A weekend of tapas

It was all laid out before us: shrimp Diablo, buffalo sausage, Moroccan crepe, lobster bisque, marinated Greek white beans, winter hummus, artisanal cheese, European olives …

That was just the first meal. Then there was the shrimp with grits and andouille, filet mignon on eggs Benedict, bourbon-glazed salmon, garlic-roasted potatoes, Key Lime cheesecake, chocolate truffle cake…

And that’s just what we ate.

When I close my eyes, I see a reclining dress made of glass,

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Reclining Dress Impression with Drapery, cast glass; Karen LaMonte, 2006

and the Burning of the Philadelphia

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Edward Moran, 1897, “The Burning of the Philadelphia”

And that was just in their permanent collection.

I dreamed about the dragon’s descendant

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A cloud of floating white spirits

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One clownish funny face

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And a grinning gator trio.

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And we really could have spent another day there.

That’s not to mention the famous train station

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Sunset over the river

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And walking comfortably everywhere.

No, we did not fly to New York for a getaway.

A weekend in Chattanooga was like a dinner of tapas: sampling many treats, intense in flavor, but you don’t feel bloated at the end of it. Just happy.

Pardon me, boy. That is definitely the choo-choo. And also the cha-cha.

Today’s penny is 2002 – the year that Terra Nostra Tapas Restaurant opened in Chattanooga on the North Shore.