“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

                                                                                                                          —- J. R. R. Tolkien

 

I believe the best of friends are made over good food.  Good wine doesn’t hurt either.  And laughter, lots of laughter.  I spent a perfectly lovely day at Cajun’s Wharf in Little Rock with some of my favorite women.  Women I usually only “see” or communicate with online.  We blog and comment and post and like and share with each other on a daily basis but it’s not often that we can all gather around a table and enjoy the sounds of each others voices and join in laughter and cute polite waiters bring us plates of food and fill our glasses.

Cajun’s Wharf invited us for lunch which in 40 years is a new offering for them but something I will definitely be coming back to enjoy.  I was introduced to new wines and different dishes I would not have picked on my own.  And Cajun’s attention to quality in their food and service was evident.

There may have been the swiping of bottles from the wine tasting table and definitely was a war of spoons when the dessert tray made it to the table and I fully admit I probably had more than my fair share of bread pudding.  I have a weakness for bread pudding.  And genuine laughter.  And friendship and the stories these great women tell.

Since it was a Christmas Camp, c0-owner  Mary Beth Ringgold gave us recipes and cooing and preparation tips for the upcoming holidays.  I was interested in her ideas about brining your turkey and what that would do since we fry ours (going on 10 years now.  no turning back).  She talked of all these things while cooking an amazing dish of clams and muscles in a tomato broth.  The smells were hypnotizing.  I think we would have taken on anything she said at that point.  If I close my eyes and think really hard I can still smell the amazing elixir she was cooking in that pot.

We were treated to a whiskey tasting.  I’m not a straight whiskey fan but was impressed by the a couple of the new ones they presented to us.  But I would have smuggled the Whisper Creek Sipping Cream out in my purse had it been bigger.

We enjoyed the sunset on the roof along with Christmas martinis and sangria (my favorite) and tasty flat bread pizzas from the bar menu.  We sat and ate pizza and laughed and enjoyed our actual “face time” with each other.

Thank you Cajun’s Wharf.  Thank you for the great atmosphere, delectable food and for dining with friends.

 

You can see more of our day at Cajun’s Wharf on Twitter and Instagram by following the hashtag #CajunsCC14