Hoosier Hospitality (with some Royal Treatment in the Queen City)

In the past year Guy has visited several places in the Indianapolis area and although I have been to Indy once, it was only for a work meeting at the airport, so I really have never been out of the airport, making Indy a new city for me.  There are 9 places in the state of Indiana that have been featured on the show and with my usual luck the place I really wanted to go to was too far to get to on a 2 day trip.  In planning these trips I use Google Maps to plan my driving and as I planned I saw that Cincinnati is about 2 hours away and there are 2 places that I really wanted to try there so I traded the one place that is too far to drive for 2 a little bit closer.

I took the first flight on a Thursday morning from Dulles to Indy arriving there about 10am.  My plans were to stay until Saturday morning, but two things came up to change my plans, full flights on Saturday and the coming of the huge Hurricane Irene.  I would make it a shorter visit flying home on the following night.  The flight in was very scenic flying over the city seeing the huge Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts and the upcoming Super Bowl.

I got the rental car and headed about 2 hours southeast to the Queen City of Cincinnati, Ohio.  On the drive I passed a place that made me smile and surprised me.  The small town of Milan, Indiana (pronounced MY-lan).  Milan High School with a student total of just a few hundred won the Indiana State High School Championship in 1954 and was the inspiration for the 1986 movie "Hoosiers" with Gene Hackman and favorite movie of mine.  I didn't have time to stop there but thought it was pretty cool just to see the sign! 





I arrived at my first stop "Blue Ash Chili" in the town of Blue Ash just outside Cincinnati.  The place was packed but they really put out a good fast meal and I got the signature 3-way Chili meal.  Cincinnati Chili is pretty unique, it has a sweeter taste and also has a slight cinnamon taste.  It is not my favorite type of chili but the chili at Blue Ash was delicious!



3-WAY Chili at Blue Ash - The cheese makes it!

I was able to talk with the owner and she was excited that I stopped in and told me about the taping and the fun they had with Guy.  She also asked if I would like to receive their new Blue Ash/DDD t-shirt when they get them back in stock?  I didn't have to think too long about that and I hope to receive that shirt soon and told them I would wear it on some of my upcoming DDD adventures! 

 Terry's Turf Club

Terry's Lawn

This is Cool!

From Blue Ash it was a short ride into Cincinnati to a place that when I saw it on the show I told myself, "I MUST GO THERE!".  I think I have said that about maybe 10 places so my excitement grew as I got closer to "Terry's Turf Club" and I was not disappointed!  The restaurant that looks like an old home has a yard full of neon signs and lawn ornaments that invites you into a real fun and great restaurant.  As I entered it was not very busy and it really isn't a big place but it is really cool!  There are neon signs all over the walls and they have 3 of these bottle shaped coolers from the Bevador Company all are decorated as old time beer bottles.  Terry's specialty is gourmet burgers.  On the tables are bowls of peanuts and like many cool places just throw the shells onto the floor!  I ordered the burger with Bleu Stilton cheese and a burgundy truffle wine sauce on the side.  The burger stood on it's own, very tasty. I actually dipped potato chips into the very strong wine sauce.  I was able to meet Terry and had a long conversation with him.  He told me that the Bevador Corporation went out of business in 1955 and the three coolers are over 60 years old and that just added to the ambiance of the place!  All of the staff there were super nice and really look after their patrons.  I was excited to visit Terry's and my visit exceeded my expectations!



1950's Vintage Bevadoor Cooler at Terry's Turf Club

I headed back to Indy for the rest of my visits. My dinner stop was at a family place called "Steer-In family Restaurant".  This diner has a huge menu and a very 1950's feel to it.  Their menu is like a Jersey style diner with alot of choices and big portions.  I tried the French Dip Sandwich.  It was big and delicious.  The best part was that the Au Jus Dip was not too salty, most of the times I have had a French Dip, the dip is like a brown salt solution, not here!  The owner came over to sign my book and we talked about the filming of the show and how they laid out the restaurant.  She has been a fan of the show since it started and told me they were so excited to have Guy visit and feature them. 

