Checking out some places on the left coast!

It's been a while since I have been on the road to check out some more DDD places.  This year has been busy at work and I have not been able to get to as many places as in years past.  I was able to get most of December off this year (2013) and talked my buddy Barry into taking a trip out to California.  We called our friend Leslie and planned our trip.  We wanted to take in the taping of a television show and get to some interesting places.

As the trip approached we decided to do both Los Angeles and San Diego as Leslie grew up in the San Diego area we had some inside knowledge of the area.  Leslie got tickets for us for the San Diego Chargers vs. the New York Giants game at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego and she also got tickets for a taping of the Conan O'Brien Show at the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank.  I knew that I wanted to try and get to a few DDD places, but when travelling with others I can't get to all of the places, so I had to plan on what was the best to try that would be enjoyed by the three of us.

Barry and I took an early morning flight from Dulles to Los Angeles and after a long 5 hour 45 minute flight we arrived around 10a.  The plan was to meet Leslie later in the day, so I wanted to head out and try one or two DDD locations.  We headed into LA to try a place called "Park's Finest Barbecue"

We arrived in the neighborhood of the restaurant, which we later found out is called "Filipino town".  We actually past the place two or three times as there was a big box truck in front that sort of hid the restaurant.  We entered a small place that was doing a very hopping lunch business and as we were seated at a table in the middle area of the floor, the waitress saw my DDD book and commented on it and I told her that Park's would be my 320th DDD visit.  She reminded me of the dishes that were featured on their episode (their time with Guy was on the episode featuring the movie "Grown Ups 2" so Guy visited with Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and Kevin James).  The waitress told us that they had featured Coconut Beef, Tri Tips, and Cornbread and that the meals at Park's are all served "Family Style".  I asked her if at some point I could get my book signed and she said that the owner was in so she would get him to sign it.  We decided on the Coconut Beef with white rice and cornbread.  On the table were bottles of house made barbecue sauces, one was vinegar based, the other was sun dried tomato based but looked almost mustard in color.  The food arrived at the table and it was not what I had expected, I had thought it would be like the Coconut Chicken I had eaten at many different places, fried chicken with batter and shredded coconut.  This was a bowl of beef in a coconut milk based sauce that had a bit of a bite of heat and was delicious. 

Coconut Beef with White Rice and Cornbread

Jon, Park's Finest owner came over to the table to meet us and sign my book.  He seemed very excited to meet us and hear about my travels on the DDD quest.  Jon sat with us for about 20 minutes as we chatted about my travels and how he and his wife and the buddies he grew up with not only started the restaurant but cleaned up the neighborhood.  In the 1970's this part of LA was one of the poorest and worst conditioned areas of the city, but as they grew up, the kids banded together and cleaned it up.  The restaurant was really an outgrowth of the residents taking pride in where they lived.  Jon told us about the Filipino families cooking for each other and providing for each other,  The menu is just part of that.  The neighborhood and restaurant are both huge success stories.  I will be returning and if you are in the area you should too!  As we talked, the waitress brought a plate filled with barbecued ribs, tri tip beef and shredded pork barbecue, Jon told us that since we had travelled so far we needed to try then menu!

Trying the Menu - Tri Tip Beef, Shredded Pork and Ribs

All three items were delicious, if I had to choose a favorite it would be the Tri Tip, but all were great and worth trying.  Park's Finest is the reason that DDD is such a great show, there is no way I would have ever known or even thought of trying a place like this but now that I have I can't wait to return!  Jon had one last request of us and that was to get a picture of us which he put on their facebook page, that was a great honor for me, I truly appreciated that!

Jon, Park's Finest Owner with Barry (on right) and me

From Park's, we headed out to another place that was only about a mile a way and although the owners are not Filipino's, they are life long friends of Jon and his family.  After a short drive we arrived at "Eastside Italian Market and Deli" 

This place is a classic Italian Deli, with a huge selection of meats and cheeses.  You order your meal from the front counter and then can take it out or eat at the large dining room.  Since Barry and I were pretty full from Park's we decided to get a sandwich to have later.  The prices are very reasonable.  I chose the Roast Beef and Turkey sub.  They use quality meats and cheeses and use great rolls.  If I was in the Philippines at Park's then I was in Italy at Eastside!



