Auntie Em

I was just in Madison, Wisconsin again for work and heading there again next week.  (Basically, I am home for the weekend.)  Because of storms in the East last night, my flight got in extremely late.  I walked in my door at 3:07am.  After being up almost 21 hours and hanging out in airports for endless hours, I am still exhausted and planning to nap very soon.  I can't, however, get the vision of the sky I saw Wednesday night out of my head.

The storms in the East last night were in the Midwest yesterday.  There were tornado warnings and the hotel was considering moving all its guests to a conference room.  Several of my colleagues and I were at an Indian restaurant a 5-minute walk away from the hotel when all of this was happening.  The hotel shuttle service would not come get us because of the tornado threat.  We paid a guy - a complete stranger with a big Chevy Suburban (filled with lot of "stuff") stopping for takeout - $20 to run 5 of us back to the hotel.  (Because of all the "stuff" he had to make two trips.)  The rain was intense and the main road looked like a river. I am very grateful to this man who told us his name was "Jake the Snake."

When I got back to the hotel I learned a tornado touched now near where I was staying.  Back in my room, I opened my curtains and put on the Weather Channel, which was beeping every 5 minutes because of the tornado threat.  (That is a very disconcerting noise.)  I kept an eye outside to watch for the funnel cloud and had a plan in mind in case I saw one.  During my "watch," I saw the strangest sky I have ever seen. 

It was dark out.  Well, actually, it was supposed to be dark out.  Instead, the sky was the most incredible color of orange I have ever seen.  I don't mean "Ah, isn't that beautiful?" sunset orange.  I mean angry forest fire orange.  I really did wonder if there was a forest fire but knew there were nothing but farms and strips malls around us.  The orange was so bright it made it look like daytime.  I was so stunned I didn't even think of taking a picture of it with my cell phone.  I wish I had.  Instead, this picture is from the Web.  It really doesn't do it justice but provides some idea.  (Note:  This is just a random picture of an orange, tornado sky.  It is not what I saw that night.)

The next day my colleagues were talking about the eerie night sky.  Apparently I wasn't the only one watching  to see if I was going to be in harm's way.  One colleague said he saw green in the sky.  I didn't see that.

Now that I'm home and not threatened by a tornado, I googled "orange sky during tornado."  I didn't persist enough to learn why this happens but I saw dozens of accounts of people seeing this type of sky in areas threatened by severe thunderstorms or tornadic activity.  Like my colleague, many people reported a green-ish hue in the sky.

As I head upstairs to nap, I know I will see that sky in my head as I drift off.  I am also thankful for this life experience that ended well.  I now know what an unusual sky can mean.  I can use this information to protect myself if needed as I travel to the Midwest 3 more times in the next several weeks.

Eden

What visions does "Eden" conjure up for you?  The Eden to which I'm referring can be found in Rehoboth, Delaware.  If you think of "Eden" as a beautiful place serving as a respite from the hustle and bustle, that would relate to this Eden.

Eden is a restaurant that touts "bold American food." It offers great variety in the menu, which includes scallops, tuna, salmon, filet mignon, chicken breast, and wood fired flatbreads, to name a few.  The entree that won my attention was the grilled antelope.  I would say that is certainly bold; wouldn't you?

I have never seen antelope on the menu before. The waiter responded to my question about whether the meat was "gamey" with a resounding "no."  He explained that fear just before death creates that "gamey" taste in animals but that these animals were quickly killed.  He went on to say how but, frankly, it was TMI (too much information).  I think that was the waiter's only miscue.

The antelope come from the Broken Arrow Ranch  in Texas Hill Country.  The ranch sells "truly wild" (roaming, pen-free) animals including - in addition to the antelope - wild boar, venison, and quail.  (An online store is available.)  A quick Google search for the ranch had me thinking it was owned by music legend Neil Young.  Turns out Young owns a ranch with the same name in California.  (Besides, if you know his music, you know he didn't have a lot of respect for "southern men" anyway so I guess I should have been immediately doubtful that he owned a ranch in Texas.)

But back to the antelope...it was delicious.  Not a hint of an unpleasant wild taste, tender, and very much like filet mignon.  It was served with toasted barley/mushroom confit salad, braised local greens, and a cherry chutney.  I strongly recommend it.

There were six of us for dinner and each person was pleased with the food.  We were also pleased with the charming atmosphere.  We had the big round table in the corner at the front window.  The booths have curtain sheers that can be drawn.  Of course, we pulled ours together - well - just because we could.  It helped create a "fog" between ourselves and the rest of the restaurant on this Memorial Day weekend Saturday.  With the muted colors and candlelight, we lingered in this comfort for quite some time.  Although, when the check came, there was some discomfort.

The dining partner who recommended the restaurant told us her two favorite wines were specials that evening and not normally available.  They were not on the menu - mind you - but the waiter confirmed she had read correctly (online, I believe).  We got a bottle of Silver Oaks red (Cabernet, I think) and Cakebread Cellars white (Chardonnay, as I recall).  (Memorial Day weekend feels like a lifetime ago, unfortunately.)  Each wine was very good and I would certainly enjoy drinking them again.  We learned that the white was $70 and the red was $100.  Oops!  Forgot to ask about the price! 

I suppose we should have known that the wine could be pricey as the entrees at Eden average in the high $20's/low $30's.  (My antelope was $29.)  But we were apparently seduced by the atmosphere, interesting menu, and excellent server.  Also, we wanted some wine with our artisinal cheese board appetizer and meals.  The bottom line - with no desserts and tip (not automatically included, surprisingly) - turned out to be $150 per couple.

Eden cost Adam and Eve so don't be surprised if it costs you, too.  If you are willing to pay a little extra for excellent food and service with a special ambiance, you won't go wrong with Eden on Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, DE.