1950s Modern was the phrase
tossed out to describe the ambiance at East Durham’s
Shamrock House—a throwback far enough back that
could be modern chic in the right place.
The Karneses fooled all of us, leaving the house at 6:55,
and abruptly veering into a familiar parking lot along Rt
145. The shortness of drive disappointed no one
(“Are we getting old?” opined Kriss later).The menu
is short and casual, with several appetizers; a few
salads; a dozen sandwiches, burgers or specials; and
several desserts.
==> Shepherd’s Pie: a boarding house oval
plate with the obligatory layers (Don, Lynda: OK, heavy
on the potato)
==> Reuben sandwich (Deb K: good)
==> Fish & chips (Ken & Chay:
satisfactory, excellent)
==> Chicken Cordon Bleu (Deb T: satisfactory)
==> Stuff chicken: filled with spinach and feta
(Ross: satisfactory)
==> Mac & cheese (Kriss: good)
Three chose a salad
to start, a standard plate with mostly iceberg, two
cherry tomatoes, a few shreds of onion, a couple cucumber
slices, with choice of dressing. Three votes for basic
and satisfactory.
Desserts
included:
==> Brownie, with scoop of vanilla ice cream
and a dollop of whipped cream (Ken, Kriss, Ross, and a
Karnes share: mostly ok, brownie - meh)
==> Chocolate mousse cake (Don: satisfactory)
==> Carrot cake (Deb T:
satisfactory)
One merlot, several pints of beer (mostly Irish, of
course), a couple pitchers of water, and a resupply of
coffee sated the parched throats.
Service
by Michelle was good. A serenade a la Beatles by Lynda
may have added to the flavor.
Ambiance
is a lot of red and white checkerboard (tablecloths,
window treatments), 1950s knotty pine for the walls,
sound-proof white ceiling tiles, bare wooden floors, with
lacy curtains filling the front and side windows
Boarding house tables were lined with wooden, ladder-back
chairs redolent of a 1970s East Durham. Glass containers
of sugar packets, plastic salt and pepper shakers, and
overturned coffee cups graced the tables upon entry.
Lighting came from the blare of two fluorescent fixtures
overhead although recessed lighting and wall-mounted red
hurricane globe lamps supplied most of the rest of the
room.
Table 16 (number set in the metal stand) was set with
four chairs on the side and two ends and we settled by
moving the ends. However, hearing abilities were not
tested as we were the only occupants in the room. Except
for a half-hour, none of the other nineteen tables was
occupied. (Everyone else sat in the bar half of the
building.)
The bill
for the evening came to $54 per couple. So, a short ride
and a low bill buoyed the atmosphere as we exited.
Thank
you, Chay & Deb, for adding a casual alternative to
our dining choices.
The evening had started at the
Karnes house, soon emptying onto the front porch. Deb had
prepared a plate of veggies, a bowl of pineapple chunks,
a bowl of crackers, and a cream cheese-salsa
mix—just enough for the evening. Chay kept glasses
filled with beer or a Malbec or a white wine.
The Core (a new phrase for the six?) were complemented by
the company of Lynda and Ross.
Topics, as usual, came from all over the place. Foremost,
necessarily, was the impending retirement of Chay,
leading to plans, plans made for Chay, student reaction,
filling the position, Chay’s interviewing others for
the position, and quality (or not) interviews.
More
topics: beautiful weather, East Conesville and its
visitors, the Teator day trip to Cooperstown, flea
markets, bicycling, the new deck furniture, Karnes inside
furniture, Teator furniture, mowing grass, Monteverd
travels, fawns and pictures of fawns, flower gardens,
vegetable gardens, the Danube cruise, the Adriatic
cruise, summer travel plans, where are Tim and Judy,
traveling in Virginia, Kalli, Freihofer Run, Freihofer
... (sorry, Tim, ...), grandchildren, relations with
in-laws, and the usual gad of stuff that comprises
discourse of intellect, or not.
Thanks, Lynda and Ross, for genially filling in.
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