The Race
This is a 200.8KM route from Gesenatico to Bolongna. The riders will climb the magnificent Cote de San Luca which is a 2km climb with a 10% grade.
The Snack
I do love corn nuts. These nuts are cheese flavored. They are on the oily side and the cheese flavor was a little underwhelming. I still polished off the whole bag.
Welcome to the ‘2024 Tour de France…….21 days of racing and snacks’. I will briefly describe the days racing stage and an appropriate snack for your viewing and eating pleasure. Please sit back and enjoy the ride, race and snacks.
The Race
The tour actually starts in Florence Italy. Today there will be seven major climbing tests for a 3,700m elevation gain. The race will end 206KM later in the town of Rimi. Look for a breakaway group to claim the yellow jersey.
The Snack
Everybody loves pizza.
Our good friend Aaron and others mentioned Mary Mac’s Tea Room as a good place to experience Atlanta’s southern hospitality. Mary Mac’s Tea Room was declared by the State of Georgia to be authentic Southern fare, always served with a side of Southern graciousness. I call it a whole lot of comfort food with a side of peach cobbler. This was a great end to my dining adventure in Atlanta.
Mary Mac’s was located downtown and my parking Karma was not working today. I went at noon on a Sunday which was not the greatest time slot. The just out of church crowd was there and in full costume. I did find a parking spot several long hot blocks away and in hindsight the hike was totally worth it.
I had a 25 minute wait in a crowded waiting room for lunch. A few people came in to pick up orders to go. This crowd was a diverse mix of tourists, locals and a whole lot of Sunday dressed church people. I was finally led to my table and handed a menu. This was my first time here and I did not know the procedure for placing an order. The waitress came and there was a brief moment of silence. I told her my order and she said I needed to write this down on a provided order form on the table. My waitress laughed and said I can see it is your first time here……..let me take care of it. She wrote down my order on the provided form. All was good.
A basket of the softest warm and comforting rolls arrived at my table. This basket was just for me as a solo diner. They were so good and I had to use restraint to not polish them all off. A very tasty and piquant vinegar house made sauce was on my table. I like this place all ready.
My order of shrimp & cheesy grits arrived. An entre also comes with two side dishes. I had cornbread stuffing with gravy and mac & cheese. My meal was a starch overload. I mean this in the best way. It seems that cheese in a huge theme here. I forgot to mention the salad I ordered. I am thinking out loud to myself that it would be healthy to order a salad. The menu did not mention there would be a half-pound of cheese included in said salad.
The cheesy grits were so filling and delicious. The cornbread stuffing and gravy was devoured and plate licked. This was a taste of Thanksgiving home. The mac & cheese reinforced the notion that there is no such thing as too much cheese. I did my best to eat as much as humanely possible. I did need to save some room for dessert.
You guessed it; peach cobbler. I am so happy to have experienced Mary Mac’s Tea Room The sheer quantity of cheese, comfort, and hospitality makes this a must visit if you are in Atlanta. I will mention the price briefly. I have paid more for parking in San Francisco then my complete meal here. It was a bargain and a pleasure. Good bye Atlanta.
There were four housemade sauces to choose from. They all were decent but the white sauce really had me giggling with glee. It was the perfect sauce to annoint my deep fried pork ribs. The sauce was mayonnaise foward with just the right ammount of cayenne. I was in deep fried rib heaven. These ribs and sauce would be my last meal request if I was on death row for commiting the crime of guilty pleasures.
The rest of the meal was a very good offering of bbq. The sides and cornbread was unremarkable along with decent ribs and brisket. I may have been still relishing my deep fried experience to not appreciate them more.
The Tour de France begins next month and I am ready. My friend from England sent me this official race guide. For some unknown reason this guide is not sold in the United States. I am preparing for 21 days of racing and snacks. Stay tuned.