Just for Giggles: Here's the Dataw Club Menu for 7/1/2023

[jmcquown]

Soup of the Day
Chicken Noodle Soup
Roasted Vegetable & Tomato Soup
(Vegan) (Gluten Free)
(No price given)

Lunch Features

Flat Bread Pizza
Pepperoni| Sausage|
3Cheese Blend| Arugula|
Balsamic Drizzle
$10.50

Grill Chicken Pesto Wrap
Tomato| Arugula| Avocado
Choice of Side [if memory serves, that would be white or sweet potato fries]
$12.50

Dinner Appetizer
Bowl of Cajun Boiled peanuts
$5.00

Dinner Features

12 oz New York Strip
Onion Gravy, Buttery Mash Potatoes,
Cheesy Broccoli
$34.00

Low Country Boil
Peel and eat Shrimp, Red Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Kielbasa Sausage,
Old Bay Shellfish Broth
$26.00

Any questions? ;)

Jill

[Ed P]

Yes, I have a question. Why would anyone pay $5 for boiled peanuts? Of
for any of the other items? Nothing sounds very exciting.

[Hank Rogers]

Yes. What will you be having?

[Hank Rogers]

Maybe Gary can post the McDonald's menu. That would be more
exciting.

[Michael Trew]

On 7/1/2023 11:02 AM, jmcquown wrote:

> Soup of the Day
> Chicken Noodle Soup
> Roasted Vegetable & Tomato Soup
> (Vegan) (Gluten Free)
> (No price given)
>
> Lunch Features
>
> Flat Bread Pizza
> Pepperoni| Sausage|
> 3Cheese Blend| Arugula|
> Balsamic Drizzle
> $10.50
>
> Grill Chicken Pesto Wrap
> Tomato| Arugula| Avocado
> Choice of Side [if memory serves, that would be white or sweet potato
> fries]
> $12.50
>
> Dinner Appetizer
> Bowl of Cajun Boiled peanuts
> $5.00

Those Cajun boiled peanuts and the chicken pesto wrap sound really good.
I'll take the sweet potato fries!

> Dinner Features
>
> 12 oz New York Strip
> Onion Gravy, Buttery Mash Potatoes,
> Cheesy Broccoli
> $34.00
>
> Low Country Boil
> Peel and eat Shrimp, Red Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Kielbasa Sausage,
> Old Bay Shellfish Broth
> $26.00
>
> Any questions? ;)
>
> Jill

I'm sure you've made Hank happy. He misses the royal club menu posts!

Question: Did you order any of the above, or just glance at the menu?

[jmcquown]

That caught my attention for sure, Ed. Since when are boiled peanuts
(no matter how they're spiced) an appetizer?

Jill

[jmcquown]

They email the menus. I haven't eaten at the club in several years.

Jill

[Bryan Simmons]

Didn't they require that you spend a certain amount there
per month? I guess they got rid of that.
>
> Jill

--Bryan

[dsi1]

My guess is that she got banned from eating at the club. The menu seems to be tailored for people that want a reliable place to eat every day. It's a limited menu with prices suitable for a retirement community. If you want fancy food, you go off-island. It looks like a nice place to live - if you're of a certain persuasion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee81XRqo1_o

[GM]

By " certain persuasion ", are you implying that Jill is a " lesbian "...???

--
GM

[Bruce]

On Sun, 2 Jul 2023 08:52:24 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 <dsi...@hawaiiantel.net>

The surrounding nature looks nice. But it would be weird to live
surrounded by 50% Trump voters. I'd be looking at everybody with one
eye closed. o.O

[Sqwertz]

Everybody overlooked gravy on a strip steak - SHEESH. It should
be GRAVY on the POTATOES, BUTTER on the broccoli, and CHEESE IN
the POTATOES. Gravy on a steak means they can't grill a steak
worth a shit.

I rest my case.

-sw

[jmcquown]

On 7/2/2023 4:17 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 11:02:24 -0400, jmcquown wrote:
>
>>
>> Dinner Features
>>
>> 12 oz New York Strip
>> Onion Gravy, Buttery Mash Potatoes,
>> Cheesy Broccoli
>> $34.00
>>

>> Any questions? ;)
>
> Everybody overlooked gravy on a strip steak - SHEESH. It should
> be GRAVY on the POTATOES, BUTTER on the broccoli, and CHEESE IN
> the POTATOES. Gravy on a steak means they can't grill a steak
> worth a shit.
>
> I rest my case.
>
> -sw

Agreed. No way in hell is the NY Strip dinner worth $34, either. I'd
sear or grill the strip steak, skip the gravy, make cheese-mashed
potatoes and buttered broccoli.

