As I’ve mentioned before, I am a two-time Auburn graduate, and I have had Auburn football season tickets since 1993. My sweet husband Mike, also an Auburn fan, has been buying tickets with me since 2005, the year we married.
As Auburn fans, we recently had a very cool day. Trovon Reed, our wonderful neighbor and fourth nephew, in our hearts, took us on a tour of the soon-to-be-open Woltosz Football Performance Center at Auburn University.
Reed was a member of Auburn’s 2010 National Championship team; he was a freshman wide receiver, later moving to the cornerback position. Now he is the director of football and recruiting relations at Auburn.
That place was state-of-the-art amazing. It has to be the best in the country. Believe me, if I were a young football recruit instead of a 59-year-old “Pooh-sized” woman, I’d be asking our new coach to sign me up now. Thanks again, Trovon! We love you!
Besides our wonderful tour, we had another surprise, but this one was completely unexpected.
Recently, we planned to meet our good friends Jack and William at Baumhower’s Victory Grille at 2353 Bent Creek Road in Auburn.
When Mike and I arrived, the restaurant’s parking lot was packed. We thought that was unusual for 5:45 p.m. on a Thursday night. Mike dropped me off at the door, while he continued circling the parking lot.
When I entered Baumhower’s, I found out why there was such a big crowd. Mike and I had forgotten that “Tiger Talk,” the radio show hosted by Andy Burcham, the voice of the Auburn Tigers, was broadcasting live from the restaurant with coach Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, one of the show’s guests that night.
The other surprise that Mike and I received? We later met Williams and had our picture made with him. I apologetically told him, “I’m so sorry that we forgot that you were going to be here tonight. Otherwise, I would have worn makeup.”
Coach Cadillac was so friendly and kind. Mike and I really appreciate all he’s done for our university and team.
When Mike, Jack, William and I were seated, I really enjoyed looking at all the sports pictures on the wall. Every sport imaginable was represented: football, basketball, baseball, golf, equestrian, swimming, tennis, track, etc. Mike and I were facing a photograph of coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan.
By the way, thank you to all Bama fans who are still reading my column at this point; you are really good sports, and I appreciate you. On to my review.
Madison, our server, was really sweet, helpful and patient. Mike ordered the pot roast Philly, which was slow-cooked pot roast with sautéed bell peppers and onions, smothered in blanco cheese. It came with curly-Q fries.
I chose the All-American gourmet burger. This was a fresh one-half pound of 100% USDA Choice custom grind burger, which had lettuce, tomatoes and onions on a brioche bun. All gourmet burgers are served with curly-Q fries.
Jack ordered slaw with dressing as an appetizer. He said it was quite good. Also, it was plentiful because he took half of it home. Jack chose a hangover burger, which consisted of a half-pound of grind burger, a fried egg, avocado, American cheese and applewood-smoked bacon on a brioche bun with an order of curly-Q fries.
Lastly, William chose a hamburger steak, green beans and mashed potatoes. Everything tasted really great.
Besides Jack’s tasty slaw with dressing, Baumhower’s offers a great selection of other appetizers, or “crowd pleasers,” as they are called on the menu. Some of them include Spencer’s gooey fries, homemade fried mozzarella, fire-roasted wings, fried pickles and Bam Bam (Alabama Gulf Seafood) shrimp.
Besides our delicious entrees, Baumhower’s Victory Grille also offers diners a great variety of salads, chicken dishes, seafood, hand-helds, wings and bowls.
Baumhower’s Victory Grille is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Baumhower’s Victory Grille makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food. Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear each week in The Observer. Wallace may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com