Steer-In Family Restaurant

 She told me that every time it shows the next week there is a huge spike of business and they are looking forward to the next showing and also the Super Bowl, it is a great place to try on your next visit to Indy!  On to the next stop and the biggest disappointment of my DDD travels. I arrived at "The Tamale Place" at about 7pm a good two hours before they closed for the day.  On the show they specialized in both authentic Mexican tamales and something they call "sweets" and desert style of tamale.  that is what I was looking forward to.  I arrived there and they told me that they were not only sold out of ALL of the sweets tamales but most of the other products.  I tried two "Cuban Torpedoes" which were small cigar shaped tamales and they were ok at best, I really wanted to try the apple pie tamale, pretty sad that they ran out 3 hours before closing, I will not be returning there!

I started my last day in Indy heading for breakfast at "3 Sisters Cafe" in North Indianapolis.  I tried the DDD Corn Cakes with a Berry sauce and these pancake like cakes were very good.  The cafe is in an old house with alot of very cool art on the walls.  From there it was off to West Lafayette, Indiana about an hours drive away and home to Purdue University and a place that Guy visited in his first season on the show, "Triple X Family Restaurant"  The restaurant is named for Triple X Root Beer a regional drink and very tasty.  It is for all intents and purposes a burger joint but don't call them hamburgers, they are "STEAKBURGERS".  The meals are named after famous Purdue sports alumni. 

Triple-X in West Lafayette, Indiana

 They have the Drew Brees Breakfast, the Duane Pervis All American Burger and I got the Bernie Flowers All Pro Burger with fries and a iced mug of Triple X Root Beer.  The food was great but the building is awesome with orange and black vertical stripes all around the building.  I got to met the owner and he is good friends with Guy, they get together whenever Guy is in the Chicago area.  From there is was back to the Indy area.

A Jersey Ripper Dog with Texas Dog on the side

My next stop was "Jersey's Cafe" in the town of Carmel, Indiana.  This place is in a strip mall and as you walk in you leave Indiana and enter New Jersey.  All the decorations, staff, and the menu is pure Jersey.  I had to try the one thing that is unique to Jersey, the Ripper!  A deep fried hot dog that has it's skin ripped apart in the fryer.  I have always wanted to try these but have been a little scared, but it was really good.  I got the owner to sign m y book and he told me that his place is very unique to Indiana and they get specialty Jersey food shipped to them and the pace is very popular!

I was so full that when I got to my last stop "Zest Exciting Food Creations" not too far from 3 Sisters I got one of their homemade Brownies that was topped with caramel and included sea salt and it gave it a very unique and delicious taste.

Zest Exciting Food Creations Caramel/Sea Salt Brownie

 

I headed back to the airport of the flight home and now having visited 182 places, 200 and Hawaii is getting so much closer!

Doing the DDD thing in the Boston area



As I was searching for the next DDD adventure, I looked at a number of cities that I could do on my two days off.  I decided that a quick two night trip to Boston would be the way to go.  I flew up on a morning flight from Dulles to Boston.  After getting a car I headed into the city to get the adventure going.  My first stop was a very cool joint called "Mike's City Diner".  The owner-chef is Jay, a native of Lebanon, who runs an All-American Diner with the specialty of roasting turkeys.  I arrived before the lunch menu so I ordered some Corned Beef Hash (a favorite meal of Guy on DDD) and got to chatting with my server about my DDD adventures.  They were pretty amazed with all the places I had been to and it was a great conversation.  I told her that I would lie to get my book signed so she got Jay to come out and we had a great chat and I told him that I was interested in their "Pilgrim Turkey Sandwich" but it was too early.  A few moments later my server cam over and told me to stop eating and took my meal away, jay was making me something special.  A few moments later I was presented with a plate of both Corned Beef Hash and Turkey Hash and it was very good.  Jay made the meal himself and told me that  he never uses left overs of turkey for anything but hast because the day old turnkey is not too good on sandwiches.  A great meal and a wonderful staff, what a way to start a trip!