Jill

[Dave Smith]

Overlooked that or just passed over it? I can tell you that I cringed at
that. I had to translate that into CDN prices and it was a little high
for a NY strip, especially one that they need to put gravy on. No
thanks. I don't like Pesto with chicken. I got sucked into trying it on
a plane a few years ago and was not impressed. I don't go out for flat
bread pizza.

The last time I had steak was just over a month ago, and that was in
Paris. My wife had a NY strip steak for 24 Euro ($32 Cdn, $24 American)
and I had a pepper steak made with flank for 17 Euro ($24 Cdn, $18 US).
Both were tender and delicious.

Jill's club might be handy for retirees who want to have a few drinks
and not have to drive home, but their prices seem high and the food menu
offerings are unappealing.

[jmcquown]

On 7/2/2023 6:15 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2023-07-02 4:17 p.m., Sqwertz wrote:
>> On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 11:02:24 -0400, jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> Dinner Features
>>>
>>> 12 oz New York Strip
>>> Onion Gravy, Buttery Mash Potatoes,
>>> Cheesy Broccoli
>>> $34.00
>>>
>>>

>>> Any questions? ;)
>>
>> Everybody overlooked gravy on a strip steak - SHEESH.  It should
>> be GRAVY on the POTATOES, BUTTER on the broccoli, and CHEESE IN
>> the POTATOES.  Gravy on a steak means they can't grill a steak
>> worth a shit.
>>
>> I rest my case.
>>
>
>
> Overlooked that or just passed over it? I can tell you that I cringed at
> that.  I had to translate that into CDN prices and it was a little high
> for a NY strip, especially one that they need to put gravy on.  No
> thanks.  I don't like Pesto with chicken. I got sucked into trying it on
> a plane a few years ago and was not impressed. I don't go out for flat
> bread pizza.
>
> The last time I had steak was just over a month ago, and that was in
> Paris. My wife had a NY strip steak for 24 Euro ($32  Cdn, $24 American)
> and I had a pepper steak made with flank for 17 Euro ($24 Cdn, $18 US).
> Both were tender and delicious.
>
> Jill's club might be handy for retirees who want to have a few drinks
> and not have to drive home, but their prices seem high and the food menu
> offerings are unappealing.
>

Most of the people I know who go to the club are driving golf carts so
yeah, they go have a few drinks and don't worry about drunk driving.

The food has never been that impressive. The only thing I really
remember (and we're talking 1989-ish) is the butternut squash soup I had
when I was visiting my parents way back when. I went back to TN and
re-created it, but mine was better. Low Country Boil, you can get that
in just about any restaurant in the area. The thing is, I regularly see
US Foods and Sysco trucks bringing in the food when I'm leaving for work
in the mornings. They aren't cooking this stuff from scratch.

Jill

[Bruce]

On Sun, 2 Jul 2023 19:22:01 -0400, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net>
wrote:

>The food has never been that impressive. The only thing I really
>remember (and we're talking 1989-ish) is the butternut squash soup I had
>when I was visiting my parents way back when. I went back to TN and
>re-created it, but mine was better. Low Country Boil, you can get that
>in just about any restaurant in the area. The thing is, I regularly see
>US Foods and Sysco trucks bringing in the food when I'm leaving for work
>in the mornings. They aren't cooking this stuff from scratch.

Look at it from a Hawaiian perspective: At least you're not starving
to death! Food is food! Food is survival!

[Dave Smith]

On 2023-07-02 7:22 p.m., jmcquown wrote:
> On 7/2/2023 6:15 PM, Dave Smith wrote:

>> Jill's club might be handy for retirees who want to have a few drinks
>> and not have to drive home, but their prices seem high and the food
>> menu offerings are unappealing.
>>
> Most of the people I know who go to the club are driving golf carts so
> yeah, they go have a few drinks and don't worry about drunk driving.
>
> The food has never been that impressive.  The only thing I really
> remember (and we're talking 1989-ish) is the butternut squash soup I had
> when I was visiting my parents way back when.  I went back to TN and
> re-created it, but mine was better.

I am not a great soup maker but have had great success with butternut
squash soup, so that might suggest that it is a hard one to screw up.

>  Low Country Boil, you can get that
> in just about any restaurant in the area.  The thing is, I regularly see
> US Foods and Sysco trucks bringing in the food when I'm leaving for work
> in the mornings.  They aren't cooking this stuff from scratch.

I had in a place near Tybee Island. It was a meal for two and a lot
cheaper than the club's price. I don't know about the club's serving
size, but this one was a bounteous feed. We had to struggle to get
through it, and I don't think we even bothered with the corn.

