Working Stiff

Guess what? I have returned to work. I loved being retired and I look forward to re-retiring in a few weeks, but I couldn't resist being invited back to fill in for a couple of colleagues who are out of the office for personal reasons.

I now can boast banker's hours (10am-3pm), short weeks (Mon-Thurs only) and a nice little salary for doing what I would have happily done for free. See what I mean about being so amazingly lucky?

And, as if that wasn't enough practically my first day back in the Civic Center, I was introduced to a new-to-me restaurant in that neck of the woods, Brenda's French Soul Food on Polk Street. This place, for all it is teeny-tiny and incredibly noisy and has long lines at lunch time, is a wonderful cut above any other restaurant within easy walking distance of my work. The menu is N'awlins Creole-French - beignets are on all menus - and delightfully different.

On my first visit, I chose - yes, again! - shrimp and grits, figuring this would make a fun comparison with those I had tried in the South last fall. This dish was quite different, with almost-smooth white grits covered in melted cheddar cheese and colorfully presented next to a very generous portion of sweet shrimp in a mildly spicy roux topped with a tickle of green onion.

I also had a sip of their watermelon iced tea (very fresh and tasty), a bite of an apple beignet (a perfect breakfast for next time) and their signature savory crawfish beignet (an interesting twist with eye-opening heat) - I will be back for more!

Don't go there if you are short on time - I literally had 10 minutes to eat in my lunch hour due to the wait - but if you have time to wait a bit for a table, I can highly recommend both returning briefly to work and eating at Brenda's.