest Day (D-Day) with the words:

"Okay Let's Go"

And he took full responsibility for implementation of the plan.

"Eisenhower's career as D-Day's CEO provides an encyclopedic case study for designing and implementing organizational strategies" ." P xvii  

Lead like Ike was a hard book to read straight through, I had every intention to finish the book quickly, but the book took me a long time to read. The book's narrative did not have enough spice to capture my interest. Lead Like Ike did not create a flow that could not be denied. I am also not sure that this book would be one I could share with my work team, as I think it may bore them silly. But the book is a good resource. I plan to refer to it when I come across a sticky wicket in the Publix Deli.

78 out of a 100 A Hesitant Cluck


I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 




Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Randy Singer Unveils Islam in America







Randy Singer Unveils Islam in America
When the earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion,
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
John 7:53-8:11
Good books are good books. This is a good mystery story in the style of Tom Clancy, Elmore Leonard, Dennis Lehane and G.K. Chesterton.

Singer utilizes good writing, like G.K. Chesterton did before him in the life and times of priests (Father Brown series) who work to uncover crime and the shadows of Christianity's current condition.

Alexander Madison is part lawyer, part pastor, and part time chivalrous swindler. Alex takes a case where a Muslim Imam is accused of instigating honor killings. "Fatal Convictions is a story of lawyer willing to risk it all and the women who must choose between faith and love." Amazon.com

Randy Singer also critiques our Protestant condition in worship. He points out that Christian worship seems to be a circus event where God has left the building. He shows that Islam does not take Christianity seriously because we disgrace God in our worship lived out in our lives. He shows that Islam is willing to worship with their hearts and living out their faith for Allah; while few American Christians are willing to sacrifice anything, and put themselves before God.

Randy Singer's portrayal of Islam is fair and is not a characterization of evil. Americans often see Islam as a group of fanatics who treat their women like dirt. However, Islam is complex. America's flat characterization of Islam is a beast that needs to be slaughtered. We need to learn as much as we can about Islam so that we can intelligently defend our position. Otherwise we appear to be  blabbering dogs barking at shadows passing a wire fence.

This book deserves a definite cluck, cluck, and cluck! I enjoyed reading every page.

I received this book free from Tyndale House Publishers as part of their [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...] : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 


 

Monday, August 23, 2010

Do you paperback?












In the Temple there Were a Lot of Books
So you have you heard the one about the bar and the termite?


A termite walks into a bar and asks, "Is the bartender here?"

Or the story about my bird Theo and her love for books.


She loves books so much that she will eat right through them…. She ate ten pages of James in one bite.


This weekend I went to the mall of the millennium and one of my buddies carried around his I Pad the whole time. Apple has conspired with Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble to get rid of paper based books and replace them with books by download? Are readers and their paperbacks as good as dinosaurs, ready for extinction and possibly fossil fuel in the next ice age. I think not here is why:


Books are simple, they do what you want them to do every time. If they don't then you are probably reading the wrong book.

Books are durable: If you drop books in water they are still useable I am not so sure about my friends I Pad. If I was to drop the IPAD in water it probably would fry the circuit board. The IPAD may also download a virus which will make it impossible to use. It is nearly impossible for a book to catch a virus. Also my friend has to worry about charging it every night; a book can just be left on the bedside table and picked up in the morning for hours of enjoyment.

Books don't make annoying sounds.

Books don't need passwords to be opened up.

Books don't need to be updated by expensive software, or have to buy a case for $45.00 to keep it safe…
In fact books are an incredibly good price, a used book can cost as low as $1.00. Tell me what you can buy for a dollar in this inflated fiscal world.

Books don't run on batteries that only last three hours.

Have I convinced you yet? If not then hey, why don't you test read a book yourself, it's free at the local library; then let me know how it was for you… I would love to hear your tale! Thanks for your time and I hope to see y'all really soon with a book under your arm that you want to tell me about!!

This was written for a Publix/Boars Head Training Assignment I had to give today around 5pm. The assignment was Dynamically Sell something make me want to have some of it... Greg is currently reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte the paperback version...