[GM]

"...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... Honey, I need some more NEMBUTAL.. zzzzzzzzzzzzzz..."

--
GM

[Ed P]

On 7/2/2023 7:22 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> Most of the people I know who go to the club are driving golf carts so
> yeah, they go have a few drinks and don't worry about drunk driving.
>>

> Jill

In Florida, The Villages is a town of mostly retired people. They also
use golf cats but there has been quite a few DUI arrests and a couple of
serious accidents.

Can you drink and drive a golf cart in the villages?
Florida law prohibits driving a golf cart while intoxicated, and the
penalties are the same as for driving a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
While a driver's license is not required to operate a golf cart, a
conviction for DUI in a golf cart can lead to loss of one's license to
drive a car.

[Dave Smith]

It;s the same in Ontario. You can be nailed for DUI in any kind of
vehicle. If you get suspended for drunk driving you can't drive around
in a golf cart of motorized scooter.

[jmcquown]

I don't know since I don't own a golf cart and I don't drive around
drunk but I do know a driver's license is required to operate a golf cart.

Jill

[Michael Trew]

On 7/2/2023 7:22 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> On 7/2/2023 6:15 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
>>
>> Jill's club might be handy for retirees who want to have a few drinks
>> and not have to drive home, but their prices seem high and the food
>> menu offerings are unappealing.
>>
> Most of the people I know who go to the club are driving golf carts so
> yeah, they go have a few drinks and don't worry about drunk driving.

When I was in Florida, my last stop was at my great aunt and uncle's
house in Sarasota. We had dinner at their bar/club type thing. From
what I gather, it's very similar to where you live. They live in a
pricey golfing community, with a guard at the gate. I was drilled with
questions before I was allowed in... then again, they probably don't get
many visitors in beat up 30 year old economy cars. Even the Mexicans
doing the landscaping had late-model trucks. My great uncle is mostly
blind, but he always drives a golf cart around, because I guess that's
still allowed.

Anyway, the club food was pricey, and it wasn't terribly exciting,
although my Reuben was just fine. They aren't required to spend a
minimum there, but they do require everyone to put money forward to
improve the building and grounds. The residents passed the vote, and
each household has to put several *thousand* dollars forward to totally
renovate and expand the bar/restaurant (community was built in the late
90's)... on top of the hefty HOA fees for living there.

[Cindy Hamilton]

The trucks might be delivering soap, mayonnaise, and to-go containers.
It's impossible to tell from the trucks what's going on in the kitchen.

--
Cindy Hamilton

[Cindy Hamilton]

There's no evidence that the steak is served with the gravy on it.
(There's plenty of evidence that the menu writer is not very good
with English.)

$34 is not an outrageous price for NY strip. Locally, I see
prices like $29 (8 ounces), $49 (16 ounces), $36 (14 ounces),
$23 (12 ounces), $29 (16 ounces). Those last two are Texas
Roadhouse and Outback. The first three are local restaurants
that aren't part of a chain.

The Dataw Club has kind of a captive audience (not as bad as
Disneyworld or the ballpark), so prices will naturally be a little
on the high side.

Don't forget that the cost of ingredients is only about 25-30% of
the price of a main dish and its sides.

> The last time I had steak was just over a month ago, and that was in
> Paris. My wife had a NY strip steak for 24 Euro ($32 Cdn, $24 American)
> and I had a pepper steak made with flank for 17 Euro ($24 Cdn, $18 US).
> Both were tender and delicious.
>
> Jill's club might be handy for retirees who want to have a few drinks
> and not have to drive home, but their prices seem high and the food menu
> offerings are unappealing.

--
Cindy Hamilton

[jmcquown]

On 7/2/2023 9:39 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
> On 7/2/2023 7:22 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>> On 7/2/2023 6:15 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
>>>
>>> Jill's club might be handy for retirees who want to have a few drinks
>>> and not have to drive home, but their prices seem high and the food
>>> menu offerings are unappealing.
>>>
>> Most of the people I know who go to the club are driving golf carts so
>> yeah, they go have a few drinks and don't worry about drunk driving.
>
> When I was in Florida, my last stop was at my great aunt and uncle's
> house in Sarasota.  We had dinner at their bar/club type thing.  From
> what I gather, it's very similar to where you live.  They live in a
> pricey golfing community, with a guard at the gate.  I was drilled with
> questions before I was allowed in... then again, they probably don't get
> many visitors in beat up 30 year old economy cars.  Even the Mexicans
> doing the landscaping had late-model trucks.  My great uncle is mostly
> blind, but he always drives a golf cart around, because I guess that's
> still allowed.
>

If they knew how bad your great uncle's eyesight is they'd probably ask
him not to drive the golf cart. I don't know about Florida law but in
SC you have to have a valid driver's license to operate a golf cart.
I'm going to presume your great uncle doesn't drive a car anymore.

