I am eating breakfast right now at the Holiday Inn Grille, which, like the rest of the hotel, is fitted with wireless. The Grille is a delightful mix of '70's era restaurant conventions. The carpet and the fabric lining the booths and chairs contain a mix of red and gold floral and heraldic motifs, which remind me of the kind of low-lit Italian restaurants that inevitably have a red candle in the middle of the table. The wall dividers (separating the restaurant from the gift shop and other areas of the hotel) are patterned with geometric motifs that suggest an Asian influence, like the boxy patterns you sometimes see on take-out containers of Chinese food. And, over the speakers, the sound of '70's era pop rock drones on (right now, Fleetwood Mac singing "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow" - the Clinton victory song, no doubt intended as a Red State taunt - and, just before, Franki Valli singing the title song to Grease). The breakfast buffet is appropriately salty and greasy, with side dishes including bagels (a surprise), grits (not a surprise), and biscuits-and-gravy (the most authentic thing yet). This may, indeed, be the best meal I've had here.
Posted by gminter at November 13, 2004 11:21 AM