Monday, December 22, 2014

Romeo Lunch 12-17-14

The Romeo gang met for lunch on Wednesday, December 17 at Turner’s Seafood in Salem, MA at 12 noon.  Turner’s is located at 43 Church Street. There is a parking lot and a parking garage nearby. Go to www.turners-seafood.com for more information.

I arrived in Salem at about 12 noon and drove by the restaurant looking for parking. There was a big municipal lot on the left. I drove in and found all the spots numbered and several metered machines located around the lot. I parked and remembered the spot number and walked to the machine. It only took exact change, no refunds and credit cards. It was $1.00 per hour and the smallest bill in my wallet was $10.00. I rummaged through the car and found $2.00 in quarters which would give me two hours. Later Jim told everyone there was a nearby lot that only charges 25 cents an hour. Thanks Jim (xyz!!!!!??????). Better late than never.

I entered the restaurant and found Ed and Joe L. at a table. Later the rest of the gang arrived. Seven Romeos were present including, Jim Terlizzi, Paul Girard, Joe Lapiana, Ed DeSchuytner, Mark Ryan, Steve Winter and Joe Pignatiello.  You can see photos at my Picasa Web Site, just click …. Romeo Lunch 12-17-14

The waiter was very attentive and took drink orders from everyone that included beer, soda, martinis and manhattans. Drinks arrived quickly and bread was served in baskets with pads of butter. We read the menus and ordered.  Since this was a fish place I assumed it would be great and ordered the Seafood Medley along with Joe L. and Ed. The others ordered the Portuguese Stew and Veal Picatta. Joe P. and Steve also ordered chowder and salad.  Jim asked if they had Finnan Haddie (A Favorite Scottish Smoked Fish Dish - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnan_haddie ). The waiter checked, but it was only available at Dinner Prices. Jim declined and ordered his favorite (Picatta).

The food came in a short time and I was immediately surprized at the small portions on the dishes. I know this is lunch, but give me a break. I get more at McDonald’s.

The Seafood Medley was tiny and included (three tiny shrimp, a few tiny bay scallops and a one inch by two inch piece of fish). It was all very dry and had no flavour. We asked the waiter about the side of mixed vegetables which was supposed to include zucchini). The side only had two pieces of cauliflower and two slivers of carrots. The waiter said he would check and came back with three small bowls of spinach ?????   The Portuguese Stew was also tasteless and the chowder had a pungent Smokey taste. Needless to say, we were very unhappy with the meal.  

The conversation however was lively and bounced around the table. The usual items were covered including sports, trips, politics, movies, books, and home life.

Joe P. went skiing last week and had a great time. He will again volunteer at the ski clinic for disabled veterans next month. Jim said he got a ski package out west and was looking forward to it.  Joe L. said he booked a river cruise for the spring.

I said I saw a prize give away on TV for a trip to the Azores. Joe P. said that he had been there and it was beautiful. It was similar to Hawaii. I think he said that a plumber friend has a house there that he visited and was able to show Joe the special island sites. It’s only a 4 hour plane ride from Boston just off the coast of Spain.

We then talked about snow. Joe L. said he needs a new snow blower but is waiting. He got a price for plowing his driveway for $100 a storm or $700 for the season even if no snow. Jim said he would get a blower but he doesn’t have that much area to plow and no place to store it. Joe L and I said we normally spend 2 hours snow blowing our driveways.

My snow blower wouldn’t start this year, it was clogged with old stagnant gas. Ed said you can use a gas stabilizer or a new product with an Enzyme Additive that keeps the gas fresh.  I had my neighbour across the street give me a tune-up on the snow blower and it works great now. He has a small part-time business fixing small engines that he runs out of his garage. He also has a Bobcat with a plow and plows a few driveways in the neighbourhood after snow storms. He charges only $30 each storm, as a favor. He does the driveway and I do the walkways with my snow blower.  We then said we had generators to help with power outages during storms. Ed said he has one that comes on automatically when the power goes out and is run by propane.

Jim mentioned that he recently saw two movies that he recommended (Whiplash and Nightcrawler).  I mentioned that I have read some good books recently. One was “The Street Lawyer” by John Grisholm. It’s about the sad fate of Homeless People living on the street in most cities.

Joe L. mentioned that the price of gas keeps falling and recently was $2.55 per gallon. It’s now $2.47 in my neighbourhood. On the news I saw it was less than $2.00 a gallon in several southern states.

We then talked about where to meet next time. The restaurant Artichokes in Wakefield was mentioned.  Jim T. will send you all an email with time and date.

Joe P. gave us some sad news and said that our friend Jack Ahearn had passed. He was a sales rep for Prentice Hall. You can read the obit below……  http://m.legacy.com/obituaries/BostonGlobe/obituary.aspx?n=JOHN-S-AHEARN&pid=173347366&referrer=1232&preview=True


Comments and Suggestions Welcome:   markryan82@comcast.net

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