Yes, there is 24/7 security at the gate. It wouldn't have mattered if
you were driving a fully restored classic Rolls Royce. If you tried to
drop in to see me (or anyone) without a homeowner requesting a gate
pass, you'd have been turned away.

> Anyway, the club food was pricey, and it wasn't terribly exciting,
> although my Reuben was just fine.  They aren't required to spend a
> minimum there, but they do require everyone to put money forward to
> improve the building and grounds.  The residents passed the vote, and
> each household has to put several *thousand* dollars forward to totally
> renovate and expand the bar/restaurant (community was built in the late
> 90's)... on top of the hefty HOA fees for living there.

It's hard to mess up a Reuben. ;)

Jill

[jmcquown]

On 7/3/2023 6:01 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On 2023-07-02, Dave Smith <adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:
>> On 2023-07-02 4:17 p.m., Sqwertz wrote:
>>> On Sat, 1 Jul 2023 11:02:24 -0400, jmcquown wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dinner Features
>>>>
>>>> 12 oz New York Strip
>>>> Onion Gravy, Buttery Mash Potatoes,
>>>> Cheesy Broccoli
>>>> $34.00
>>>>
>>>

>>> Everybody overlooked gravy on a strip steak - SHEESH. It should
>>> be GRAVY on the POTATOES, BUTTER on the broccoli, and CHEESE IN
>>> the POTATOES. Gravy on a steak means they can't grill a steak
>>> worth a shit.
>>>
>>> I rest my case.
>>>
>>
>>
>> Overlooked that or just passed over it? I can tell you that I cringed at
>> that. I had to translate that into CDN prices and it was a little high
>> for a NY strip, especially one that they need to put gravy on. No
>> thanks. I don't like Pesto with chicken. I got sucked into trying it on
>> a plane a few years ago and was not impressed. I don't go out for flat
>> bread pizza.
>
> There's no evidence that the steak is served with the gravy on it.
> (There's plenty of evidence that the menu writer is not very good
> with English.)
>

I've always gotten a chuckle at how the person who writes these menus
(there have been many different people over the years) is not very good
at writing.

> $34 is not an outrageous price for NY strip. Locally, I see
> prices like $29 (8 ounces), $49 (16 ounces), $36 (14 ounces),
> $23 (12 ounces), $29 (16 ounces). Those last two are Texas
> Roadhouse and Outback. The first three are local restaurants
> that aren't part of a chain.
>

My only point about the price is I could cook this meal at home, sans
that *onion gravy*, for a hell of a lot less. I generally don't go to
restaurants unless it is to get something I wouldn't/couldn't cook at home.

Jill

[Cindy Hamilton]

Not everybody is the same. A lot of people go to restaurants because
they don't enjoy cooking, or don't know how to cook.

It's never a good idea to compare the cost of restaurant food to
home cooking, because 70-75% of the cost of a sit-down restaurant
meal isn't the food.

--
Cindy Hamilton

[Dave Smith]

My wife and I both enjoy cooking but we occasionally like to go out and
have a meal without having to do the work. Then there are the times we
go out for ethnic foods that we don't have the ingredients for or skills
for. We like to go for Thai, Indian or Mexican food.

> It's never a good idea to compare the cost of restaurant food to
> home cooking, because 70-75% of the cost of a sit-down restaurant
> meal isn't the food.

True. It's curious that over the pandemic many ingredients went up 50%
in price. Despite those ingredients only being 25-30% of the cost of the
meal, menu prices rose 50% or more.

[Bruce]

On Mon, 3 Jul 2023 10:07:42 -0400, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net>
wrote:

That's always the case with restaurants. Part of the price is for
convenience and atmosphere if applicable.

[Bruce]

On Mon, 3 Jul 2023 11:41:56 -0400, Dave Smith
<adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>On 2023-07-03 11:14 a.m., Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>> On 2023-07-03, jmcquown <j_mc...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>> My only point about the price is I could cook this meal at home, sans
>>> that *onion gravy*, for a hell of a lot less. I generally don't go to
>>> restaurants unless it is to get something I wouldn't/couldn't cook at home.
>>
>> Not everybody is the same. A lot of people go to restaurants because
>> they don't enjoy cooking, or don't know how to cook.
>>
>
>My wife and I both enjoy cooking but we occasionally like to go out and
>have a meal without having to do the work.

What a revolutionary idea!

[songbird]

Dave Smith wrote:
...

