The Adventures of Krystal Kid: Florence, Hockey and MEAT!

Monday, March 05, 2007

Florence, Hockey and MEAT!

My trip from Macon to Florence was mostly soggy with occasional lunatics on the highway. I got to my hotel a bit early, so I decided to go grab a late lunch before the game. No, Florence doesn't have a Krystal (yet) so that wasn't an option. I had planned ahead though and gotten a few Chiks before I left Macon.
Driving into Florence on I-20 you can't help but notice the many billboards advertising an Iron Skillet restaurant up ahead with a "20oz ribeye for $9.99!" After the first 4 or 5 signs, the carnivore in me takes over. Just after I checked in, I dropped my stuff in my room and headed north on I-95 to exit 169. From the interstate, you can clearly see the huge red sign declaring that they do, in fact, have 20oz ribeyes for $9.99. My tummy growls with delight as a steer into a parking place.
I grab a booth in the corner and only glance at the menu, thinking I know exactly what I want: MEAT! I am momentarily distracted by the note in the corner of the menu that you can add grilled mushrooms for only $1.75 more. Perhaps one of the few things I will actually put on a steak is mushrooms and/or grilled onions. In my opinion, steak sauce is only good for hiding a poorly prepared steak. (You wont find the 20oz ribeye in the menu linked from their web site, but I assure you they have it.) By the time my waitress, Tina, arrives, I am all ready to go. I order the 20oz ribeye, with the mushrooms. She asks me what my choice of potato is and I go with the mashed potatos and gravy. Lets face it, you need something to caulk between the steak when it's sitting in your stomach.
I admit I was a bit surprised when she told me to "help myself to the soup and salad bar." Normally an invitation like that is very welcome, but not this time. With 20oz of red meat coming I didn't want to fall into the trap of loading up on any of the wimpy foods. I got a small bowl of chicken noodle soup, and waited for my slice of cow to come.

I know it's hard to estimate the size in the picture but it was big and it was thick and it was medium rare. It also never stood a chance! Had I not been in public I would probably have picked it up with my bare hands and eaten it. After some 30+ miles of being teased, tempted, and taunted about the 20oz ribeye, there was no holding back. It was well worth the wait: perfectly cooked, and the mashed taters were very good too. The mushrooms were the perfect addition.
Chock full of chuck, I was off to the hockey game. My first live game this season, I am sad to say. I clicked off a few pictures of the former Macon Trax players who now play for the Florence (Pee Dee) Cyclones, and talked to one who was serving a one game suspension for being a bad boy the previous weekend.
The Cyclones lost the game, mostly due to poor teamwork and an utter lack of defense. Both of these would be common themes for the weekend. But watching even bad hockey is still better than most things in life, so I was happy. I'm sure the pound or so of red meat I had on board didn't hurt my mood either.
Once I got back to my hotel room, I crawled into bed knowing that no matter how good a day of steak and hockey was, tomorrow would be even better....To Be Continued... (Obviously)
Krystal Lovers like it steamy.