Stomping in the Swamp

Stomping in the Swamp

The newspaper said to turn at Reds Restaurant on State Road 200 and follow the signs.  

That was the directions to the 10th annual “Stomping in the Swamp” Bluegrass Festival on Saturday.  

More on those directions, later….

I’ve considered going to the Stomp over the past several years but it was either raining, or cold, or we had something else already scheduled.  

But this year, nothing else going on and the weather was PERFECT!  75 degrees, no chance of rain.  Sun was shining.  So we were off.

And now, about those directions.  Turn at Red’s.  And follow the signs.  Which were few and far between.  It started out paved but quickly turned into sand trails.  Three miles of sand.  Following a long conga line of other festival goers.

Smartly we drove the Jeep rather than the Camaro.  Clouds of sand dust.  All the specified parking lots were full. So Terry made his own spot.  That’s one of the benes of having a little Jeep.

Went to the concert and there were like 1000 people there.  And just to make it real, Terry said there were probably about 300.  But seriously. This was in the middle of NOWHEREsville.  How did all these people stumble on this place?

Stomping in the Swamp

Stomping in the Swamp

 

Stomping in the Swamp

Stomping in the Swamp

Stomping in the Swamp

Missed the first group, stayed for the next two, and everyone knows that the last group is the best, but…..

they ran out of food because they weren’t expecting all 300 of us and I was really HANGRY…. and if had waited any longer, we would have been stuck in a dust storm of ghibli proportions during the mass exodus. And I would have died of starvation.  (Fat chance of that happening)

This was the view on the way out before the last band even started.

Stomping in the SwampA wee bit of dust…

Stomping in the Swamp

Just kidding.  A WHOLE LOT OF DUST!

Like I said, I was hangry.

Reds Restaurant is only open for lunch and dinner and we’d missed that window so headed to Stumpknockers on the River which was right down the road.

Always wanted to go there but never had the opportunity.

Stomping in the Swamp
The view from our table.

Okay.

This is not a restaurant review.  These are just observations.

Got there about 2:30.  Place was busy but not too bad.

Service was okay.  The view of the Withlacochee River was amazing.

Stomping in the Swamp
wonder if that couple knows there’s a gator right there!

Surprised that the place didn’t have things like hamburgers and fish sandwiches.  It was all appetizers and entrees.  

Stomping in the Swamp
Okay. It’s a fake gator. A really realistic fake gator.

Terry ordered the catfish platter. Mostly because it included corn on the cob.  I ordered the grouper dinner. Blackened.  It was all quite good. 

Stomping in the Swamp
Looks like the Withlacochee is a little high since some of the tables are underwater!

Then the “bus” came in.  Not really a bus.  But it suddenly became CRAZY busy.  

As I said, I’m not calling this a restaurant review because I consider service a large part of the whole dining experience.  And there was very little service.  And it wasn’t our server’s fault.  Too many tables.  Plus she had the bar.  Not fair to her.  

Stomping in the Swamp
Backside of Stumpknockers

We knew it was going to be a beautiful day.  Along with everyone else in Florida.  Unfortunately, the management at Stumpknockers didn’t bother to check on the weather report.  Or maybe they just don’t want to pay extra servers.

The food was good and the setting was beautiful. But, due to poor management, service sucked.  In addition, the restrooms were ridiculously small for such a large place.  Which doesn’t matter to anyone but the half dozen women waiting to squeeze into that tiny space.  Really.  This wasn’t a rock concert.  This was dinner.  

If I go back to Stumpknockers on the River, it will be in the summer when there won’t be quite the crowd.

I’d love to hear from anyone else that’s been to Stumpknockers on the River during normal time.

Norton’s Riverside Sports Bar & Grill

Norton's Riverside Sports Bar and Grill

Nortons Riverside

There’s a new sports bar in Crystal River.  Well, not really new.  It’s been open for several months, just took us awhile to check it out.

So I thought I’d let you know what I thought about the place.

It’s part of a small restaurant chain.

Norton's Riverside Sports Bar and Grill

There’s no River.  So if you are expecting a waterside brew.  Not happening. The “river” is a short walk from the bar.  But I do not consider that “riverside”.

If you are looking for a sports bar with lots of TVs and a large selection of beer plus decent food, this is your place.

Norton's Riverside Sports Bar and Grill
Terry counted 15 TVs and a projector.

We went really early.  About 11:30 on a Friday.  Empty.  We were the only customers.  Eventually other diners started filtering in and by the time we left, several tables were occupied.

Norton's Riverside Sports Bar and Grill

 

Terry wanted to check out the wings, of course.  He ordered Cajun.

wings

Note, no carrots or celery and Terry said that the wings were a bit overdone.

I ordered the Grouper Reuben.  I LOVE Reubens.  And I love Grouper.  Win-Win!

But…. not quite.  They didn’t have rye bread.  Had to use Wheat.  

Norton's Riverside Sports Bar and Grill

And they used coleslaw instead of sauerkraut.  Whaaaaaaat???!!!!

Norton's Riverside Sports Bar and Grill

I don’t know if this is how this sandwich is always served or perhaps they were out of saurkraut, I don’t care what Mr. or Ms. Norton call this sandwich, it was not a reuben.  This was a grilled grouper sandwich on wheat bread with coleslaw on top and thousand island dressing served on the side.

Good.  But not what I ordered.

So will we go back?  Probably.  Given the right circumstances.  

Like someone asked us and said they’d drive and buy dinner and all of the beer.  Yes, we’ll be there.  

Seriously, if this place was in Homosassa and we could just drive 5 minutes to go there, we’d go back. The food was decent, the place was clean, our server was pleasant and fast, there were a lot of TVs which would be fun to take our out-of-town friends to watch a game, and the music that they had piped in was a good variety of classic rock.  Not the boring elevator kind.

But this place is in Crystal River. Jeeze, a whole ‘nother 25 minutes away. And not on the water. I hope it’s a hit with the local CR people and the tourists. 

Next week, a restaurant critique from Homosassa!

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Fun day Saturday!  Been to the Gasparilla Parade numerous times, checked out the Gasparilla Art Festival more than once and ran the Gasparilla Long Distance Classic close to 20 times. (at least it seems like I have that many t-shirts)

But this was my FIRST Gasparilla Pirate Invasion.

Thanks to Darin and Kathryn who now live on Davis Island, they found the perfect spot for friends and family to join them for the water side of the party. 

The View at 9:40.

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

And three hours later….

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Lots of beads, beers, and boats between those two photos!

I very bravely squeezed my way through the throngs to stand on the seawall to get these shots. Very dangerous.  Seriously, not only beads get thrown from those boats, but I witnessed a few beers flying through the air along with many water balloons.  I asked the guys standing beside me to protect me from the missiles.  They did a pretty good job, I only got pelted by cheap plastic jewelry.   

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion
Beads! The bounty of Mardi Gras, Shrimpapalooza and Gasparilla!
Gasparilla Pirate Invasion
Little Pirates just starting out the morning. Took Jack and Kendall a little while to figure out you really wanted those beads and you had to wear them!

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion Gasparilla Pirate Invasion Gasparilla Pirate Invasion Gasparilla Pirate Invasion Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Ye Mystic Krew, in the distance, canons smoking!
The “Jose Gasparilla” with Ye Mystic Krew in the distance, canons smoking and guns blasting!

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion

Gasparilla Pirate Invasion
The Royal Court. Not quite as cool as the pirate ship, but I bet that was a HUGE party!
Gasparilla Pirate Invasion
The Rough Riders. Wonder if the horses are on the boat?

Fun!  Looking forward to next year!