BURKARD'S BLOG
I searched on the Internet months ago, and found no one keeping a blog about events in Columbus, Georgia. (Well, other than a 15-year-old high school student, and who knows how much he pays attention to the news?) So being the hip web-savvy guy that I am, I decided to start a blog of my own - chronicling happenings in the town I've called home for six years, as well as my experiences in it.
But be warned.... I used to have a humor service called LaughLine.Com, so my views may be a bit amusing. And the views are my own; no one has paid me to present theirs. Pressured, yes - but paid, no.
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15 AUG 03: MR. OPENING NIGHT
The producer of my CD recording session happened to be a pianist at Thursday night's "grand opening" at Miriam's on 13th Street. He invited me to go, so I did - figuring if nobody knew my name, they'd know his and let me in.
I was puzzled by the producer using the words "grand opening" with Miriam's. After all, Miriam Tidwell has had a café on 13th Street for years. For all I knew, she could have been opening a drive-through lane.
It turns out Miriam's is opening something new, on an upstairs level next to her main restaurant. It's "Miriam's Tapas at the Village." What a shame Gregory Hines couldn't live a few more days, to see this....
But seriously: a "tapa" is defined by Miriam's literature as a "small savory Spanish dish." Ohhhhh. I thought that referred to that good-looking young woman reading the news in Spanish on TV-16.
Some of the workers at Miriam's wore T-shirts at the grand opening, taking pains to point out it's tapas - "NOT TOPLESS!" Aw, c'mon! Why can't she open a restaurant on Victory Drive?
I never saw the producer/pianist at the grand opening - but on the balcony at Miriam's Tapas at the Village, I spotted a man playing saxophone to taped jazz music. What do you call this, "sax-aoke?"
(Perhaps for this occasion, he decided to play with a tape-a.)
It was also a delight to see Riley Yielding making music outside at the grand opening. On one song, he played both the guitar and harmonica. If Yielding had been in New York Thursday night, he could have made a fortune performing on blacked-out Broadway.
Perhaps the most jarring thing about the Miriam's grand opening was the sight of a pack of Basic cigarettes on an outdoor table. After all, Miriam's is a leader in the drive for smoke-free restaurants in Columbus. What barbecue places would do if this became a citywide law, I have no idea....
We schmoozed at Miriam's on chicken strips and wings - only the strips had no mustard or other sauce. Maybe they were beer-battered, and I was supposed to dunk them in a beer cup.
Miriam's also had a table where you could sign up for gift baskets - by using a "Tidwell Cancer Treatment Center" pen.
Somehow, I had not connected Miriam Tidwell with this center before. She's been so much more vocal about Fort Benning, I expected government-issue army pens instead.
Don't forget you can rent a room at Miriam's for your party or special event - BUT at a price. Miriam's Tapas at the Village requires a $500 minimum commitment for food and beverages. So it's perfect for SOA Watch protesters, ending a weekend fast.
So what's all this stuff about "the Village?" A row of businesses including Miriam's on 13th Street is getting a fancy new look and image - only parking for the complex isn't paved yet. We've had so much rain this summer that construction crews may have to resort to hair dryers to get finished.
COMING SOON: Another scenic Sunday drive.... Where will we go this time?