My Eastside sandwich
 

That night we met up with our friend Leslie and although we called it early that night, we did have dinner at a place called Versailles, which I had always thought would feature French cuisine, but actually is a very good Cuban place and is very reasonably priced.  They have several locations in the LA area and I would recommend it.  Leslie says they have the best Garlic Chicken,  I chose the Cuban sandwich.  The second day began with an early wake up and drive down to San Diego.  The joke is that it could take anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days depending on the traffic, luckily for us it was closer to 2 hours on an very gloomy and overcast day that would end up with torrential downpours in the afternoon.  One of our first stops was a really neat area of San Diego that has a lot of buildings in the old Mission style and has hosted many exhibitions over the years and now houses a number of museums, Balboa Park.  We decided to check out the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.  What a cool place!  There were a lot of really neat train layouts depicting different regions of the western United States.  This is really a place where adults become kids!

Railroad scene model of the Ryan Aircraft hangar, where the Spirit of St. Louis was built

"N" Scale scene of the Los Angeles Railroad Terminal

Another highlight of my San Diego trip was reconnecting with a friend that I went to college with back in 1981-82.  I carpooled to college with Mindy and over the years lost touch, but although I knew she had moved back home to San Diego from the DC area, I just had a lot of trouble finding what had happened to her.  After several attempts over the Internet, I remembered what street she had lived on and found her address and sent her a letter via "snail mail" and voila, found her!  Who says the Internet is the end all, be all!  Barry and Leslie went off to explore the downtown area of San Diego as Mindy and her husband, Rolando, took me out to dinner.  We had a great time reconnecting and remembering our time at college.

My College friend Mindy and her husband with me

The second day in San Diego was pretty much just one big event, attending the San Diego Chargers game as they played the New York Giants at Qualcomm Stadium.  Getting to the stadium would prove to be more difficult than we had expected.  Traffic into the stadium was pretty bad, not really sure if it due to lack of roads into the stadium or just everyone wanting to get to same place at the same time.  The craziest thing was that they take our 25 bucks into the lot but then there is no parking control, people are taking 4 to 5 spots for tailgating, luckily we sort of bullied our way into a good spot, but it looked dicey for a while!  Once into the stadium we had great seats!  Filed Level seats on the 25 yard line about 13 rows behind the Chargers bench.  Only disappointment was that the Chargers weren't wearing their great Powder Blue jerseys, the best in the NFL, in my opinion.

Giants vs. Chargers

NFL action as seen from our seats

The seats we were in seemed to be party central. most of the people in the section attend every game and knew one another.  There were some Giant fans in our section and actually a large number in the stadium, but it would not be a good day for them as the Chargers rolled to a huge victory!  I was very proud of the Chargers fans as they booed every time that Giants QB Eli Manning was on the field.  Manning had refused to play in San Diego when he was drafted in 2004 and the fans did not forget.

Barry and I enjoying the game

Final Score Chargers 37 Giants 14

We spent our last day in San Diego checking out the San Diego Air and Space Museum and then went to the Hillcrest area of San Diego, which is loaded with a lot of cafes and shops.  I suggested that we try a DDD place in the area called "Crest Cafe".  This small cafe has a very Southwestern feel to it and the service was not only friendly but very attentive.  They had a huge selection of breakfast and lunch items. 

I chose the Kit Burger.  One of the unique things at Crest is that you have a choice of meats: ground beef; vegetarian; and a pork/beef mixture which is what I chose.  The burger was topped with Canadian Bacon and Smoked Gouda Cheese and served on a tasty brioche bun.  I can't recall what Barry got but Leslie got the Breakfast Tacos and really enjoyed them. 

My Crest Cafe Lunch

As I got my book signed by the chef, they gave me one of their t-shirts.  I really appreciated the gift.  From there we headed back north to the LA area and on the way we stopped in the town of Escondido to check out the Stone Brewery.  They give tours of their micro brew facilities for just 3 dollars and  with that you get a tour, a souvenir glass and a 2 ounce pour of their 4 different brews.  Their main brews are called Arrogant Bastard and Double Bastard, they also pour their own IPA.  All are dark and strong.

Our last day in LA was spent going to see a taping of the Conan O'Brian show at the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank.  We had to get their to get out tickets at around noon.  After getting our tickets we had a few hours to kill so we went to lunch at the last DDD place on this trip.  Just down the street from the studio is a small place that has been opened since 1900.  "Chili John's" is a institution in Burbank.

The restaurant is basically one big counter with about 25 seats.  The place was very busy during our visit.  They serve all things chili from hot dogs to burgers to bowls with all types of condiments.

