Tuesday, December 13, 2005

More Tales of Earl Abel's

I went to a swell concert at Trinity University with some friends last night and afterwards most of us ended up at Earl Abel's soon-to-be-defunct coffee shop.
We landed at Earl's around 10 p.m. and the place was flooded with elderly people.
It looked like some old folks home had a rebellion, because there were dozens of blue hairs there, eating big dinners as if 10 p.m. was the early bird special.
After going there for the last 35 years, I was amazed to learn they are famous for their eclairs.
I'd never had one, and didn't even know they sold them there.
How could I have missed that?
Diabetes be damned, I love eclairs and will ride my stationary bike for an hour if it means getting to eat one...especially a famous one from Earl's.
Now that Earl's is soon to close, it seems they sell out of eclairs by around 10 a.m.
Greedy people come in early and order to-go eclairs by the dozen. It's become a frenzied shark race to see how fast they can clean them out of the damn things.
Now I feel challenged, so I simply have to cruise by early some morning and grab a pile of them, just to say I did.
When we left around 11 last night, the place was still hopping with geezers chowing down on fried chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes and soft yeast rolls.
The dessert selection was nearly depleted.
All they had left was a few slices of pumpkin, apple and pecan pie and a couple of three-layer cakes that were almost totally excavated.
Our waiter was a big Russian dude named Eugene.
He loved telling us the latest rumor-- that Earl's may stay open a few more months because Earl's son Jerry is raking in the dough hand over fist, and it's up to him if and when he sells the site to the big bad condo developer.
We asked why they don't just build the damn condo skyscraper and leave Earl's as the first floor tenant, but I have a hunch it can't be done because of parking space scarcity.
Condo developers don't make much off parking pavement, those greedy bastards.
Then we asked where the baker planned to go once the place shuts down. We are hatching a plan to hunt him down and pry the eclair recipe from his grip.
Damn. I am hallucinating eclairs now.
I can just picture that golden custard oozing out of its chocolate-iced puff pastry cylinder.
I must have one. Soon.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm hungry now.

Unknown said...

jesus christ in a thong I am drooling for an eclair now..thanks a million :P

Kate said...

Damn! I want an eclair!
One of my earliest childhood memories that involve the orgiastic sensory receptors known as tastebuds, happened to involve my first ever introduction to anything not baked by my grandmother: an eclair from a bakery, still warm and oozing with fresh scratch custard, chocolate frosting dripping off the sides.

It was my 9th birthday, spent alone because my mother had gone to the hospital to give birth to my baby sister, and me and the neighbor girl rode our bikes up to downtown Normal Heights, where the trolley tracks still gleamed in the sun, and we spent my birthday dollar on two eclairs.

It was the best childhood birthday memory I have.

I want one. Send it to me. I'll pay shipping.

Karen Zipdrive said...

I just got back from having lunch at Earl's and they had only two left. Before I even ordered I asked the waiter to pack one to go for me.
Oh my, they are as big as a stuffed baked potato and I took a small forkful just to try it before I put it in the fridge to chill.
Yuuuummmm.
Kate, I really dig you but I am not mailing you a fucking eclair.

Kate said...

Lol, okay.

Hey, it was worth a shot.

Karen Zipdrive said...

I finally finished the one I brought home.
It was so rich I had to up my diabetes meds and take a nap.
I woke up with pre-bronchitis.
No more eclairs for moi.

Unknown said...

was it worth it?

i know..thats a dumb question.

Karen Zipdrive said...

Well, it was worth it, but for a diabetic like me, I had to watch myself for the rest of the day and evening.
All I allowed myself to have for dinner was a bowl of oatmeal and a tangerine.

Karen Zipdrive said...

:/