Return to Gene's

During the first "Summer of Jay," most of the places I went to lunch were spots I'd been to before. I tried some new places too, and one stood out as a particular favorite. At the time I couldn't believe that I had been missing out on such a good lunch spot, and I have returned to Gene's New Orleans Style PoBoys & Deli many times since. The first thing I noticed when I walked in today was that Gene is in the middle of an interior remodel. New configuration, walls half-painted, that kind of thing. I took a table in the middle room and waited for a waitress. It was not unusual, given the casual service, that a few minutes passed and no one had come by to take my drink order. The second thing I noticed was another patron serving his own drink, and carrying a number card attached to a metal stand, the clear indicator of the new "counter service" policy at Gene's. It had been nearly a year since I'd been in, so I didn't know how new this policy was, I just knew that sitting there on my behind was not going to get me a shrimp poboy.

After ordering, I was reminded of another good thing about Gene's. Sometimes there is live music during lunch. As the room filled with diners, we were treated to a 50-ish guy in a Beatles Let it Be t-shirt and a black gimme cap, playing what sounded to me like blues covers, but of songs I did not recognize. Turns out they were originals, songs from his upcoming album that he said was due out this summer. He introduced himself as Michael Hardie, and assured us that a Myspace page is in the works. His music was solid blues, and I could tell that I was not the only one there forming a positive impression of his music. It was more than you should expect over lunch, but Austin has a habit of spoiling us with random musical moments.

Because of Gene's location on the Eastside, but not far from downtown, the lunch crowd is a nice mix of ethnicities and income levels. Today's blend included fathers and sons, state employees, city workers with their names on the front of their blue shirts, a New Austin hipster who never took off his sunglasses, and a few guys wearing ties. (You see more of these shady characters in ties when the legislature is in session.) Gene's is in everybody's comfort zone.

On the running front, I did an easy 6 miles this morning, with an eye to the 10K that Carrie and I are running on Saturday. I have no idea what to expect from myself or this race. I have spent the last two months increasing my weekly milage, to the exclusion of almost all speedwork. My legs are really good at churning out 8:30 miles right now. I hope they remember how to go faster, because that is what I'll be asking of them. The weather won't be any help, as it will be around a less-than-ideal 80 degrees when we run.The race is in Leander on a course I have never seen. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing how I do. I will use my results to set the early training paces that I'll run getting ready for my next planned marathon, in San Antonio in November.

Some people may be watching closely as the Lakers and Celtics play the first games of the NBA Finals, but the only sporting event I know I'll make a point of seeing this weekend is The Belmont Stakes. Thirty years is a long time to wait for a triple crown winner, so I'll be pulling for Big Brown, eventhough his story lacks "storybook" quality. I have some memory of Secretariat, and even clearer memories of Affirmed winning the triple crown over Alydar in '78, I think. I like the build-up and the drama, all for an event that only lasts two-and-a-half minutes.

Perhaps a better writer could find a literary link between training for a marathon, and a horse racing for the triple crown, weaving the two into something really compelling. Yeah, that would take a better writer. I got nothin'.

Peace,

js4