Inside Chili Johns

I got the classic Chili bowl with spaghetti and cheese.  I chose the mild chili, but they also had Medium and Spicy.  Leslie got the Chili Enchilada and Barry got the huge Chili Dog.  I have to give kudos to Leslie, this is not her style of food and she played along, for that I am grateful.

My Chili John's Lunch

After getting the book signed we headed back to the studio to see the show and ended up being in the very first row of the taping, so we were actually on camera several times!  The show was great and a lot of fun.  If you didn't already know, Conan is very tall!

After the taping we had dinner at a real blast from my childhood past, Bob's Big Boy.  Haven't been to a Bob's in a long time!  I had to have the famous Bob's Big Boy triple decker!  The next morning Barry and I headed home after having a great but all too short get away.  My DDD count is up to 323!

Back to Austin to Surprise a Friend (Operation Putt-Putt)

August 2013 was a busy month for me and quick travels.  I made a quick trip to Williamsport, PA for the Little League World Series (my last blog entry).  As I was planning that trip I was perusing Facebook and saw my friend from high school, Deborah had invited me (and probably all of her FB friends) to benefit that she was holding for an annual bike ride that she is involved with called the "Mamma Jamma Ride".  This bicycle event raises funds for 10 charities that work to help those who are suffering from Breast Cancer and other women's health issues,  By the way Deborah lives in Austin, Texas and although I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to make it, but I wanted to try.  As the date was getting closer it looked as though the flights fro Dulles to Austin might be open (I have to fly stand by, so open flights are a must).  I also wanted to make it a total surprise, just show up.  I have done this before and it is pretty fun and knowing Deborah, I figured she would really enjoy the surprise.  As I was planning I looked over the Triple D list to see if there were any places that I hadn't been to in the Austin area to try and there were 4, so I figured why not!

I flew down and arrived at about 1030a and after getting a car and checking into the hotel I had reserved I headed off to a place I have visited on my last visit to Austin but had closed 20 minutes before I had arrived so I wasn't able to try.  I headed to  North Austin to a small sandwich shop in a small strip mall called "The Noble Pig".

The Noble Pig

It is a small place and I decided on getting their signature Noble Pig Sandwich on White Sourdough style bread.  The sandwich has spicy ham, pulled pork, provolone cheese and spicy bacon was delicious and served with chips and pickled veggies.  I was able to meet the co-owner and chef tat cooked with Guy on their episode.

The Noble Pig Sandwich

I really enjoyed the Noble Pig and although it was very busy their service was fast and friendly.  After returning to the hotel to relax and await my next DDD visit.  I went online and saw that another high school friend was passing through Austin as he made his way from Tampa, Florida all around the USA on his Harley.  I tried to get in contact with him but decided to head off to my next place and see if he would answer my call or text. 

I headed into Austin to probably one of the unique Trip D places I have ever been to, "Luke's Inside Out" which is not a traditional restaurant at all but a food trailer that is located outside of Gibson's Bar.   You go to the food trailer to order your meal and then go into the bar to get your drink and they deliver your meal to you in the bar.

This is Luke's Inside Out

Luke's has a nice menu of gourmet sandwiches that are accompanied with Parmesan Crusted chips.  I chose The Shrimp, which is Chipolte Rosemary glazed shrimp with blue cheese, apple and honey.  It doesn't sound like a great combination but it was very tasty, I would order it again, no doubt.

The Shrimp at Luke's Inside Out

As I left Luke's I got a text from my buddy John and as it happened he was staying at a place about 2 miles from Luke's, he asked if I was in Austin and I told him I'd be there in about 5 minutes.  He was staying at a real eclectic place called the Austin Motel, which was in a really cool nighttime area of Austin.

I met up with John and his buddies and we headed out to a real crazy bar just across the street from his hotel and I must tell you that his friends took me in as one of their own and that is a great feeling.  John is a crazy fun guy and his friends were equally the same.  We walked to Doc's and it was really busy and fun.  I don't really drink so I stayed with sodas but the rest got Doc's Signature drink, a Margarita with a pony-sized beer placed upside down in the glass.

Doc's in Austin

John and I

The Gang (Duane, me, Howard, Evelina and John)

We had a great time with the wait staff and just talking about their travels and why I was in Austin.  It had been a very long day for me, starting work at 430a, flying to Austin, checking our a few places and hanging with John and his buddies, so as they went off to a late dinner I decided to call it a day and get some rest.  Thanks to John, Duane, Howard and Evelina for welcoming me and making me feel part of the group.

