Lazy Magnolia Event at Ella's Americana Folk Art Cafe

So sometimes you get to work an event at a place that you would just as soon be at anyway.  Of course, in the lucky instances you have to perform, buuuuuuuut let's just say it ain't really work when you can have a Vegan Bloody Mary while your performing.  In this case, the locale in question is my personal favorite place in Florida, my beloved Ella's.www.ellasfolkartcafe.com/

Now with this particular Renegade being a "pescetarian," it hurts to see a Bloody Mary walk out garnished with an actual bbq rib and not be able to enjoy that smoky goodness.  It hurts equally bad to watch a plate of Chicken and Waffles (see enclosed HILARIOUS scene, only if you are not too P.C.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDJch1iaiGw  walk by and not be able to sink my teeth into it.  BUT, this guy has decided to stay away from the meat no matter how tempting it may be and I'm a slightly thinner man for it.......  

Ella's was kind enough to bring in a brew from Lazy Magnolia that, for some reason unbeknownst to me, is not currently available in the Tampa market, the Lazy Magnolia Jefferson Stout.  I brought down four kegs for them of this sweet potato enhanced stout.  They also put on the Southern Pecan, so we had two of their taps dedicated to Lazy Magnolia, which was very kind of them.  The brews go well with their theme, so the interest was high as I sampled out the Southern Pecan for those who walked outside to share some brew with  me on this windy afternoon.

For lunch,  I of course had the Catfish with greens and cheese grits.  Can't get enough of catfish lately and my whiskered friends did not disappoint at Ella's.  I can always judge how good a fish is with how little additional flavoring it needs.  For my money,  I will always add some pepper vinegar even before I touch the fish, but if I have to go no further, that is money.  Needless to say, I did not need to add anything else to the filet and left my plate scraped clean.  That with a side of Jefferson Stout and Todd's a happy man.

The folks at Ella's have always been good to me.  Stephanie, who was tending bar today, was exceptionally cool and I marveled at how calm she was under pressure.  This place gets packed and the demands on the bartender is insane with a massive amount of great classic cocktails on their menu.

The crowd at Ella's is also always full of a great and eclectic mix of people.  It reminds me of my all-time favorite spot, Dinosaur BBQ in Syracuse, where you can find a biker sitting next to a nun sitting next to a dude in a suit.  The food transcends common walls we build around ourselves and for a little bit we get to see what humans are capable of when they are not busy hating each other.  Makes me smile just thinking about it.

The long and short of it is - if you are in the Tampa area and do not visit Ella's, well you're just letting the best in life pass you by........