A commoner reviews Olympia Steak & Seafood, Blytheville, Ark.

Before I begin my review of this restaurant, I want to say a little about the town of Blytheville, Ark., itself and the experiences I have traditionally had there. 

I have nothing against Blytheville per se, but for some reason bad weather and bad experiences have a way of finding me here.  For example, on my way to New Orleans for wedding #2, our car broke down on the Missouri-Arkansas state line.  We got towed to Blytheville, and our trip was delayed by a day.  And nine times out of 10, or so it seems, I drive through downpours in Blytheville on my way to Memphis (well, maybe it’s the Beale Street Music Festival itself that is cursed with massive rainfall). 

On to our drive back from New Orleans last month (it was the first day of December), and on a clear evening we approached Blytheville eager to find something to eat.  And if you’ve ever driven Interstate 55, and you miss your chance to stop in Memphis, you know there’s a whole lot of nothing between Memphis and Blytheville.  We were trying to avoid the chain restaurants and fast food, and although it wasn’t easy to find it after we saw it on the other side of the interstate, something made us decide to try Olympia.

A Big Easy birthday bar crawl

Considering how it’s been almost a month since my birthday, I figured I’d better wrap up the series of New Orleans blogs with the night of bar hopping that concluded the trip (well, except for the following day we used to recover).

As fate would have it, I was accompanied on my drinking tour by a mysterious and exotic Gypsy who happened to be falling more in love with New Orleans with every day we spent there.  Lucky me, as it bodes well for our future, no doubt J.  We began the night still full from our Jazz brunch at Court of Two Sisters, which served as a good base.  I would eventually need it, too because I didn’t start lightly.

First stop:  Pat O’Brien’s and their main bar to the left side of the entrance on St. Peter Street.  The drinks are always a little cheaper there than if you order them in the courtyard of piano bar.  It was a chilly night, so sitting beside the flaming fountain in the courtyard wasn’t going to make or break the experience.  Besides, you get plenty of bar feel inside with the enough German beer steins hanging everywhere from the ceiling and classic pictures dotting the walls from years gone by.  I started with a signature hurricane …

Things Discussed at the Brewhaus, Episode IV: A New Hope

We interrupt our regularly scheduled series of New Orleans blogs for a new list of fascinating and thought-provoking subjects discussed within the past few weeks at my favorite watering hole: 

A Big Easy birthday brunch

I figured I should get around to posting about my birthday before my memory begins to fail me.  Besides, I lost enough brain cells that night as it was.  New Orleans is a city that celebrates gluttony, and I certainly did my part on my birthday.  And, as fate would have it, I was accompanied by a mysterious and exotic Gypsy who helped me along the way.

As my last blog entry might have led you to believe, we got a late start to the day (I didn’t even cover dinner and bar hopping from the night before … perhaps fodder for another future blog?).  But we started it off in style with the famous jazz buffet brunch at Court of Two Sisters.  What makes it a jazz brunch?  These folks …