Chew Chew, Part Two!

Recently we told you about our trip to Chattanooga to eat at Ovalle's Mexican Cafe, but if you remember, we had to stop before we got to the end of the story.  It was just too much of an adventure for one blog post. So, here it is, the Chattanooga finale...

When we finished our lunch at Ovalle's we did not have that miserably stuffed feeling that Mexican food can sometimes bring on, mostly because the food was not heavy with cheese, refried beans and sour cream.  In fact, we were feeling pretty good...good enough to try a dessert.  Now the desserts at Ovalle's were tempting, but we had other ideas.  Janet Williams intrigued us with this comment, "for a dessert, Amaretto Pie at Mt. Vernon Restaurant downtown is one that you will never forget!!! They have good food, too, but the pie, ooo-laa-laaaa!"  Well that "ooo-laa-laaaa" did it!  I mean, how can you resist a dessert that requires ooo-laa-laaaa to describe it!  So, we left Ovalle's with visions of amaretto pie dancing in our heads and set off to find Mt. Vernon's.  Conveniently, we discovered that Mt. Vernon's was on Broad Street, the same as Ovalle's.  What we didn't realize was how close in proximity they actually are to one another.  In fact, we didn't realize it until we had passed Mt. Vernon's and had to turn around.  At this point I was remembering our trip through Meridianville where we went in circles looking for a place to have dessert.  Luckily, we didn't have as much trouble this time and only had to turn around once.

 Mt. Vernon's is in an unassuming little building with white boards and black shutters.  I guess the overall impression is early American. If it weren't for the big black sign out front, it would look more like a house than a restaurant.

Before we got to Mt. Vernon, we had decided we would order one amaretto pie and share. But, as soon as we walked through the front door of the building, the first thing Sherri saw was a strawberry shortcake.  If you've been with us for a while, you already know what that means.  Sherri loves strawberry shortcake!  We were met by the hostess who sealed the deal when she told Sherri the strawberry shortcake was wonderful and that she had just had some herself.  She said the cake had just been baked and it was so good.  She then seated us promptly and left us with our server.  We each ordered water and explained that we would only be ordering dessert.  Sherri announced that she would be having the strawberry shortcake. Surprise, surprise!  Luanne and I then decided to each order a piece of the amaretto pie.  So much for sharing!

When the desserts arrived,  here's what they looked like.

Actually, I had to take a very carefully arranged picture of Sherri's shortcake, because she dove into it before I could take a picture.  Luanne and I were yelling, "Wait, wait!", but it was too late.  That girl is fast, and she always forgets about the picture.  I mean, she has lived her whole life without having to photograph her food before she eats it, so it is hard for her to adjust.

The amaretto pie was just as Janet promised...ooo-laa-laaaa!  Creamy, fluffy, light, crunchy, toasty and laced with the unmistakable flavor of almonds and amaretto.  It really was heaven on a plate.  I carefully inspected it.  It had a flour crust filled with toasted, sliced almonds.  The filling was high and light, like, maybe, whipped cream had been folded into the custard.  It was topped with whipped cream and sliced, toasted almonds.  I could easily picture the gods and goddesses at Mt. Olympus dining on this concoction.  I'm pretty sure ambrosia and nectar have nothing on this pie!
 Sherri's strawberry shortcake was wonderfully surprising as well.  The cake was light and moist, topped with whipping cream.  The strawberries surrounded the cake and the whole thing was drizzled with a raspberry sauce.  The raspberry sauce gave the whole dessert an unexpected twist. Sherri was actually the one who guessed the secret ingredient.  We confirmed it with the server, just to make sure.  We all loved the strawberry shortcake, too.
 As you can see, we resisted the urge to lick our plates...just barely!

Here's the menu, for those of you who are interested in seeing what Mt. Vernon has to offer beyond just desserts.  It looks pretty interesting and The Three Friends would not at all be opposed to making a return trip to check out all the other offerings.  Just a wild guess here, but since we went on a Wednesday and were given a sheet of Wednesday lunch specials, I am assuming there are different lunch specials each day.

Three Friends give the desserts at Mt. Vernon 3 Yums UP!

