There's only one way to start your weekend off right. Of course, the "start of the weekend" is debatable. For some, the weekend starts Thursday around happy hour. For others, it's Friday's first frat. A few don't start their weekends until Saturday's tailgate. Though I often take advantage of the Thursday and Friday weekend excuse, I know the true week's end looks like me rolling out of bed at 11 a.m. Saturday morning. No classes await me. Homework doesn't start until Sunday crunch time. All I have to figure out is what I'm going to eat.
This Saturday, I had to venture out of bed at an unnaturally early hour for an apartment viewing appointment. I figured I deserved some sort of reward so I, along with my trusty taste-testing sister, headed downtown for an experience.
Yes, I know that if you go downtown, you HAVE to try the dumplings, and the gelato, and Chap's ice cream, and Christian's, and the farmer's market, etc, etc. Sure, these places are great. But if you're looking for an experience, you sometimes have to dig a little deeper. And by "dig deep," I mean head to the back of an old-school drugstore and throw down lunch-counter, soda-fountain style.
Timberlake's Drug Store on the Downtown Mall is, simply, old-fashioned. You walk into a drugstore and the first thing on your right is a small table with homemade pies. On the counter are perfumes and colognes carefully and proudly displayed. To your left are old-fashioned candies. My sister and I brought our hands to our chests and exclaimed at the cuteness of it all.
We headed to the back, where there's a counter with stools and a scattering of tables and chairs. At 11:00 a.m., we were the only patrons. We chose a two-seat table against the wall. I thought sitting on a stool, elbows on the counter, nonchalantly ordering coffee and a cold plate may have been more authentic, but the two waitresses intimidated me. I felt like my youthful ignorance - what's a soda fountain and how does it work - was infringing on their territory.
My sister and I were both frightened by our server, so when she asked for our drink orders, we ordered our usual "sweet tea" before even scanning the fountain beverages. Of course, I took note of what I should try next time: "Best in Town" lemonade and limeade, egg cream soda and "soda fountain mocha" - an iced coffee, of sorts.
I ordered a tuna salad sandwich off the "Old Favorites" list. Other choices include turkey with cranberry sauce, egg and olives and canned corned beef. We probably embarrassed ourselves cooing about the selections. My sister stuck to the triple-cheese grilled cheese with extra tomato. Our sandwiches were served on paper plates with two small pickles on the side.
The time-travel aspect of Timberlake's would have sufficiently satisfied my experience goal, but the food added to my pleasure. Can a lunch counter mess up a tuna salad sandwich? I'm sure just any old lunch counter could manage to do injustice to tuna salad. But Timberlake's is not just any lunch counter. Timberlake's has Old Favorites, but it also has larger sandwiches called "Mr. Sandwiches," homemade desserts, sundaes and MILKSHAKES. One does not order fries or onion rings at Timberlake's. Sides include fresh deviled eggs, coleslaw, macaroni and three-bean salad.
While my sister and I ate our sandwiches - and donned Mary Janes and poodle skirts - a regular came in with his newspaper and sat at a back table. He was immediately served coffee by the now amicable waitress. I was baffled by her change in demeanor. A horrid thought entered my mind: This woman didn't like me. I felt like an invader, taking notes on her menu, eating her food, greedily slurping her iced tea.
My sister and I wanted dessert. We needed to round out the authenticity of our visit. A milkshake would have been ideal. Having enough money for two $4 milkshakes is ideal as well, but it doesn't mean it always happens. We decided to split Mitchell's Delight, which is a warm brownie with walnuts supporting a heaping dose of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. It was, in a word, delightful.
Acquiring dessert meant rock-paper-scissoring to see who would approach the counter and ask if we could please maybe order something else. I received a blank stare and what could have been a mumbled yes. I considered it a success.
Bending over our rapidly disappearing brownie, we stole quick glances at our opponent. It was a battle of the generations. I had expected a leisurely brunch in a calm and quaint atmosphere. What I got was more than an experience - it was a challenge. Were we, two young college girls armed with an easy-tip calculator a stain on Timberlake's good name? Was our waitress intentionally mean or just a little rough around the edges? Nibbling first on my sweet pickle - which complemented the tuna's saltiness - and my sweet brownie, I pondered these questions. I'm not sure if there's an answer.
I am sure that Timberlake's has good food at a decent price. I'm sure that the atmosphere is pleasant and the experience is memorable. I think that I envied our waitress' confidence. Maybe she envied our youth. I'm sure she could tell me what a soda fountain is. Maybe, we all could teach each other something about our differences.
Connelly's column runs biweekly Wednesdays. She can be reached at c.hardaway@cavalierdaily.com.
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