Around the Table - Decision-Oh-Ate

Come in! Come in! I'm in a bit of a tizzy today trying to get everything on the table. All the election and economic news has had me distracted. Sorry you had to wait a bit. But I believe the wait will prove worthwhile — I've got lots of goodies for you. We're going casual this week, so go ahead, prop your elbows on the table, and forget the silverware. Here we go ...

BEVERAGES
The Fine Flavors of Florence & Auction Spectacular, scheduled for Nov. 18 at Florence Civic Center, has a new moniker this year: Diamond Dining. Why? Not only will guests be able to sample Florence's finest cuisine, but they also will experience a whole new Fine Flavors dimension with the addition of the "Florence Untapped" beer tasting and a holiday wine tasting, too! I am told the beer will represent seasonal brews and small-batch brews, as well, — beer connoisseurs are gonna love this. As always, there will be an auction of wonderful gift items to bid on (fewer items this year, I'm told, but more "appealing"). The best part: Tickets are only $30! For more info, call Kristina at the Greater Florence Area Chamber of Commerce at (843) 665-0515.

SIDES
Hamburger, no bun: Sundae House is now serving up juicy hamburger steaks and more as part of a new "After 5" menu. Offered weekdays, the new offerings also include Calabash shrimp and pulled pork. Each dinner comes with a baked potato or fries, salad or cole slaw, and rolls for $6.99. And you don't have to get out of your car. Just pull up to the drive-through window and place your order. Be patient, though -- Sundae House might look all "fast-food" but your food is cooked to order. It's worth the little bit of a wait, though. I believe I saw a coupon in the Morning News recently that offered a savings on these new dinners, so scour your newspaper and check it out. Sundae House is located at 1551 W. Palmetto St. in Florence -- as if you didn't know.

Real community market: The next Good Living Marketplace is slated for Nov. 1 on Cargill Way and Burry Park in Hartsville. For anybody who loves the feel of an old-fashioned marketplace, this is the place to be! Vendors will offer their wares from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. -- everything from local produce to plants to specialty crafts to fine art, services and more! There's even entertainment for the kids. It's just another example of the wonderful efforts of the Hartsville Downtown Development Association and the Hartsville community. Call (843) 332-1600 for more details.

Oyster and art lovers, unite: It's time for the 10th Annual Oyster Roast at Florence Museum of Art, Science & History. This year's shuckfest, which benefits the museum, begins at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 6. As always, the oysters will be succulent, the appetizers, divine, and the music by Borrowed Time Band, lively. Tickets are $50 and are AVAILABLE NOW. Tip: I've seen plenty of people turned away at the "gate" the night of the event, so I strongly recommend that you get your tickets right away. This oyster roast is typically a sellout -- avoid oyster envy and reserve your spot now. Get your tix at Florence Museum, 558 Spruce St.

ENTREE
Last Saturday was a day of decisions. It began with the usual quandary: Stay home or venture out?

Though the morning was overcast, chilly and damp, afternoon’s autumn breezes thinned the cloud cover just enough to strike an invigorating compromise. The resulting crispness enticed myself and crowds of other sweater-wearers to Francis Marion University for the always-alluring Pee Dee International Festival. While the entertainment and exhibits were a definite draw, the international food court was teeming with hungry adventurers seeking to satisfy their culinary curiosity.

The Pee Dee is home to an ever-growing array of ethnic eateries. Still, you can’t just drive across town and find the kind of diverse offerings that tantalized festival-goers that day. I saw foods I’d never seen before: sushi rolls the length of my forearm (ehou-maki), moon-sized fried spicy vegetable pies that looked much like samosas, steaming pans brimming with exotic, saucy concoctions of braised beast, aromatic herbs and potatoes. At least I think those were potatoes …

Mexico, Thailand, China, Japan, Vietnam, Poland, German, Jamaica, India (always the longest line, a testament to Florence’s unrequited love affair with that cuisine – we need an Indian eatery!), and Greece were among the cultures represented at this global buffet.

Deciding what to eat was mindboggling, let me tell you. I had one tummy to fill and only the tastiest dish would be appropriately qualified to satisfy it. Filled with indecision, I took one more serious look at the candidates. But just as I was about to cast my vote for a savory-looking something on a skewer, a brisk breeze blew up.

Accordion strains of “Beer Barrel Polka” skipped whimsically against my eardrums. I turned around. Gosh – in the adjacent beer garden, Mike Singletary looked soooo Bavarian serving up Bud in his suspenders and Tyrolean cap.

What to put on my plate was made suddenly clear by what was strongly in the running to fill my cup – I was going for the brats and beer.

The choice was clear. While roasted meat and Pepsi (sorry, Coke — I’m a Pepsi gal) initially seemed to make a safe pair of contenders for my tastebud’s allegiance, there was a certain, shall we say, depth lacking. At first sip, that soft drink might have seemed to have some complexity about it, but after a while, the soda goes flat -- then it’s all water and high fructose corn syrup, you know?

And as for the meat-on-a-stick, well, wasn’t that the same thing I had last year and the year before and perhaps, egads! the year before that? And what was in it anyway?

I was tired of the status quo, hungry for the kind of radical change that bratwurst and Bud promised to deliver — no fillers, just meat and spice, barley, hops, yeast and pure spring water.

It was a cozy scene at the picnic table in the beer garden. In one hand, I had a juicy, warm brat-in-bun, smothered with kraut and spicy mustard, and in the other, a cold cup of bold specialty brew that enhanced the inspired mix of flavors. What a team!

I listened as Mike and his comrades assisted conflicted beer customers, proferring short but knowledgeable speeches on the virtues of this brew and that. The accordion player appeared behind the Bud trailer, shivering in his Lederhosen and smiling his way through a set of polka numbers. All was coming together to let me know that, without question, I’d made the right choice.

It turned out to be a popular choice, too. Brats and beer took center stage later that day at an Oktoberfest celebration in the parking lot at Victor’s Bistro. Chef Adam Silverman served them up expertly, fresh off the grill with sides of German potato salad, kraut and lots of grainy mustard. Bavarian music was playing on the stereo. Across the street, the weird, faux snow of the Alpine Aire shops actually seemed natural and frosty. Around my table, Michele and our friends Julia, Kristi, and Denise, laughed and got just plain silly as they devoured sausage and beer.

It was as close to a perfect Oktoberfest setting as you can get in Florence.

I felt I’d been around the world that day, or at least, that the world had come to me. And it came in the form of a melting pot. That meant lots of choices. It also meant indecision. Brats and beer won. It was the right outcome for me.

Cheers to freedom of choice!

DESSERT
Make plans to attend the S.C. Humanities Festival this weekend in Lake City. Centered around the traveling Smithsonian exhibit, "Key Ingredients: American by Food," the fest features informational and historical food-related events. I especially recommend Saturday's lecture featuring Amanda Dew Manning, a Charleston-based expert on the state's heritage foods. I've known Amanda and her husband Robert for several years and have participated in their Lowcountry culinary tours through their business, Carolina Food Pros, and love reading their magazine, "Edible Lowcountry." The free lecture begins at noon at the Lake City Community Museum, 111 Henry St. I promise you'll come away with a new respect for our local foods.

TAKE OUT
Here's a tasty twist on the traditional brat-in-a-bun from Bon Apetit. Perfect for an autumn backyard gathering, this dish gives brats a gourmet element and will impress your guests. Enjoy!