28 SEP 06: CLUB MED

The Landings shopping center on Sidney Simons Boulevard can be a busy place on weekend nights. No fewer than three nice restaurants are located on the south side of Airport Thruway - and that's not counting the "Big K mart" grill which still may be open.

I received a taste of the action at The Landings the other night - and wound up at the busiest restaurant of all. It surprisingly was NOT the new "Chop House," where the Texas Steakhouse used to be. I guess that's what happens when Atlanta finally misses the baseball playoffs....

There was a 20-minute wait for a table on a Friday night at the Mediterranean Café. I've wanted to dine there for a long time, but a church group changed its plans last spring after the restaurant lost its liquor license for a while. Yes, this church group drinks without shame - but don't you dare ask it to take a salad with real bacon bits on top.

The Mediterranean Café has its liquor license back now, which meant I could wait for my table next door at the Suite 23 bar. "There's no waiting in there," a man told me as I stood outside by myself. The man seemed so concerned, I almost asked if he was the bartender.

"I'm OK," I told the man.

"But there's no waiting!" he pressed on. "They're connected!" I'd never met the man before. I'd never dined at Mediterranean Café before. For all I knew, he could be drunk and lying. Or this might be a homosexual bar - with one desperate customer.

"I can get a drink with dinner," I said quietly to the man. He left after that - apparently not used to someone who's willing to be patient.

So I had 20 minutes to wait, I walked around the Sidney Simons part of The Landings. I confirmed Que Pasa Burrito Company has shut down. It's so tempting to say this restaurant concept ran out of gas....

The 20-minute wait wound up being closer to 40, so I stepped inside Mediterranean Café and sat down in the lobby. A military group was there, as were a couple of families. One mom urged a little daughter: "Go to the window and say goodbye to Lexus." I didn't dare turn to see if that was the name of another girl - or a fancy car near the door.

I'd given the Mediterranean Café's desk crew my last name when I first arrived. But only when I finished a magazine article I was reading and looked up did a woman ask if I was ready for a table. Was she actually waiting on me, even before I had a table?

Once I had that table, I checked the Mediterranean Café's menu. It quickly became clear to me several items would NOT be available on this night. They were served on "a bed of fresh spinach" - and after the recent contamination scare, I'm not sure Popeye is even daring to try that for awhile.

Something else was not available for awhile on this night: glassware. My first soft drink was brought to me in a Styrofoam cup, because no glasses were available for a short time. I tried to reassure the waiter that at least I still had mine -- the glasses I wear for reading.

The evening specials on the Mediterranean Café's lobby board cost between 15 and 17 dollars -- but the menu has a good range of dishes which cost several dollars less. I ordered Chicken Balsamico for $12.95, which came with a "Greek salad" appetizer. Feta cheese on fresh lettuce made the side cup of dark dressing practically unnecessary - so it was a feta-complete.

The Mediterranean Café also serves muffin-sized loaves of bread with dinner, which you can dip in a spicy tomato sauce. It was a bit like Domino's Pizza, only nowhere near as crusty.

Meanwhile, it turned out Suite 23 WAS attached to Mediterranean Café - just up a ramp. A man was playing four decades of pop songs on this night, but one scoffer walked by my table calling it "music in an empty bar." So maybe that man who approached me outside the bar was looking for a receptive audience.

At last the main dish came - and Chicken Balsamico is a good meal for the money. Grilled chicken is served with plump mushrooms and melted cheese on a bed of rice. The plate was so big and packed that I eventually reminded the waiter of what I might say at the Taco Bell being rebuilt down the street: "I'm full."

(I left some rice on my plate, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble to take it home with me. One of these days, the chefs might need it - if they come up with an Italian-style meat loaf.)

With a drink and tip, I dined at Mediterranean Café for about 18 dollars. It seemed nice and intimate -- and affordable, compared with similar restaurants with that format. I could understand why it had people waiting outside on a weekend, while Japanese and U.S. steak houses up the sidewalk did not. Now if they can only find a clapboard, for that guy outside the bar....

E-MAIL UPDATE: As Lonnie Jackson was buried at Fort Benning Wednesday, we found this e-mail about Tuesday's tribute at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park:

Today I went to the memorial of Lonnie Jackson. I didn't know him but, when he would take inmates out to the Veteran's Memorial, he would feed them, befriend them and make them feel like human beings for a while. He did a LOT for this sh**t* city but not one city official showed up to show Columbus' appreciation. They always talk about wanting people to volunteer for everything from literacy to trash pickup; yet, one gets this feeling of being unwelcome or feeling stupid when they do. Well, no more proof in the world was needed to substantiate this fact, than not one soul, from our city government, stepped up to commemerate this man's service. At Lonnie Jackson's memorial this afternoon, the speaker asked if anyone from the city government was there to speak (as if not expecting anyone anyway) and of course, no Columbus elite came forth. After decades of service and kindness, this man was acknowledged by his family, friends and pastors. Praises are due this man and shame on this city.

