Eating My Way to Futon Heaven

If there is one great thing about working on the road... it's eating! Different towns, different foods, different restaurants, and sometimes, if I'm lucky, good company at the table. Some of my most memorable meals have been shared with friends from the world of futons. If I could spend a day re-living my favorite eating-with-futon-friends memories, this is what I'd order up:

For breakfast, I'd go with Joe Tatulli and Dale Reed (Futon Life) to the Lighthouse in Sausalito, just across the Golden Gate from San Francsico. The specialty of the house is a big delicious Danish Pancake, filled with fresh fruit and hanging over the edge of the plate. Mmmm!! When Dale and Joe first took me there, I was struggling to get started in my new career after closing my stores. They fed me a big serving of encouragement along with the pancake, and it really filled me up, in more ways than one.

For lunch, as long as I'm out west, I'd drop in for a take-out burritos from Sanchez Burrito in Tucson and share them with Buzz Farlow (Sticky Fingers). Buzz is one of my favorite people in the futon business, and I've enjoyed lots of great meals with him. As far as I'm concerned, any meal is greatly enhanced by his presence at the table. If you don't believe me, invite him out to dinner and see for yourself! Actually, we first met over lunch (at a futon expo), so that's the meal I'd choose to eat with Buzz.

Now, before we have dinner, don't you think we should enjoy a cocktail? I've been fortunate to receive a long string of free drinks from wager-losing John Buster (Bedworks, Boston MA). We've had a running bet for years. He keeps losing and I keep drinking. The best was a beer at Max's Mexican Restaurant in High Point. Pranji Lhodia (Shamiana) and Paula & White Sonner (New West) were also there. John had us all laughing with a great story, about his career transition from civil rights lawyer to futoneer.

For an appetizer, let's zoom back to the west coast for grilled oysters with dill sauce at the Chuckanut Manor, near Bellingham, Washington. Nancy Taylor (Dream On Futon) brought Carol and me there, down a winding wooded road to this charming place on the water. It was the first time Carol actually tried oysters instead of making that face. She's been ordering them ever since in the hopes of finding another that tastes as good.

Let's order a salad. Few restaurants brag about their salads, probably because their salad isn't as remarkable as the Insalada Casa Burro at Casa DiAngelo in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Tony Wolf and Gary Cohen (Wolf Corporation) took me there to get acquainted and explore whether or not we ought to work together. I already knew that Tony made the best futon mattress in the business, but they weren't so sure about me yet. That dinner was the beginning of my association with Wolf, and it began with the salad. Tony recommended it with mouth-watering detail, and I've been taking his advice ever since.

Main course. I'll eat wherever Irma wants to go. Whenever I run into Irma McInnis (Dream Designs, Vancouver), which can be almost anywhere, a great dinner is usually in the offing. From the Stinking Rose in San Francisco (noise and garlic a-plenty), to the Louisiana in New York (cajun cuisine and swing dancing), to the Bali Hai in San Diego (plastic leis and pu-pu platters), to the Hyatt in Orlando (shook hands with Michael Jordan and don't remember the food). Dinner with Irma means good food, good conversation, and meeting yet another of her fascinating friends.

Ah, Dessert. Let's go to the East West Bistro in Athens, GA. Alan Bowden (Knockdown Frameworks) and his family took me there one evening and we had fun telling jokes and drawing cartoons on the paper table covering. At dessert time, the Bowdens were amazed that I'd never heard of red velvet cake. When it came, it was my turn to be amazed. This bright red cake is actually rich chocolate. Afterwards, we went to see the famous Athens double-barreled cannon.

And now, after this full day of good friends and gluttony, I've still missed many of my favorite futon friends and memories. Let's meet up with them for a quiet after-dinner drink. Where better than at the futon expo? I'll linger a while in the hotel lounge and see who stops by. If you see me there, please feel free to pull up a chair.