Mai Tai's, Strippers, And Abdullah The Butcher

On Wednesday it was another late start. When I finally woke and emerged from the guest room Big Dave, Suzanne, and their beautiful six year old David were simply going about their business. None of us had a care in the world. Minus David, a video game auteur who busied himself on his computer, we all sat at the kitchen table and simply chatted. We touched on a number of topics as time stretched into the late afternoon. These are the kinds of moments I cherish. Big Dave and Suzanne are what's best in people and I could have enjoyed their company all night. However, there were three critical stops I wanted to make on this day so it was time to hit the road.

Then the real action began...

Big Dave and I got in the car and headed towards Abdullah The Butchers House Of Ribs And Chinese Food. Now, finding delicious ribs in the South is not difficult. Finding them served by a 1980's era superstar of professional wrestling is another matter. This place is singular in that respect. During his heyday Abdullah The Butcher's trademark wrestling stunt was to jam a sharp object into the forehead of his opponent. At which point blood would stream down the face of the poor rube to the utter delight of the bloodthirsty masses (myself included) cheering the carnage... mmmm bloodlust! The place is surreal. There's a billboard near the side of the road... in full view of potentially squeemish, tenderhearted motorists... displaying a particularly graphic period photo of the aforementioned wrestling stunt. Nasty, nasty stuff!!! Inside the walls are covered with vintage photographs. A few were as gross as the one on the billboard. Mostly they were candid and professional shots of the many wrestlers Mr. Butcher (as I decided to call him) had befriended. Both the "good" and "bad" were represented. There were the icons like Bruno Sammartino and Andre The Giant alongside villains like Ivan Koloff and The Iron Sheik (who back in the hostage era, Shah hating 1980's would enter the ring and wave the Iranian flag... man, did he ever get booed!). Many were autographed. It seemed all of them really liked Mr. Butcher. It was easy to see why. We had the good fortune of meeting the man. When we walked in the restaurant he was sitting at the head of a table full of people... perhaps his family. He struck me as a loving, doting patriarch. We said hello and asked if we could take a picture with him. With a practiced, deadpan expression he asked "Are you gonna buy somethin'?" Big Dave and I both were caught off guard and laughed loudly... but immediately ordered food. He is "The Butcher" after all... We chose the ribs and house fried rice. Who'd a thunk it... but it was amazingly flavorful and delicious! Plus the portions were monstrous! Plenty for leftovers. Now, as to why he serves two such seemingly disparate menus as barbeque and Chinese food? I really don't know or care. I loved every morsel! As we ate we chatted with the man. The more he spoke the more affable and charming he revealed himself to be. He happily posed for photos. In the end, he could have been distant or surly which would have tarnished the experience. Instead, Abdullah gave us memories we'll always cherish. He is the gentleman butcher.

Then it was off to Trader Vics. Kira was just getting off work and met us for Mai Tai's and Suffering Bastards. On the drive over Big Dave said one drink was his limit. Well, he became entranced by the Mai Tai Mojo and "one" turned into "one more." In an earlier post I'd written that I had dear friends from different phases of my life who lived in Atlanta... none of whom had ever met. On this evening that finally changed. They got along splendidly! Big Dave and Kira are now buddies... both Facebook and the regular kind.

Unbeknownst to Kira the third and final stop on this weird and wonderful party train was approaching. The Clermont Lounge is one of Atlanta's oldest and seediest strip joints. It had been many years (I swear... I swear... I swear!!!) since I'd been to to see the naked ladies. When I learned of this glorious place it became imperative I pay a visit. I was bit concerned about Kira. She had been living in Atlanta for years and knew of The Clermont Lounge. How would she react when I suggested we visit? She is a woman after all and in my view most women would not approve of... much less visit such a place. So, we're sitting at Trader Vic's bar when it came time to broach the subject. In careful and measured tones I looked at Big Dave and said "What was the name of that place we were thinking about next... The Clermont Lounge?" Kira, her eyes widened, bolted upright and blurted out "WE GOTTA GO!!!" Oh man... she's awesome! At this point I was anxious to know the place through experience rather than by reputation so off we went. The Clermont Lounge is everything I hoped it would be. It is a classic old school neighborhood nudie bar... with a twist or two. Sure, it's dimly lit with a dark, weathered wooden bar. The entertainers perform one at a time and select their music from a juke box tucked in the corner. However the place is also very woman friendly (there were more than a few hanging out having drinks... and tipping the dancers). It has a dance floor. A person could go there on "Rockabilly" or "Disco" Night and dance their head off... or look at the aforementioned naked ladies... or both! Barbi, a pretty, blonde, heavily tattooed dancer (and mother of two) told me that "this is where strippers go to die!" This seems to be the case. Some were old. Some were overweight. Some were unattractive. Some were all three. They'd fit perfectly in a John Waters movie. I loved each and every one of them! And Kira? Well... she quickly befriended Barbi. They exchanged phone numbers, email addresses, and hugs. Sometime soon they're going to meet outside the bar so Barbi can give Kira hula hoop lessons... a stunning development! It's maddening to think I will have left Atlanta and not be around to witness that magical delight take place. By the way Suzanne, in her hellcat days before meeting and marrying Big Dave took a date to The Clermont Lounge. I will always love her.