I really was excited to go to Ground Zero...even though a few locals had said it was pretty "touristy". I had heard that they had great music and very good food. Well, I heard right on one count...
We were very tired and knew it would not be a late night. But, we wanted dinner. We did catch the sound check/warm-up and the first couple of songs while we ate, and the band was great. Someone told me the next day that the backing musicians were students at the Delta Blues Museum, and had just learned to play over the last few years. Yes, they were young, but - not students to my ears.
We sat at the bar, as the tables were all full. The place does look a little like a juke joint, only bigger. The barstools aren't at a good height for eating. And, if you're hoping for "local flavor" in the crowd - you won't get it here. Ground Zero is a tourists' hangout. There were a few local residents, and I'm sure the staff is local, but no flavor.
There were two young ladies working the bar that night, and no name tags. So, I will refer to them as "the blond" and "the brunette". The place was by no means "overflowing" in capacity. Literally - maybe 50 people, and most of the tables either had their food in front of them, or the remains of their dinners. There were at least 3 servers working the floor. I bring this up because I'm having trouble with the lack of service at the bar - with maybe 5 patrons.
We ordered the Fried Catfish Dinners - pretty standard - catfish fillet, fries, slaw, hushpuppies. I will admit - we ordered our drinks, and needed a few minutes to decide. They also needed to make more iced tea - both sweet and unsweetened (in the South????? at 8:00 PM on a Friday?) The blond dropped off my tea - wrong kind, but things happen. She corrected it later. But, we put the menus down within a minute of my man getting his cocktail and no one asked about our orders until after the iced tea was delivered - probably 10 minutes. The brunette jumped at the chance to take care of the 3 guys who walked up to the bar for beers. And then, stood around looking bored. A few minutes after the blond finally took our order, we were approached from behind (the floor) by someone else asking for our orders.
The food arrived rather quickly, brought by a runner. So - the bartenders weren't required to leave the bar to run their food. I also noticed that each bartender ran her own register. OK - each is responsible for her own drawer. I think the part that aggravated me the most was that the brunette was the closest to us. The blond also had the responsibility of tending to the service bar on top of being our "server" - at the opposite end of the bar. There was no teamwork, no sense of helping out the customer while the other bartender was busy. When the brunette wasn't taking care of the guys wanting beer (which wasn't that often - we were only there about an hour), she was leaning against the backbar - looking at her nails, her split ends - anything but "working".
We will return to Clarksdale, but not to Ground Zero. We prefer places with local flavor - Delta Amusement Blues Cafe across the street comes to mind. It may be a dive, and the service so-so, but it's real - and the food was great.
As for the food at Ground Zero - TV dinners came to mind. The catfish was overcooked, the fries were soggy. The coleslaw was decent - not too runny. The highlight was the hushpuppies - a little bit of spice in them.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Uptown Inn, Clarksdale, MS
We are generally easy travelers. Give us a clean bed and a hot shower, and life is OK. We know that in many towns, there are no 4-star hotels to be had. Clarksdale is one of those towns.
We found Clarksdale a couple of months ago on a journey to New Orleans. The town is NOT to be missed if you venture to Memphis or Tunica. This small city of 20,000 is truly "Ground Zero" for the blues. Clarksdale battles with Rosedale as to which city actually is home to the infamous "Crossroads" where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. In Clarksdale, at the intersection of Highways 61 (yes, THAT Highway 61) and 49 is a monument to the event. It's also the city where legendary blues singer Bessie Smith died after a car accident. "Ground Zero" is a blues club owned in part by nearby resident Morgan Freeman (more on that later).
During our trip in January, we were invited to come back to the local Elks Lodge to do a karaoke show. My partner has a gift - why would anyone agree to pay $400-plus to a couple from Ohio to travel to the Mississippi Delta to do karaoke? But...not complaining at all! It was a great trip, and a chance to do a couple of things we missed in January.
On this trip, we definitely wanted to go to Ground Zero, which is downtown Clarksdale. Responsibility indicated we needed to be within walking distance, in case the night got too long. We chose the Uptown Inn for this reason - it was the closest.
While very inexpensive, it was clean (at least for the first day and a half) and the shower was hot. And...that's it. No service whatsoever.