> for. We like to go for Thai, Indian or Mexican food.

none of those are difficult to learn.


songbird

[Cindy Hamilton]

Other costs rose as well. Labor, especially. Nobody wanted to risk
COVID for paltry pay.

https://www.touchbistro.com/blog/restaurant-operating-costs/

--
Cindy Hamilton

[Cindy Hamilton]

No matter how much I practice, my touch with ethnic cuisines is
nowhere near as deft as someone who grew up with that food. I
produce a passable result, but I don't want passable food:
I want excellent food.

--
Cindy Hamilton

[Graham]

And with all the bottles and jars of this, that and the other, you
can end up with conFusion cuisine.

[Bruce]

You'll never be a Hawaiian!

[Dave Smith]

On 2023-07-03 5:07 p.m., Cindy Hamilton wrote:

> On 2023-07-03, Dave Smith <adavid...@sympatico.ca> wrote:

>> True. It's curious that over the pandemic many ingredients went up 50%
>> in price. Despite those ingredients only being 25-30% of the cost of the
>> meal, menu prices rose 50% or more.
>
> Other costs rose as well. Labor, especially. Nobody wanted to risk
> COVID for paltry pay.
>
> https://www.touchbistro.com/blog/restaurant-operating-costs/
>

Labour went up 50% too? Does that mean we don't need top pity tip any
more?

[Michael Trew]

On 7/3/2023 9:25 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 7/2/2023 9:39 PM, Michael Trew wrote:
>>
>> My great uncle
>> is mostly blind, but he always drives a golf cart around, because I
>> guess that's still allowed.
>>
> If they knew how bad your great uncle's eyesight is they'd probably ask
> him not to drive the golf cart. I don't know about Florida law but in SC
> you have to have a valid driver's license to operate a golf cart. I'm
> going to presume your great uncle doesn't drive a car anymore.

I don't know, this is the first time I met them in my memory. Perhaps I
did once, when I was only a couple years old. He might still have a
license, but his wife won't let him drive the car. When we drove to go
get lunch, as she was backing out, he cautioned her to not hit my car,
because he thought it looked close. She chided him over that being the
reason that he can't drive. "Yes dear, I suppose so..." LOL.

> Yes, there is 24/7 security at the gate. It wouldn't have mattered if
> you were driving a fully restored classic Rolls Royce. If you tried to
> drop in to see me (or anyone) without a homeowner requesting a gate
> pass, you'd have been turned away.

I promise that I don't drop in randomly... John was an exception, LOL.
When stopping, I had to tell them who I was going to see. The last
question was finally my name, as they had informed the gate attendant
ahead of time. Perhaps it was just the guy on staff, but he was acting
almost like a drill sergeant.

>> Anyway, the club food was pricey, and it wasn't terribly exciting,
>> although my Reuben was just fine.
>

> It's hard to mess up a Reuben. ;)
>
> Jill

True. It was also one of the less pricey options. Even though I wasn't
paying, I certainly wasn't going to request an expensive meal on someone
Else's dime, even though they wouldn't have minded.

[Cindy Hamilton]

What makes you think costs went up uniformly?

Perhaps menu prices were too low to begin with. I don't know how
they managed it, but the price of a salad at what was my regular
lunch spot when I was working has been the same for 20 years.
It's still the same.

One thing I have noticed is that several restaurants have abandoned
their lunch menu (with slightly lower prices) for an all-day dinner
menu.

It looks like your prices have gone up more. Sorry.

--
Cindy Hamilton

[Bruce]

On Saturday, July 1, 2023 at 10:02:41 AM UTC-5, jmcquown wrote:
> Soup of the Day
> Chicken Noodle Soup
> Roasted Vegetable & Tomato Soup
> (Vegan) (Gluten Free)
> (No price given)
>
> Lunch Features
>
> Flat Bread Pizza
> Pepperoni| Sausage|
> 3Cheese Blend| Arugula|
> Balsamic Drizzle
> $10.50
>
> Grill Chicken Pesto Wrap
> Tomato| Arugula| Avocado
> Choice of Side [if memory serves, that would be white or sweet potato fries]
> $12.50
>
> Dinner Appetizer
> Bowl of Cajun Boiled peanuts
> $5.00
>

> Dinner Features
>
> 12 oz New York Strip
> Onion Gravy, Buttery Mash Potatoes,
> Cheesy Broccoli
> $34.00
>

> Low Country Boil
> Peel and eat Shrimp, Red Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, Kielbasa Sausage,
> Old Bay Shellfish Broth
> $26.00
>
> Any questions? ;)
>

> Jill


You forgot to say John Kuthe.