I rose at 6:30 EDT (yes, that is 3:30 in Portland time), and this time, it was a bit harder, but I was soon writing and talking to Deborah as we started to form a plan for the day. Saturday had no events, and it felt good to just let it happen. I made coffee in the Keurig machine and started on the blog. I showered, shaved, etc., and soon was in the lobby and ate Thomas’s breakfast, the hotel staffer who does breakfast on Saturday, and thanked him. He said he loves to cook and make this happen. I finished the blog in the lobby and posted it.
Next, I got in Air Hyundai Red and found my way to Deborah’s place in just a few minutes. She was ready, and soon we took the car (a red Sonata) to Detroit. We thought it would be fun to try the Eastern Market today. It was a bright, sunny morning with a cold wind blowing off the lakes. It was Saturday traffic; there were only a few challenging moments when a huge pickup truck would not make room for my hot red Hyundai, an eye-roll moment.
We found parking and walked to the market, discovering that our coats were missed when the wind hit us. But soon, we were inside, and if we walked in the sun, it was comfortable. The market was still starting up, and there were empty spots as farms and other sellers’ products were not ready. It still was terrific and recommended.
We found a Taco place, Jose’s, with deep-fried flour shells for their tacos. Wonderful. Two each was a perfect lighter lunch. We were not hungry for hours. Excellent.
We could not resist the dried mushrooms, some cheese and chocolate, and other goodies from DeVries, Germack, the local nut vendor, who supplied us with various treats. Deborah purchased a large planter stuffed full of growing lettuce. We loaded all of our items in the cargo hold of Air Hyundai Red, left Detroit, and unloaded most at Deborah’s house, with me retaining a few treat items.
We let the dogs out, and they got some food. We spent the afternoon together, finishing our day with dinner at D’Marcos in Rochester. I had spotted the place during the last visit, and Deborah had not been to the next place in this space. She was happy to see how updated the place was. We dropped in with no reservation, expecting to eat at the bar, but a reservation was a no-show, and we got a table for two in the window. Perfect.
Grace was our waiter, and she handled everything, even forgetting wine for my dinner (and then making it up by not charging us), with aplomb. We asked for her thoughts on items, and she was clear about which ones were good. She told us she had worked there for two years and had tasted everything on the menu. Excellent service!
Grace also told us that the staff was short and thus service was crazy. Deborah, when using the Women’s room, found some of the wait staff crying. A new staffer was troubled by the chaos and was trying to get her focus back and fix her makeup. Deborah gave her some encouraging words. Still, with the turmoil and Grace handling what looked like an endless line of tables, our meal was superb.
Deborah had the short ribs, and I had the meatballs and pasta. The pasta was freshly made (likely to order) and just cooked enough to be done. The sauces were not overly spiced or overwhelming. Recommended (even with chaos), but not inexpensive (but still not Long Beach prices).
We returned to Deborah’s place, and the dogs, Trixie and Zelda, were happy to be petted and made happy with food and trips outside. We stayed on the couch and watched “Matlock” (the new one) more. We were on the set last month on a Paramount Studios Tour and still recognized parts we walked through and some painted backdrops. The show is also recommended.
With it being near 11, I took the red car back to the hotel and soon was in bed reading. This time, only painkillers. I was tired and soon put away my Canada-based murder/crime book and fell asleep. I woke at 5:30 to prove hydration and then ignored my 6:30 alarm. I rose after that.
Thanks for reading!
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