Monday, March 12

When Life Hands You......



these, make limeade!



I love limeade. I specifically love the fresh limeade found at Bill's Barbecue in Richmond, Virginia. How sweet is it? It is so sweet it will curl your tongue and your toes with one swig. And yet, it has that slightly tart tinge that makes you go back for more. If you remove the lid, you'll see at least 6-7 quarters of freshly squeezed limes!







The barbecue sandwiches at Bill's are not the best I've ever had, but they are tolerable because they afford me the opportunity to drink the big limeade. I like it so much that there are times I could almost be persuaded to drive to Richmond just to get some, and that is not a short trip from here!

When mr. kenju travelled for business regularly, I eagerly awaited his trips north, since they usually meant a stop at Bill's on the way home. I'd put in my order, and mr. kenju would get the largest container they had and fill it with limeade, but no ice. I would sit at home, mouth open and salivating with anticipation! As I heard the car enter the driveway, I'd fill a large glass with ice and run out to the car for the elixir. Talk about Heaven! It quenched my thirst and my longing in one fell swoop.

So, imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to see nestled on the refrigerated shelves at the grocery, a bottle, whose label read:

All Natural

Simply Limeade

Not from Concentrate

I could hardly wait to get home and try some! Sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations or to the standard set by Bill's in Richmond. Instead of the sugary yet tart aftertaste, I was left with a distinctly chemical taste. That's odd, considering they say it is all natural.

I suppose that from now on, unless I am planning a trip through Richmond, I should buy limes and make my own fresh limeade. There's nothing like the real thing, is there?

22 comments:

Anna said...

I love Bills BBQ! You just cant get good southern BBQ here in London! What is up with that?

You are making me homesick again Judy! Shame on you! :)

joared said...

This sounds good to me, so will have to find Bills next time I'm in Richmond visiting family which isn't real frequently. I think you definitely need to get a lime tree! How about a dwarf lime tree you can keep in a half whiskey barrel in a weather protected area?

Crimson said...

I LOVE limeade!! LOVE it. I usually make my limeade with sparkling water instead of regular tap water, I love the carbonation.

Beverly said...

I'll be driving by Richmond sometime next month. I'll have to look it up.

awareness said...

just reading your description makes my mouth water for some limeade....

yummy :)

Babette said...

A lime a day keeps the scurvy away! Arrrgh! I love squeezing their juice into Mexican food.

Peter said...

Hi Judy, just a quick catch up on my blogroll (or some of it perhaps... sorry Zinnia and William) I'm sure Mr Kenju was impressed by the welcome home he got IF he had limeade.

Anonymous said...

Not likely to be in Richmond any time soon, but I do love limeade. Reading about this has made me pucker up with delight. We've got a couple high end natural markets here; I'll have to see if they have any limeade. Do you like key lime pie, too?

OldLady Of The Hills said...

That sounds very very yummy, Judy...And Bill's sounds like a true treasure of a place, too! I love that Mr. Kenju would bring you some in a BIG container....Isn't it great when something lives up to your expectations of it? And that stuff on the shelf....Bad. And that is too bad, especially since they advertise it as all natural...Good Luck!

Craver said...

I've never had limeade. I am going to be passing through Richmond in a about 7 weeks, on my way to pick up the puppy. I'd be happy to fetch for you Judy! Say the word.

And, I'll happily bring the monster to lunch one day.

Pat said...

That is something I hae never done but I love home made lemonade. I must try making it . Limes didn't use to be readily available here.

Anonymous said...

I feel the same way about Key Lime juice that is used in pies down here. You just can't get the same effect from the bottled juice as you do from the fresh squeezed limes!

And now, I think Bill's BBQ ought to pay ya for this post. ;)

srp said...

Subway used to make a fresh squeezed lemonade that sounds like it was almost this good. They squeezed a whole lemon into the drink as you watched.

I also like Sonic's cherry limeade though it doesn't sound like anything compares to that from Bills.

rosemary said...

When Steve's grandmother was ill, we would visit often...her favorite drink? Limeade with Vodka. We would stop at the market and get the cheesy frozen kind of limeade..and yes, the vodka too...make up a whole bunch of the stuff for her and freeze it! Kept her comfortable for a long time and made her happy as well! Yea for limeade!

Shephard said...

Judy, one of my favorite things is Thai Lime Drink. Sounds very similar. I've only ever found it at Thai restaurants tho. I can only imagine how refreshing it is in their humid climate.
~S

MaR said...

It sounds wonderful! and I am so thirsty now!

Unknown said...

It's amazing what the mind can do, my mouth started to water when I saw the sliced limes.

Kristi said...

Love, Love, LOVE limeade. Actually, I pretty much love anything with lime in it, and that includes key lime pie, of course. And I just saw this place profiled on the Food Network recently. Sounds like we'd both go hog-wild in there, huh? ;)

http://www.keylimeshop.com/

Anonymous said...

My goodness I don't think I've ever had limeade not from concentrate. Sounds delicious.

Raggedy said...

I love BBQ! I have to make it myself because it isn't sold here. I also make it every time my dad visits because he misses it too! I also make fresh cole slaw to put on top becuase that is the way my dad likes it. There is no southern BBQ in Maryland or ND.
I have never heard of limeade but you reminded me of my grandma's lemonade. She cooked the lemons on the stove and it was the best lemonade I ever had. Limeade sounds good.
Hugs

utenzi said...

I've never had limade, Judy. I used to like kamakazis in college and they had lime in them...

Cris said...

We love fresh limeade here! I just had some for lunch, so I add 1 can heavy cream (I use soy cream, it has no calories, no fat) and blend it, it makes a creamy limeade!