the final week in chillicothe

i have to admit something, something that may revoke my status as a foodie wannabe. one night for dinner this week i ate at the golden corral. brian didn't believe it, so he asked for photographic evidence.that drink isn't actually mine. it's in the picture simply because it says 'golden corral' on the cup. and that is my plate of three desserts, including banana pudding. pharmacy resident matt insists the best chefs in chillicothe work at the golden corral. the mashed potatoes were pretty good.

aside from the golden corral, we also noshed on the local legend, jerry's pizza. located by the mead paper mill (which gives chillicothe a lovely smell on stifling summer mornings) and serving up thin crust pizza and a bevy of fried foods, jerry's is your typical dive. the type of place where you can't tell what time of day it is because it's always dark inside - full of ambiance.

they have tubes of beer with taps for your table. there's a baseball, bowling ball, etc. we opted for the racing themed table keg, filled with amberbock. it hit the spot after a hard day on the psych ward. while regular pilsner glasses are used for the draft beer, bottled beer is served with tiny glasses like my grandmother used to drink orange juice out of every morning.

so we started off with what we came for - the pizza. it's got thin crust and is light on the cheese, a blend rumored to include swiss. it was pretty good, a little mushy in the middle. although i don't know if it lived up to all the hype. great bar food, though, sliced in strips so it was easy to eat with one hand while holding a beer in the other.

after we finished the pizza, our curiosity was piqued by several other menu items, including the fried mac and cheese and the potato munchers. a few minutes of greasy gurgling from the fryer and this basket appeared at our table.

i have the distinct impression that if anything sits still for long enough in chillicothe, it ends up in the fryer. it's really pretty admirable. i am beginning to suspect that morning stench may be discarded fryer grease. but i digress. the potato munchers turned out to be mashed potatoes, cheese, and jalapenos fried up and served with ranch for dipping. both these and the mac and cheese were pretty amazing. as fried foods tend to be.

stuffed (of course), we paid our ridiculously small bill. the service was great at jerry's; very friendly and very patient. the social workers with me, liz and amanda, live in chillicothe and said they would make jerry's part of their regular rotation.