Thanksgiving at the Chart House

Good day my friends,

As some of you may know I chose to spend my Thanksgiving holiday this year in Melbourne Beach.  There are a couple of different places that we dined that I would like to share with you.  Today I am going to speak specifically about our Thanksgiving dinner at the Chart House.

To me, The Chart House has always been one of those places that are made for special occasions.  It’s excellent, but very expensive so you just would not go there for the heck of it one night.  They are usually only open during the normal dinner hours, but since this was Thanksgiving they make an exception and are open all day long.

Our trusty GPS, Meagan, got us there in plenty of time for our 12:45 reservation that day.  What kind of crowd would there be I wondered.  When we arrived and I saw the cars I knew instantly it was a big crowd.  All the parking there is by valet, which I absolutely love.  Free valet parking is the best.  Even if I had been given the choice I’d have gone with valet as I love driving right up to the door and having someone open the doors for me.  Sure you gotta tip the guy when he brings your car back, but big deal.  The restaurant sits right on the water which afforded us some spectacular views. 

As we walked in I could see that this place was very well kept and the smell of dinner was overwhelmingly delicious.  I went to the hostess stand and found no one there.  So I waited and waited, but no one came.  I was confused, but then I saw this attractive blond wearing glasses coming over with a wad of cash.  She was getting change for another guest that was leaving.  No biggie.  Have I ever mentioned how I find women with glasses sexy?  Not sure why that is, but whatever.  The blond took my name and said it would be just a minute or two, which it was.  She handed us over to Angie, a beautiful brunette in a remarkably short skirt and sexy legs.  Angie brought us to our table where we were soon greeted by our waiter, Tom.  I refrained from making any Tom Turkey jokes as I figured he had heard them all by this time.  Tom took our drink orders and soon returned with lovely beverages.

All of us ordered the traditional Thanksgiving dinner:  turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes (Well, Lady Gianna had the sweet potato) creamed spinach, cranberry relish and rolls.  The rolls came out first and I must say they were delicious.  Steaming warm rolls that the butter melted on upon impact.  The flavor sensation of the butter and the rolls was amazing.  Only a restaurant can make rolls this delectable. 

My dinner arrived after I had eaten about three rolls and I was ready for it.  The smell was mesmerizing.  I was having some sort of odd turkey and stuffing dream as I allowed the olfactory senses to be stimulated.  I could not decide what to eat first, but I eventually decided on the stuffing.  Oh my gosh!  I had never had stuffing like this before.  I usually have to drown my stuffing in gravy as it is usually dry, but this needed no gravy.  It was moist and the flavor was amazing.  By far, the best stuffing I have ever had.  Oh who am I kidding, the entire meal was the best Thanksgiving dinner I have ever had. 

Prince Garrison urged me to try the potatoes, which I did next.  Nirvana.  What can I say other than that?  Then Lady Gianna decided it was time for me to sample to creamed spinach so I did.  Not being a big spinach fan I was hesitant, but when I put that forkful in my mouth I was transported to a land where green things don’t taste like crap.  Unbelievable is the only word I can use to describe the spinach.  It was thicker than normal creamed spinach and frankly now there is no way I can go back to that stuff.  Tom said the secret was that it was made with bread crumbs.  I have to try that at home.

So now it was time for the turkey.  I could see that the gravy was very light and that I had been given mostly white meat with some dark as well.  I took a bite and just as I did I could swear that I could hear birds singing or something like that because it was wonderful.  I have never been a huge fan of Thanksgiving turkey, but this day had now changed my mind.  The turkey was seasoned to perfection and the gravy did not hide any flavors at all, it just enhanced them.  The white meat was not dry in the least.  In fact it was just as moist and flavorful as the dark meat.  It was a huge portion of meat on my plate, but like a trooper I trudged right through it.  As I neared the end of my meal Tom came over and asked me if I was ready for a second helping.  I could not believe my ears and I was ecstatic at the prospect of another plateful.  As I was finishing off the last of my meal the second plateful arrived and I started all over again.  One can only hope that the food in heaven is this good.

In addition to the food I will have to say that whoever does the hiring for this place has done a spectacular job hiring attractive women, though none of them were serving us.  No complaints though as Tom was very efficient and kept both my iced tea and water glasses full.

It was soon time for dessert.  The choices were simple:  pumpkin or pecan pie.  Prince Garrison and I chose the pumpkin and Lady Gianna went with the pecan.  The pie was covered in whipped cream.  Real whipped cream.  To say it was delicious would once again be an understatement.  I have probably had better pumpkin pies, but not sure that I have had better whipped cream.

As the dinner was coming to a close and I was stuffed beyond belief I thought about how lucky I was to have such a wonderful wife and child and how privileged I was on this day to partake in such a meal.  Sometimes when I get full my mind wanders to odd places.  I don’t know that I will be leaving town again for Thanksgiving 2011, but I am hoping that I will once again be dining at The Chart House.

Eat hearty my friends.