L3-Tradition South-Vol.561

Esteban Mendez Service Manager

Down-Home Cooking

There’s something so charming and comforting about down-home cooking. It’s food prepared with love, a love that instantly warms your soul and makes you feel good. But where do you go, besides home, to get that downhome style? Mama Lisa’s Bistro in Port St. Lucie, of course!

Walk into Mama Lisa’s Bistro and immediately feel at ease. Black and white gingham tablecloths and curtains cheer the naturally bright, cozy dining room. The smell of freshlymade coffee lingers in the air as the griddle in the kitchen tempts you with the sound of its sizzling. And, a smiling face welcomes you to choose the table or booth of your liking. The family-friendly restaurant most definitely invites you with open arms, promising a wide variety of classic breakfast, brunch, and lunch favorites, all at incredibly reasonable prices, to please any personality.

Abby selected the combo special ($8.50), which came with 2 eggs cooked to order, choice of bacon or sausage, choice of hash browns, home fries, or “Gary’s

potatoes,” and choice of toast. What a deal! You get all of the traditional breakfast favorites without breaking the bank! Plus, the large, hearty portion of food is definitely enough to keep you satisfied, if not for the full day then most definitely until lunchtime.

If you get the special, or any meal that comes with a potato side, then Abby recommends that you choose “Gary’s potatoes,” which she described as being “nicely-seasoned.” She went on to say, “They’re better than just any ol’ standard breakfast potatoes! They pack extra flavor thanks to the addition of fresh peppers and onions.”

Per our server’s recommendation, Abby also tried a full order of biscuits and gravy ($9.95). She especially enjoyed the biscuits, which she complimented for being “soft and fluffy.” In fact, she said, “I would order one of these on its own to eat just with butter or jam!”

I ordered my 3 large pancakes ($8.50) with blueberries and chocolate chips ($1.50 each). The

DiningOutReview

by Gabby Gregory with Gabby & Abby Questions/Comments? diningreview@mediaoms.com

plate-sized pancakes were thick, fluffy, and loaded with fresh fruit and decadent chocolate. My inner child was squealing with joy upon each and every bite! A lovely shade of golden brown, they had slightly crispy edges, which added a satisfying crunch. Overall, the sweet pancakes brightened my day, equipping me with a positive mindset to tackle my day.

Abby and I can’t give enough praise to our server, who was incredibly thoughtful and attentive despite working on her own. She was very patient with us as we agonized over what to order, asking her question after question about the menu. She checked on us numerous times, always offering to refill our glasses or brew us a fresh cup of medium roast coffee. Then, when she delivered our food, she assessed it for us, ensuring that it was to our liking.

She promptly took Abby’s plate of biscuits and gravy back before we could say anything, explaining, “Oh these need more gravy! Hold on, let me get some.” Then, when she returned with the plate, she asked kindly, “Are those pancakes done enough for you? I like mine a bit crispier, so if you do too then I can ask the chef to redo them.” While I didn’t take her up on the offer, I did appreciate that she took the time to check with me.

Indeed, our server’s thoughtfulness and attention to detail really shone, and definitely

contributed to that feeling of down-home comfort and care at the bistro. She even asked me if I wanted syrup to bring home, as I couldn’t finish my pancakes and took them to enjoy later!

Longing for some homey meals that you don’t have to cook yourself? We have a solution! For a taste of some down home cooking, look no further than Mama Lisa’s Bistro!

Mama Lisa’s Bistro is located in the Bravo Supermarkets Plaza at 2838 SW Port St. Lucie Blvd. in Port St. Lucie. The restaurant is open every day from 7AM-7PM. For more information or to place an order, call 772-333-2408.

By: Emmelis Keaney

Overoptimism can be as dangerous (or more) as over pessimism, that’s in a nutshell Jerome Powell’s message following the past FOMC meeting, where the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25 percentage points to 4.75%. While making it clear that the economy is no where near out of danger, the Fed slightly signaled signs of a near future pivot by reducing its .50bps increase rate from last year. Investors should be more cautious than happy. Here is why.

Investors are ignoring many of the indicators and focusing on only one improving aspect of our economy, which is the slight decline in in ation. Others focus on the short-term shi s of the major indexes. Yes, the S&P 500 rose 1% immediately a er the Fed’s announcement. But comments such as “in ation is headed in the right direction”, or “the economy is not as bad as we thought”, that are becoming increasingly common by analysts and even the International Monetary Fund (IMF), create a misleading sense of calm and recovery, when in fact there’s little evidence supporting those assumptions.

e Fed uses the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to measure the changes in prices of purchases for consumption. is measure analyzes 8 sectors: Food & Beverage, Housing, Apparel, Transportation, Medical Care, Recreation, Education & Communication and Other Goods & Services. During the Fed’s announcement, Chair Powell explained that in ation only began to subside in the “Goods & Services” sector, which is only 14% of the entire measurement. Whereas in the other sectors such as Housing, over 40% of the basket, in ation decline has not even begun.