Turkey and Corned Beef Hash at Mikes

Mikes City Diner in Boston

Charlies Diner in Spencer, MA

From Mikes I was headed west to a small town outside Worcester called Spencer.  The drive took about an hour and I will tell you that Massachusetts drivers are VERY AGGRESSIVE!.  Spencer is in a very rural  area and when I arrived it was not too busy.  "Charlie's Diner" is a family run place and has a menu that changes day to day.  I tried one of the dishes that was presented on DDD which is called American Chop Suey, a pasta meal that is laced with hearty tomato sauce and spicy sausage, very good.  I got to meet Charlie, the son of the man who opened the diner in the 1930's.  Charlie is over 80 and now him and his son run the place.  he told me that they have only been in Spencer for less than 20 years, when they lost their land lease in Worcester, they picked the place up, put it on some wheel bases and moved it to where they are today!  The building was built ion the 30's bu the Worcester Lunch Car Company and although hundreds were built very few exist today.  Charlie told me that because of it's location he sees the same patrons each day so he has to change his menu daily for his local patrons. 

I drove back to the Boston area to another fairly rural area and popular vacation area not too far off the water to a places called "J.T. Farnhams Clams".  This shack like building is cranking out all types of friend seafood and it is very fresh, usually all the seafood served was caught either the day before or that same day.  I tried their famous Fried Clam boat.  They are famous for serving only "Full Belly" Clams, never Clam Strips.  the Clams are large and very tasty.  Although it was very busy, the ENTIRE staff signed my book on their featured page.  From their it was off to the town of Salem (home of the historic Witch Trials, there is even a statue in the town's center square).  I was off to "The Lobster Shanty" just off the town square.  Although on DDD they featured barbecue, I just can;t go to a pace called Lobster Shanty and get barbecue, so I decided to try the Lobster Mac and Cheese along with a side of Clam Chowder.  The Chowder was phenomenal and the Mac and Cheese was good.  I liked the place but it seemed too "Yuppie" for me.

Must of been an off day, my server wasn't cranky at all!



My second and last day in Boston started with another place that was housed in a 1930's Worcester Lunch Car building.  "The Little Depot Diner" in Peabody (pronounced P-biddy) is decorated with a model train chugging around the upper perimeter of the building and the ceiling is painted to recreate a sunny day with blue skies and white puffy clouds.  I had to try the pork spread sandwich which is unique to the Little Depot (at least in Massachusetts), it's called Corton (pronounced kuh-Tuh-n), sort of like tuna and very tasty.  The staff there was great!  Then it was off to Sommerville and a classic diner called "Kelly's Diner".  It is the classic Jersey style diner with a full menu and my server was named Dolly, how classic is that!  Then it was off to Cambridge near Harvard and a neat little joint called "The Greek Corner".  The place is decorated inside with huger murals depicting the Greek Mediterranean Island scenes and photos of Greece.  I got the Spinach Pie and it was hot and tasty.  

The Little Depot Diner Toy Train



My last meal in Boston was in a word - INCREDIBLE!!!...I saved the best for last!  I ended up in an East Boston neighborhood not too far from Logan Airport.  You would know that thee was a restaurant here amongst all the row houses if there were no sign, but "Rino's Place" is a real treasure.  The great staff chats with everyone as if they were life long friends.  This small place always has a wait and after eating there I know why, by the time I left the wait was over 2 hours, I waited abut 30 minutes.  There was only one thing for me to get, the meal featured on DDD, the Lobster Ravioli!  The meal begins with a small but tasty salad and some of the best bread I have ever had!  The large plat of ravioli is topped with a vodka-tomato sauce infused with chunks of lobster meat.  The raviolis are huge with big chunks of lobster, as I write this I want to go back and get another plate!  The chef cam out of his busy kitchen to meet me and sign my book, nice guy and wonderful chef!  I couldn't have had a better meal and now I am to sure if I want lobster any other way.





Lobster Ravioli - AWESOME!!