Perhaps no one from city government attended Tuesday's memorial, but I noticed from watching TV that at least two school board members were at the Vietnam Veterans' Wall. Perhaps they realized how much worse Muscogee County test scores would be, without all those tutorial programs.

It's possible Columbus city officials went to Tuesday's visitation for Lonnie Jackson. I didn't notice any familiar government faces at Wednesday's funeral service, from watching the coverage on WRBL. In fact, the only familiar face I spotted was Fourth Street Baptist Church Pastor J.H. Flakes -- and I must say, there's never much trash to pick up around his building.

For some reason, the funeral for Lonnie Jackson was held at Franchise Missionary Baptist Church in Phenix City. So the slow trend away from Columbus continues - although it seems odd comparing Lonnie Jackson to a professional wrestling troupe....

I didn't realize until this e-mail arrived that Lonnie Jackson took inmates to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Park. If you can't get groups to volunteer and serve, you find "volunteers" who have no choice in the matter.

By the way, did you notice the picture of Lonnie Jackson at Tuesday night's memorial service? It showed him wearing a Georgia Tech hat - which seemed strange, because I always saw him wearing hats recalling his years in the Army. I can't help wondering if Jackson had a personal rivalry with Jim Rhodes, to have the biggest cap closet.

BLOG UPDATE: Maybe the candidates for Columbus Mayor missed the memorial because they're too busy campaigning. Well, make that SHOULD BE busy campaigning. A TV news reporter took pictures of the main contenders around town Wednesday -- and many people didn't recognize either one! So much for my buying ad time on the government access cable channel....

One ordinary resident was shown a picture of mayoral challenger Jim Wetherington, and thought he was Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. No, these two candidates are very different. For one thing, absolutely no one expects Wetherington to promise a tax cut.

Jim Wetherington was asked about the comparison with Sonny Perdue, and he said he's "not ready to run for Governor." He's not?!?! Wetherington spent time as Georgia's Corrections Commissioner - and people have run for Governor with less government experience than that. Not that it helped Guy Millner, of course....

Mayor Bob Poydasheff seemed a bit embarrassed when he learned some people didn't recognize his face. He said in the last four years, he's been "everywhere." Of course, some folks would say that's the problem - because he's taken a couple of vacations outside the country.

(Aren't people noticing the billboards around town with Mayor Poydasheff's face? Or have political signs become the latest victim of drivers with cell phones?)

With 40 days left before Election Day, some people are surprised there hasn't been more aggressive campaigning by the candidates for mayor. But that's what makes Columbus a "town" and not a city. Even the attack ads start a little slower here.

Jim Wetherington says he plans to run TV commercials, but not until the last three weeks of the campaign. I can see it now. Wetherington's ads will appear during "Cops," while Bob Poydasheff's ads promoting another city sales tax will appear during "The Price is Right."

Someone else who saw that report about the candidates for mayor vented to us about it quickly:

I just watch WTVM 6 O'clock news and the story about the Columbus ' Mayor's race. They only mentioned 2 candidates running, they only interviewed 2 candidates, they only announced 2 candidates to be at the debate coming up in October. I keep saying 2 because of the comments Paul made on that One sided talk radio.

When Paul mentioned about WTVM Lee Brantley leaving out The write in Candidate for Columbus Mayor's race, the Female Host basically called him a liar, over and over.

Paul is correct and the Radio Talk show is only there to Promote the current Mayor, that is Crystal Clear.

Bert already has his back against the wall and for stunts like to this show up, you have to ask yourself - why try here any more

from

Pist off listener and viewer

From what I'm hearing, Paul is correct. Burt Coker will NOT be part of the October 19 debate at the RiverCenter - and the reason is because he IS a write-in candidate, who didn't file for mayor in the "usual way" the other two did. If you don't decide to run on time, how long might police officers be kept waiting for a raise?

And besides - have YOU seen Burt Coker's picture anywhere since he announced the write-in campaign? If ordinary citizens can't identify the incumbent mayor, Coker might as well be running with a wrestling mask on.

SCHEDULED FRIDAY: A city near Columbus develops green can fever....

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