I don't have a problem with a hotel charging for ice - I understand, municipal water costs money. I don't have a problem with a hotel not making the ice convenient for the customers (and anyone who walks in off the street). What I do have a problem with is doing the above, and not informing the customers that ice is only available at certain hours. Or, more importantly, UNAVAILABLE when the owner chooses to sleep.
We wanted a nightcap when we returned from the gig. The sign at the desk said "Ring Bell for service". It did not say "Don't ring the bell if you want ice." And, don't insult our intelligence by saying that the ice machine is out of order.
Yep...for the simple reason of no ice available in the middle of the night, we will spend our money elsewhere (probably more) the next time we visit Clarksdale.
Oh...and the cockroach I killed in the bathroom an hour before we left.
We found Clarksdale a couple of months ago on a journey to New Orleans. The town is NOT to be missed if you venture to Memphis or Tunica. This small city of 20,000 is truly "Ground Zero" for the blues. Clarksdale battles with Rosedale as to which city actually is home to the infamous "Crossroads" where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. In Clarksdale, at the intersection of Highways 61 (yes, THAT Highway 61) and 49 is a monument to the event. It's also the city where legendary blues singer Bessie Smith died after a car accident. "Ground Zero" is a blues club owned in part by nearby resident Morgan Freeman (more on that later).
During our trip in January, we were invited to come back to the local Elks Lodge to do a karaoke show. My partner has a gift - why would anyone agree to pay $400-plus to a couple from Ohio to travel to the Mississippi Delta to do karaoke? But...not complaining at all! It was a great trip, and a chance to do a couple of things we missed in January.
On this trip, we definitely wanted to go to Ground Zero, which is downtown Clarksdale. Responsibility indicated we needed to be within walking distance, in case the night got too long. We chose the Uptown Inn for this reason - it was the closest.
While very inexpensive, it was clean (at least for the first day and a half) and the shower was hot. And...that's it. No service whatsoever.
I don't have a problem with a hotel charging for ice - I understand, municipal water costs money. I don't have a problem with a hotel not making the ice convenient for the customers (and anyone who walks in off the street). What I do have a problem with is doing the above, and not informing the customers that ice is only available at certain hours. Or, more importantly, UNAVAILABLE when the owner chooses to sleep.
We wanted a nightcap when we returned from the gig. The sign at the desk said "Ring Bell for service". It did not say "Don't ring the bell if you want ice." And, don't insult our intelligence by saying that the ice machine is out of order.
Yep...for the simple reason of no ice available in the middle of the night, we will spend our money elsewhere (probably more) the next time we visit Clarksdale.
Oh...and the cockroach I killed in the bathroom an hour before we left.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Belterra Casino Resort & Spa, Vevay, IN
If you are only interested in the gaming, a casino is a casino is a casino. Belterra doesn't have the largest boat on the Ohio River, their payout rate is comparable to others in Southern Indiana, the buffet is average for this type of venue (but better then Golden Corral or Ryans), and I will admit...they've gotten a LOT of our money!
But, Belterra has done a lot of things to earn our loyalty. We've been patronizing Belterra for about two years, much more frequently in recent months. Being self-employed, it's much easier to run away for a couple of days mid-week. But, we always go back to Belterra. The comped rooms go a long way toward deciding our destination - hey, free rooms are always good. But honestly, with our play, we would get comps anywhere we chose to go.
We continue to drive 3 1/2 hours each way because of the service. Time and again, we can't find anything anywhere in the facility to complain about. We don't golf, we aren't shoppers, we aren't white linen restaurant patrons. And, we aren't "high rollers" - we prefer to think of ourselves as "baby strollers". From the moment we enter the facility, until we pick up our bags at the bell desk on the way out, every employee makes us feel appreciated.
Our first encounter is always the front desk - time to check in. Every staff member we have encountered, even during prime check-in/out times is never anything less than courteous. They have a sense of humor, address us by name at least twice during the conversation (we've never had a registration form shoved in our faces with a terse "sign here") and welcome us BACK. They do their best to accommodate our room requests (we ALWAYS ask for the Old Tower - it has the jacuzzi tubs). Only once were they not able to place us in our requested room. The clerk stated she had given us a "free upgrade". Imagine our surprise to open the door to a large suite! For that room, I was willing to forgo the relaxing jets in the jacuzzi tub.
