Ricardo’s won the “People’s Choice” award for best soup, again, at The Lowell’s Winterfest, version 2011. I love Winterfest. I also love Ricardo. (even before he was Italian, and was Dick Rourke) So, it is understood, those two things, before I say, this;
Cancelling the Dogsled race because there were not enough plows or DPD workers to put down the track is lame. Now, don’t go telling people I called Lowell’s City Manager lame. I did not. (even though it was his decision) He just lacked the commitment to get it done this year. The rumor is that he, and the Mayor have it out for Winterfest. I can’t imagine why, since thousands of people come downtown for the event in the middle of winter. What’s the angle? Maybe the wrong people are getting paid? Seriously, I must be missing something.
**And for those of you who think “Plath loves Winterfest because it fills his building” I have a message for you. I HATE Winterfest for what it does to my building. We do sales, sure. But for (3) days neither me or my staff nor my regular customers can find a parking space. We can’t book any functions those 3 days. We sell burgers instead of steaks. Kids wipe their snotty hands on our windows and loud mothers wonder why they can’t push the stroller through a packed bar. And we suffer such insult as, after 3 storms and BEGGING DPD to not ignore the end of Dutton St. (a City street, where a student fell on her ass last week, and a customer slipped and broke his ankle) yet, come Winterfest, the plows and bulldozers work the street around us like a fat boy works cake. (Like ants work a crumb? Like Brady works a defense?) Ya know, gotta get the streets clear for the Soup Competition!
Speaking of which, back to Ricardo. It is bullshit that he wins the People’s Choice almost every year. Seriously, there are like 20 soup choices, year in and year out. I said already, I love Ricardo/Dick, but c’mon people, it’s about who has the tastiest soup, not who’s the most popular community character. (of course that all but guarantees WE hardly ever win!!) Shit, he wins despite how many people don’t vote for him because he has yelled at them when they were tying up a table for too long at his restaurant!!
**Note, in deference to my own Chef’s, we picked HAWAIIAN OXTAIL soup this year. And, besides my possible lack of popularity, we KNEW we wouldn’t win. I said, exactly this; “OK, sure, but you have to know you will NEVER win in Lowell with Oxtail soup” The Chef’s didn’t care. They are bored by Clam Chowder and Corn Chowder and Squash Soup and Cream of Chicken and Cream of Broccoli. Zzzzzz.
We serve those soups everyday. (“Give the customer what they want”) Our goal is usually to be a little different. To push the envelope. To raise an eyebrow. (Or get some resident to say “Stawp with yer crazy crap and serve me a prawpah suppah!” (I’m smiling)
**I was told by one expert panelist, that we may have won the “judges award” had our soup server remembered the cilantro, scallion and peanuts.
For the record, last year, we were too busy and tired by a taxing economy to be creative. So we decided to just serve our Clam Chowder. We won. Just sayin’
(Maybe I should change my name…)
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