Papi's Cuban & Caribbean Grill

I finally got a chance to try Papi's today! I have been trying to fit it in for a while now.

As I entered, I noticed the small diner atmosphere with a Cuban accent. I heard the island music playing as I decided where to sit. There were three choices, the main dining room which shared space with an open kitchen, the patio, or the bar area. I sat in the main dining room.

Aside from one server, everyone working there spoke Spanish as their first language. That was good, because it added to the authenticity. Once I sat down, I was taken care of by multiple servers. I had no wait. My food was on my table within five minutes.

If you like Cuban/Caribbean food, this is the place. I ordered the Jerk Chicken special. It came with a very small salad, bread, white rice and black beans. The jerk chicken was extremely spicy. My sinuses were clear after just a few bites. I felt the sweat bead up on my forehead. Like spicy food? Give that dish a shot. By the way, Coca~Cola just enhances the effect.

The food was good, the service was fantastic. I will go back, but I will also try a different dish.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Friday, I went to Buffalo Wild Wings at 125 Ernest Barrett Pkwy in Marietta. I showed up just after 2 pm.

This restaurant is your typical sports bar and grill, complete with the stale beer smell, tvs everywhere you look, and high, dark ceilings.

My server, Carrie, was the highlight of the visit. Her attention was consistent and sincere. Carrie was quick and helpful. The only thing she didn't do was protect me from my order.

I ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger and fries. Note to self: when visiting a place with wings in their name, order wings. The cheeseburger was cold. When it was hot, it was probably tasty, but this one tasted as though it had been cooked for the lunch rush at 1pm, and held in a warmer until someone was unfortunate enough to order it.

I will return to make sure I got a true picture, but I won't order anything unless I know for sure it had to be cooked fresh.

Little Azio

Becca met me at the counter, just inside the door, smiled big, bright blue eyes wide open as she explained the menu to me. It was my first time here.

Little Azio is one of a handful of restaurants in The Village at Townpark, at 600 Chastain Rd in Kennesaw.

After some deliberation, I ordered a 12 inch pepperoni pizza. I took my number and found a seat. It was 1:00 on a Friday afternoon, but I had no trouble getting a table. That could be a bad sign.

Less than ten minutes later, my pizza came out of the brick oven. All of their pizzas are wafer thin. My pizza had more cheese than anything else. It tasted great, but I prefer thicker pizza.

The total cost of my pizza and a coke was just over $11. That's a little pricey for a work lunch, but to be fair there were other choices (salads, etc.). Becca was very pleasant and patient, and the service was good. If I go back, I will order something else, mainly because of the price.

Highlands Grill

I drove up Busbee to the Highlands Grill. The parking lot sits just across from Town Center Mall, with a traffic light at the entrance, and that was a good thing. Upon entering, I saw that this was a sports bar in the old sense. The dining area was wide open , with booths along the walls and tables encircling the centerpiece bar. The room was all dark wood, and had high ceilings, also dark. It was after two pm, so the place was quiet.

The sign said seat yourself, so I chose a booth away from everything, and started taking advantage of the free WiFi.

Brian, the manager on duty, brought me a menu. I quickly saw that most everything was $7.50 or less. I ordered a coke, and read the menu. When Brian returned, I ordered a steak and cheese with fries.

Going to a restaurant in the middle of the afternoon is great, because you get undivided attention. There were only two other patrons, so service was quick. Brian soon returned with my sandwich and fries (there were a ton of fries on the plate, and they were good). Brian never let my coke glass go empty. I'd like to see how quick the service is when the place is busy. Brian tells me it doesn't usually get very busy until late, after other restaurants close. I'm not much of a late eater, but I am sure that the late night business has less to do with the food than the bar.

Overall, the food was good, the service excellent, and the atmosphere a musty old school sports bar feel. I'll be giving Highlands another visit, next time during a busier shift.

The Gift is in the Giving

Early Christmas week, my daughter Bethany and I drove up the interstate to deliver presents to John (Jamie's son). About halfway there, we stopped to meet Donna, an old friend and wonderful person, who had baked cookies for us to take.

Beth and I drove the rest of the way talking about giving. We had seen some things this Christmas that reminded us of how we should act EVERY day. We hear so much about the few bad apples that the beauty of the season and the positive emotions that it brings to most people gets overshadowed.

I can tell you that my friends touched my heart. One co-worker slipped her cash in my hand when she saw me shopping for John. Another young cashier had heard what was going on as she was headed home. A half hour later she returned with a great present. A woman who saw the transaction asked what was going on, and offered up her prayers as she would not be able to get back to me before I left for Jamie's house. A local person who had read my blog contacted me to let me know that she too had a gift for us to deliver. And it goes on.

When we arrived, Jamie met us at the door. John was right behind him. Jamie invited us in, and as we handed him the gifts, John asked "Are those for us?!?" , and Jamie told him that we had brought him presents. We watched John put the presents under the tree while Jamie told us about their trip to Kentucky to visit his wife's parents. I can't begin to imagine how hard that was.

Jamie asked if we'd like to watch John open his gifts. I said no. We'd rather he opened them on Christmas morning. Jamie's eyes welled up as Beth and I headed out the door.

Years ago, my grandmother had taught me that the gift is in the giving.

If she could have seen the look on Jamie's face and the excitement and love that John expressed, she would have cried and said, "see?".

Thank you, Jamie, for allowing us to receive this gift. May your New Year be blessed with peace.

Help. This child's circumstances hurt my heart.

This morning I had the opportunity to meet Jamie. He had come to our store (I am in retail mgmnt) when we opened, and came back later (he lives about an hour's drive away) when there was a problem with his product.

Jamie told me he was trying to make this a good Christmas for his 5 year old son (John S). He looked like he wanted to tell me something. I asked if he was okay. He looked at me, paused, and said "Last month, my wife died. She died on the 8th, our anniversary was the 18th, then Thanksgiving, now Christmas. I've had better days.".

I have no idea of Jamie's financial status. I do know that my heart broke. I intend to deliver some toys to Jamie's son John. It has to be hard for Jamie to concentrate. If I can do something small to make his son have a good day, I want to.

Jamie said he'd seen better days, but I am sure he will have even harder days ahead.

I am not asking for anything but prayer. If any of my friends feel the urge to help, wonderful (you can e-mail me at johncbickford@gmail.com).

Merry Christmas to you all - John

Christmas future is far away, Christmas past is past, Christmas present is here today, bringing joy that may last...

What a great attitude adjustment song! This is Carpe Diem with a Dickensian twist! Through traditions, we can emulate prior Christmases, but we cannot relive them. Through planning, we can prepare for Christmases to come, but a lot can happen between now and then.

I have figured out for myself that I don't have to overdo. I don't have to overspend. I simply have to make an attempt to make our Christmas happy. That needs to be my focus.

THIS MOMENT, THIS CHRISTMAS, slow down and make someone happy. You will find that by making someone's Christmas merry, yours stands that much better a chance of turning out merry as well.

Merry Christmas, from my family to yours!