Speaking of the Housing sector, one of the largest homebuilders in the country KB Home, released their end of year earnings disclosing an alarming 68% of home cancellations in 2023. e housing sector is considered a “lagging” indicator, (a measure of the past results). But it can too be consider a “leading” indicator, in the sense that changes in the housing sector can give us some indication of future economic outlook. I don’t believe the housing sector, as well as the Food & Beverage, Apparel and Recreation sectors have experienced the full brunt of interest rate hikes and stubborn in ation.

e stock market is in not a sole reliable measure of our economy, as it’s very re ective of investor sentiment. Changes in the stock market do not signi cantly a ect most of the population, because only about 14% of American families have direct stock investments, according to the Federal Reserve, while 52% have some degree of stock market exposure in their retirement accounts through work. Jerome Powell is not concerned about the stock market, despite Wall Street’s pressures. ere are more concerning economic factors beyond the stock market and ignoring them can be regrettably foolish.

personality

does very good work and is very reassuring and explain what he is doing. I’ve never felt more comfortable. He xed my broken front tooth and made me smile again. He’s amazing! And the staff and dental assistant are all awesome.”

For What It’s Worth by

It appears that my last two columns regarding the di culty which many patients are facing when attempting to make an appointment with their physician, or attempting to get someone to call them back regarding their medical issues, from doctors who are employed by the large hospital(s) in our communities have struck a nerve. I am used to receiving responses (thank you very much) from some of my articles, but never have I received so many at one time, and they keep coming. I thought this was a big problem for me personally, but apparently, it is an even larger problem than I thought. e emails that I have received are upsetting and at times heartbreaking. Elderly people without a doctor, when their physician of many years suddenly takes a leave of absence or retires, with no one to replace them. People who have to wait months, some nearly a year, to get on their physician’s schedule for treatment, some without the resources to know where to turn, and without guidance from the very institution with which they placed their trust.

In my opinion, and the opinion of others, the system is broken. We all deserve better than this. When people are sick, when people are hurting, when people expect to be treated, and are turned down, they feel abandoned, lost, bewildered, and angry. What’s worse, many of you have asked me to help. I wish I could, but like you, I don’t know where to turn. Still, since I have some public

Dr. Melfi, Ph.D.

voice, and a conscience that realizes we all have to do our part to help, I reached out to the hospital to see if they employed a patient advocate who could eld all the calls/complaints and frustrations, and guess what? I found a department that allegedly can help. It is known as the Patient Experience O ce, and the phone number is 772-223-4995. A er two phone calls and several hours later, my call was returned by a very nice woman who was willing to give me the opportunity to voice my concerns. She said she understood the frustration of having to wait for appointments for months, or having a doctor who no longer works there, nor replaced, leaving patients without a physician. She told me her o ce is open to any and all concerns, and she does what she can to allay those concerns, and will contact individual physician o ces to attempt to get earlier appointments.

When I asked her why there is such a long wait to get appointments, even for long-standing patients with doctors of record, she said that with the growth of the community and the large in ux in the population coming to Florida, there are simply not enough doctors to see patients. I nd that answer truthful, but frankly, unacceptable. She also stated that many doctors have le this facility, and have not been replaced, but that they are “working on it.” I don’t doubt what she says is true, but why are doctors’ leaving, and by leaving, I mean leaving our community unattended? Something has to change. is should not be accepted

as the new normal. Sick people need to get well, it’s as simple as that. e question is, how can we do that without appointments or physicians? I am all for nurse practitioners. I am a nurse, rst and foremost, but nurses are not doctors, regardless of how intelligent they are (and they are!).

As well, I reminded the woman I spoke with that at the least, the front line of sta workers elding calls should be held to a higher standard of professionalism, by being kind, considerate and courteous, not rude and dismissive, like some of you have encountered. She agreed. So how much can she help? I don’t know, but personally, I still have to wait until the end of August to see my physician, even though I have been a patient of his for the past ten years.

For What It’s Worth, l appreciated her empathy on behalf of all of us, but it didn’t get me into my doctor any sooner. Maybe a few letters to the administration would be the incentive for change. en again, maybe not.

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4 Dugout seating

5 Plumbing woe

6 Einstein’s birthplace

7 CBS logo

8 Semitic language

9 Region

10 Sediment

11 Seeger or Sampras

16 Winslet of “Titanic”

19 Pen uids

20 “Huh?’

21 Sitarist Shankar

22 Odometer reading

23 On the rocks

25 Cracker spread

26 Natives of Rome

27 Poet Sandburg

28 Young foxes

30 Borscht veggie

33 Gushes with pride

34 Street edge

36 Bakery array

37 Canyon sound 38 Incite

51 Boston team, for short DOWN

1 Day light?

2 “-- Had a Hammer”

3 Relating to Plato’s teacher