The housekeeping staff is wonderful! When we encounter them in the hallway, they make a point of doing no less than smiling at us. Most of the time, we will get a pleasant comment of some type - "how are you today?" "good luck", etc.
The maintenance (janitorial) staff on the boat are always pleasant. Most people don't even see these folks as they go about their day - they are sort of invisible. On our last trip, a young man carrying a trash bag on the boat made a point of saying "How are you today?" I truly wish I would have chased him down and gotten his name from his tag, because many employees in that position don't believe hospitality is everyone's job.
The security guards at the entrance make a point of saying "Hello" to everyone entering the boat. If traffic is light, small talk is common.
We've eaten at The Aquarium Cafe and the Ultimate Buffet several times. The cafe menu leans to casual dining, but the staff is 100% white linen. I have never seen or heard anything in the Buffet that would leave me with a bad impression of the service. That staff has my sympathies - personally, I would chase half the customers with a meat cleaver. There's just something about the elderly with a BOGO promo at a buffet - it's kind of frightening to watch. The staff at Starbucks, even with a relatively high turnover, is well-trained and very pleasant.
There are other reasons we enjoy the stay near Vevay, IN. We've found restaurants in the town we like to visit, there is a winery tasting room with a huge deck overlooking the Ohio River, the area is just beautiful for relaxation. We could stay at a hotel in the town, 7 miles from Belterra. We could even stay in a hotel, literally, right across the road. But, we choose Belterra time and again for the way we are treated.
But, Belterra has done a lot of things to earn our loyalty. We've been patronizing Belterra for about two years, much more frequently in recent months. Being self-employed, it's much easier to run away for a couple of days mid-week. But, we always go back to Belterra. The comped rooms go a long way toward deciding our destination - hey, free rooms are always good. But honestly, with our play, we would get comps anywhere we chose to go.
We continue to drive 3 1/2 hours each way because of the service. Time and again, we can't find anything anywhere in the facility to complain about. We don't golf, we aren't shoppers, we aren't white linen restaurant patrons. And, we aren't "high rollers" - we prefer to think of ourselves as "baby strollers". From the moment we enter the facility, until we pick up our bags at the bell desk on the way out, every employee makes us feel appreciated.
Our first encounter is always the front desk - time to check in. Every staff member we have encountered, even during prime check-in/out times is never anything less than courteous. They have a sense of humor, address us by name at least twice during the conversation (we've never had a registration form shoved in our faces with a terse "sign here") and welcome us BACK. They do their best to accommodate our room requests (we ALWAYS ask for the Old Tower - it has the jacuzzi tubs). Only once were they not able to place us in our requested room. The clerk stated she had given us a "free upgrade". Imagine our surprise to open the door to a large suite! For that room, I was willing to forgo the relaxing jets in the jacuzzi tub.
The housekeeping staff is wonderful! When we encounter them in the hallway, they make a point of doing no less than smiling at us. Most of the time, we will get a pleasant comment of some type - "how are you today?" "good luck", etc.
The maintenance (janitorial) staff on the boat are always pleasant. Most people don't even see these folks as they go about their day - they are sort of invisible. On our last trip, a young man carrying a trash bag on the boat made a point of saying "How are you today?" I truly wish I would have chased him down and gotten his name from his tag, because many employees in that position don't believe hospitality is everyone's job.
The security guards at the entrance make a point of saying "Hello" to everyone entering the boat. If traffic is light, small talk is common.
We've eaten at The Aquarium Cafe and the Ultimate Buffet several times. The cafe menu leans to casual dining, but the staff is 100% white linen. I have never seen or heard anything in the Buffet that would leave me with a bad impression of the service. That staff has my sympathies - personally, I would chase half the customers with a meat cleaver. There's just something about the elderly with a BOGO promo at a buffet - it's kind of frightening to watch. The staff at Starbucks, even with a relatively high turnover, is well-trained and very pleasant.
There are other reasons we enjoy the stay near Vevay, IN. We've found restaurants in the town we like to visit, there is a winery tasting room with a huge deck overlooking the Ohio River, the area is just beautiful for relaxation. We could stay at a hotel in the town, 7 miles from Belterra. We could even stay in a hotel, literally, right across the road. But, we choose Belterra time and again for the way we are treated.
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