I got up on day two which would end with my surprising Deborah at her fundraiser but that wasn't planned until 7p so I decided to make a road trip to College Station about 90 miles east to a Triple D places that I figured I would probably not be able to get to again. it took about 2 hours to drive to the small town of Wellborn just about 5 miles from Texas A&M University.  "Hullabaloo's Diner" is a very unusual place, it's a 50s style diner moved from the east coast and built into a Texas style honkytonk complex.

Hullabaloo's Diner in Wellborn, Texas

Inside Hullabaloo's, a classic 50s diner

The owner is from Philadelphia and has brought the Philly style cuisine to central Texas.  I chose the Redneck Philly Cheese steak, which is the classic cheese steak with peppered bacon.

Redneck Cheese steak

The huge sandwich was really not a sandwich but a knife and fork meal, very tasty.  I loved the peppered bacon!  I didn't get to meet the owner but my server brought my book to him and he signed it.  I got there when it opened at 11a and by the time I left there were people waiting for seats!

I had noticed on the drive to the diner that I had not only passed the A&M campus, but also the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, so I decided to stop in and check it out.  The Museum is dedicated to the life of President George Herbert Walker Bush, our 41st President.  I really enjoyed the museum.  There is a very neat statue dedicated to the collapse of the Berlin Wall, with a replica of the wall as it is being jumped over by horses to symbolize the German people leaving the Communist East Berlin into Free West Berlin.  My other favorite places in the museum were the replica Oval Office, replica office at Camp David and a video display of President Bush's interactions with Dana Carvey on "Saturday Night Live"

Presidential Limo

Type of Plane that he flew during World War 2

White House Display

At the Desk

"NO, Mr. Gorbachev!"

State Dinner Place setting

Air Force 1 model

Replica Camp David Office

Berlin War Statue

After returning back to Austin I got ready for my last Triple D visit before putting Operation Putt-Putt into action.  After a short rest at the hotel I headed to a very unique place, "Foreign and Domestic" looks like a really plain diner type of place, but looks are definitely deceiving.  Inside this place is fine dining all the way.  I was seated at the counter next to the kitchen so I got to watch some real great chefs and sous chefs at work.

Don't let looks deceive this place is fine dining

The menu wasn't large but it was very gourmet.  My server explained all of the different entrees and how they were prepared.  I found the prices to be a bit high, but even before I ordered I knew that whatever I got would be delicious.  I decided on the Ricotta Ginudi, which is a gnocchi-like pasta made with ricotta cheese instead of potato.  It had a light unique taste and although I love gnocchi, I really liked the ginudi!  It had a sauce with a slight bite of heat, that was delicious.  My Triple D count now stands at 319!

Foreign and Domestic Sous Chefs hard at work

Ricotta Ginudi

Now it was time to put Operation Putt-Putt into action, which was the reason that I was in Austin.  About 10 days prior I had sent a text to Deborah, which is something I do about once a month just to see how she is doing and she had jokingly asked me to come for the Mini Golf fundraiser, now I didn't say no, but said I was working and we left it at that.  To make the surprise even better I had sent her a text just before leaving for the restaurant to wish her good luck and success that night.

The fundraiser was to be held at Peter Pan Mini Golf in Austin.  This place has two courses and has been an Austin institution since 1948.

They had set up the fundraiser so that anyone who played between 7 ad 9pm and presented the cashier a Mamma Jamma card, 100% of the money paid would go towards the charities.  The owner of the place rides with the team and opened his place to Deborah and her team.  If you'd like to contribute google Mamma Jamma ride in Austin and look up Team Survivor, Deborah and all of her team are Beast Cancer Survivors.

Peter Pan overseeing his Golf Kingdom

The place has a very small parking lot and as I pulled in there was Deborah and I thought, "Oh No!, shell see me parking", but as luck had it there was one spot and I was able to go by her and she didn't see me!  I got out and walked to the entrance (I was wearing an Oakton Cougars, our high school, shirt so there would be no doubt who it was) and shouted "Let's Play some Golf!".  She was very surprised, so all I could say was Mission ACCOMPLISHED!

I didn't even get to play a round as I spent the entire time catching up with Deborah and her team and friends and a nicer group of people I have never met.  I really hope to return for more of the fundraisers, it was a great time!

Deborah and I

YES, it was humid!

In closing this was a great trip to see and support and old friend, whom I greatly admire for all the great things she does for others, I felt is was a great honor to be a part of it.  Thanks so much to Deborah, LOVE YA!  Best to you and all of your team!