OPINION —
Friends are one of God’s greatest blessings, and I have been truly blessed to have Amelia and Leigh Ann as my friends for the longest time. As I’ve mentioned before in this column, I’ve been friends with Amelia since kindergarten and with Leigh Ann since fifth grade. In fact, they are really family to me.
Well, every family has a practical joker, and Amelia is ours. During our senior year at Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City, Amelia pulled a memorable prank on me.
She had seen a card in a magazine about joining the U.S. Army; pretending to be me, Amelia filled it out and mailed it to the address provided.
Imagine my surprise when I received a telephone call from a U.S. Army recruiter. “Are you still interested in joining the U.S. Army?” an unknown female voice asked me.
“No!” was my shocked reply.
Now, I have nothing but respect for our military; those dedicated men and women do what I’m too afraid to do. They are heroes to me.
However, I would have made a terrible army recruit. First, I lack the courage and discipline required to serve in our military. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to pass the physical training required. Also, I am very relieved that our country wasn’t desperate enough to want me to join.
When I mentioned the unexpected call to Amelia and Leigh Ann, Amelia burst out laughing and admitted her prank. I didn’t choke her because:
1. I loved her and
2. There were too many witnesses — just kidding. But, I digress.
Awhile ago, Leigh Ann and I met Amelia for lunch to celebrate her birthday. We met her at Mix Market at the Pearl at 1040 Broadway in downtown Columbus, Georgia. Thedowntown in Columbus has undergone a big renovation, and it is a very attractive area.
Mix Market at the Pearl has a very cheerful interior. I loved the light fixtures and the old brick wall on one side of the restaurant. To me, renovations are fine, as long as history is preserved.
Ashlee, our server, was really sweet and helpful; she had only worked there for a month.
Amelia, the birthday girl, ordered the Spaghetti Villa Nova, which consisted of original Villa Nova meat sauce, parmesan and melted grande whole milk and mozzarella cheese.
Leigh Ann chose the Mongolian Beef, which included a sweet soy sauce glaze, garlic, ginger and green onion.
I selected the Smokey Smash Burger, which had smoked bacon, BBQ sauce, smoked Gouda cheese and a dill pickle; I had potato chips for my side.
We all really enjoyed our meals. Normally, I don’t eat two beef patties at one meal; well these were so juicy and delicious, I managed to scarf them down without any trouble.
Mix Market at the Pearl is well named because the restaurant offers diners a large mixture of culinary choices. Diners may choose from small bites, sandwiches, salads, pasta, burgers, oriental food, artisan pizzas, wood oven fired wings, street tacos and quesadillas.
Amelia, this review was for you. May Leigh Ann and I celebrate many more birthdays with you, the Good Lord willing. Love you bunches.
Mix Market at the Pearl is closed on Sunday. The restaurant is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET; on Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Mix Market at the Pearl makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher.
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear every other week in The Observer. Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com.