Now, we were feeling a bit more stuffed and decided we needed to do some walking.  We left Mt. Vernon with the idea of heading to Market Street to poke around, but after we got there, our plans changed.  First of all, it was really hot outside and we were all thinking what no one was saying..."We are going to roast!"  Then, as we were cruising around searching for a place to park, Luanne said she would really like to go to Southeastern Salvage.  With thoughts of heat and sweat on our minds, we quickly agreed that we should do that instead of walk down Market Street.  So, that is just what we did!

Unfortunately, as we turned the car in the direction of Southeastern Salvage, we apparently headed past every pawn shop in Chattanooga.  Remember when The Friends went to Fayetteville, TN and Sherri refused to let Lu and me go to Sir's Fabrics?  Well, it seems I don't have the same amount of clout, because I was loudly protesting stopping at any pawn shops.  Last year we went to the beach and I swear these two drug me into every pawn shop in Lower Alabama (LA as it is called).  It was about as bad as the time my husband, when he was knee deep in his genealogy, stopped at every cemetery enroute to Gulf Shores.  The boys and I were screaming, "No more graveyards!" for miles!  Anyway, as you can see from the picture below, no one was listening to me.  I was saying "no!" as Luanne pulled into the parking lot of EZ Pawn and "noooooo!" as Sherri and Lu were running for the door. You really want to know how bad of a case of pawnitis Parker has?  The people in EZ Pawn knew her!  Unbelievable!

 EZ Pawn was having a Christmas in July sale which explained why we were hearing Christmas music and every television was showing a Christmas movie.  In the spirit of "if you can't beat 'em join 'em", I checked out the jewelry.  Sherri really has found some great pawn shop deals on amazing things.  I did see some pretty rings and I even tried one on.  We prowled around a bit and then I managed to hurry everyone out the door.  Back on track, we pointed the car in the direction of Southeastern Salvage.

 Southeastern Salvage is interesting because you never know what you are going to find.  Anything from housewares and furniture, to industrial salvage, to gardening equipment and plants.

We hadn't even gotten inside before Parker started finding deals!

Bowman and Parker love poking through junk!

I thought these glasses were pretty.  You could buy the pitcher to go with them, too.

Chandeliers, anyone?

I took a picture of these for my teacher friends.  I could so see these being put to use in a classroom!

Anybody need a lamp?

I think an Auburn Tiger got hold of this elephant! :)

Tables

Sherri insisted we take a picture of these Three Friends!

Checking out the chairs.

We tried to tell Bowman that the sign said "Stay off", but, as you can see, she didn't listen!

Not sure I can find words for this.

Love these garden pots!

We thought this was an interesting piece.

Luanne found something she just had to have.

These would make cool restaurant decor...if you were serving the right kind of food!

Southeastern Salvage was an Alabama lovers dream this particular day!

 Ok, I have to stop right here and explain this picture.  You see, sometimes The Friends can be a bad influence on one another!  Sherri was encouraging Luanne to get on the elephant so I could take a picture and honestly, Luanne was just about to, when an employee happened to walk up.  As you can see, we were beyond tickled and so was the employee.  We were like little kids being caught with our hands in the cookie jar! At this point, we figured we better get out before we got in trouble, so Luanne bought her little pedestal and we skedaddled!

On the way out of the Southeastern Salvage parking lot we spied this California Smothered Burrito food truck.  We weren't sure if it was still in business or being sold as salvage.

We left Southeastern Salvage wondering what else we could get into.  As we headed south down the interstate, we saw a giant nursery called The Barn.  Our car automatically missed the exit, so, in true Three Friends form we had to get off on the wrong exit and take the scenic route back to the nursery.  We are nothing if not persistent...and consistently lost!

This place is huge!

 The Barn is huge and filled with plants and garden supplies.  We strolled around and probably would have stayed longer, but it was hot!

Three Friends philosophy right there on the wall of The Barn!

Ok, so here's our real philosophy.  We want to be nice and hardworking, but we are really lazy, happy beach bums!

Sherri found another cat!

Lots of pots and plants for every garden!

We loved these glass bottles!

Luanne loved this fairy garden.  

 We left The Barn Nursery empty handed, but I know we will be back.  As we were heading back down the interstate at a snail's pace (Sherri asked if we had ever been on this stretch of interstate without getting stuck in traffic?  Uh, no!  It never fails!), we laughed and enjoyed the slow ride home.  It was a day filled with good food, good fun and lots of laughter.  And, we planned our next adventure.  We hope you will join us!  See ya!
                                                                    Richi, Sherri, Luanne

Traffic on the interstate