 

Friday, August 20, 2010

Oakland: Colorado County



Technology is out of control! A giant Crab from the bottom of Lake Okeechobee ate up my Honda Odyssey.....

50 States of Reading: Periodic Table




DE
1777
De Los Santos
Belong to Me
NJ
1787
Walter Dean Myers
Me Mop and the Sundance Kid

 
PA
1787
John Updike
The Early Stories

 
CT
1788
Joseph Plumb Martin
Memoir of a Revolutionary Soldier
GA
1788
Olive Ann Burns
Cold Sassy Tree
MD
1788
Edgar Allen Poe
Complete Stories
MA
1788
Lehane
Drink Before the War
NH
1788
John W. Blos
A Gathering of Days
NY
1797
Henry Miller
Sexus
SC
1788
Peter Matthieson
Shadow Country
VA
1788
Randy Singer
Fatal Attraction

 
NC
1789
Marisha Pessi
Special Topics in Calamity Physics
RI
1790
H.P. Lovecraft
Collections
VT
1791
John Irving
Hotel New Hampshire
KY
1792
Sharon Creech
Chasing Red Bird

 
TN
1796
Cormac Mc Carthy
Suttree
OH
1803
Sherwood Anderson
Wineburg Ohio
LA
1812
Anne Rice
Interview with a Vampire
IN
1816
Kurt Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions
MS
1817
Wm Faulkner

 
The Hamlet
IL
1818
Philip K. Dick

 
The Man In the High Tower

 
AL
1819
Harper Lee

 
To Kill a Mocking Bird
ME
1820

 
Heidi Julavits
Uses of Entertainment
MO
1821

 
Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn
AR
1836
Maya Angelou

 
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
MI
1837
Christopher Curtis

 
Bud Not Budy

 

 

 
FL
1845
Zora Neal Hurston
Their Eyes Were watching God
TX
1845
Larry McMutry
Texasville
IA
1846
Denis Johnson
Jesus's Son
WI
1848
Carl Sandburg
Poetry
CA
1850
Frank Portman
King Dork
MN
1858
Sinclair Lewis
Elmer Gentry
OR
1859
Ken Kessey

 
Sometimes A Great Nation
KS
1861
Wm S. Burroughs

 
The Ticket that Exploded
WV
1863
Glenn Taylor
Marrowbone Marble Company
NV
1867
Sally Denton
The Money and The Power The Making of Las Vegas and Its hold On America
NE
1867
Willa Cather
One of Ours
CO
1876
John Fante
A John Fante Reader
MT
1889
A.B. Guthrie
The Big Sky
ND
1889
Leif Enger
So Brave Young and Handsome
SD
1889
Wilder, Laura Ingles
First Four Years
WA
1889
Shermon Alexie
Ten Little Indians
ID
1890
Marilyn Robinson
House Keeping
WY
1890
Proulx
Wyoming Stories
UT
1896
Edward Abbey
Fools Progress
OK
1907
Jay Hjoro
In Mad Love and War
AZ
1912
Barbara Kingslover,
Animal Dreams
NM
1912
Jon Nichols
Magic Journey
AK
1959
Nancy Lord
The Man Who Swam with Beavers
HI
1959
Kiana Davenport
Song of the Exiles
DC
1800
Edward Albee

 
Zoo Story and other Plays
GU
1898
?
FM
1947
?
PW
1994
?
VI
1917
?
PR
1898
Dr. Rosario Ferre
The Youngest Doll
MH
1899
?
MP
1978
?
Watauga
1778
?
Frkln
1784
?
Msk
1803
?
WstFl
1803
E.O. Wilson
Anthill
RVt
1791
?
IsStm
1835
?
RioG
1840
?
RTx
1845
?
CaR
1846
?
CSA
1865
?
Conch
1982
Hemingway
Old Man and the Sea
?=Books Not Found Yet for Country or Republic so Suggestions Helpful!!!
Stand Alone Republics/Federations Untill Incorporated into the United States
Date is the death of the Republics.

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