I flew home with great memories and my DDD count at 172

A Great Meal with an long time friend!





I have really enjoyed using Facebook.  I have reconnected with so many people for my past that I have lost count.  Most of them are from my days in high school at Oakton, but I have also reconnected with others from places that I have worked at and my elementary school at Mosby Woods and my Junior High which was called Luther Jackson Intermediate in Merrifield, VA (now they called it Luther Jackson Middle School, but I don't think there is any difference just wording!).  At Luther Jackson half of our 8th Grade class moved on to Oakton and the other half moved on to Falls Church High School, so I really lost touch with those people about 33 years ago.  There are some people that I always remembered and often wondered whatever became of them.  After joining Facebook I looked some up and found this one girl that I had alot of classes with and although we were not really close friends I always admired her and her name really left my mind.  We reconnected shortly after I joined Facebook and we quickly were corresponding back and forth, we had the same sense of humor and it has been great bantering back and forth with her.  She has followed the blog and made some comments.  She wrote to me that she had passed the Metro 29 Diner in Arlington, which has been on DDD and I went to in January 2011.  I told her I love to meet her there for a meal and we decided to meet for lunch there on a very hot Friday.  They seated us all the way in the back of the diner in an empty room, but as we chatted and caught up the place filled up and the room was pretty noisy.  She asked me what was the meals to get and I told her about the meals that were cooked on DDD.  After conferring with the server she decided on the popular Challah Bread French Toast.  

Challah Bread French Toast







I chose the Chicken Souvlaki Platter, which is one of their specialty meals.  I would describe the Metro 29 as  a "Jersey Style" Diner, their menu is very large and extensive.   My meal was very good, but it paled in comparison with my friends French Toast.  The Challah bread was dense and so tasty, I am not a real fan of French Toast but this will make a believer our of me!

Chicken Souvlaki Platter

As we finished our meal we talked with our server about  my DDD travels and I asked if the chef who cooked with Guy was there so he could sign my book.  Now in every case the chef has come out and chatted with me and signed the book, but our server told us that he was really busy and could would we like to meet him in the kitchen.  Well, it didn't take us too long to agree to that.  We were headed into the "Belly of the Beast"!  We met and chatted briefly and he signed my book, a first!  I had a great time with my friend and a great meal.  We are planning to try another local place in the near future.  DDD has been great and reconnecting with friends in my travels has been wonderful. A big thanks to my friend for joining me and to the people at the Metro 29.



The Metro 29 Chef and me in the "Belly of the Beast"...The Kitchen!



DDD Virginia Beach Style!

In the spring of 2011 when I really started using Guy Fieri's Flavortown USA website, I noticed that they had visited 6 more locations in my home state, The Commonwealth of Virginia.  All of the new locations are in the Virginia Beach and Portsmouth area of Southeastern Virginia along the Atlantic Ocean, which is about a 4 hour drive for me, so I knew that I would have to make the trip down.  I took a long weekend and after work on a Thursday, I headed south.  After a brief stop in Fredericksburg to take care of some personal stuff I headed off to Virginia Beach.  Four of the DDD locations were in Virginia Beach (VA Beach is a VERY large area, so I can honestly say that I went to Virginia Beach and didn't SEE the beach or ocean!).  The other 2 were in nearby Portsmouth.  I planned to visit 3 each day to get to all 6. 

Citrus Breakfast and Lunch in Virginia Beach

My first stop (all of these locations have been filmed but they have not been aired on DDD yet). was an upscale cafe called "Citrus Breakfast and Lunch".  The airy cafe proudly serves only the freshest ingredients, many of them organic.  I sat at the counter and got to talk to the very friendly staff they recommended the Citrus Pancakes, one of the meals that Guy had.  The fluffy pancakes had a side of orange juice sauce and was topped with pineapple and bananas.  They were delicious!  A nice meal after a long ride!  From there I headed into Portsmouth and a long time chicken takeout place called "Moseberth's Chicken".  it is not in the nicest part of town and the place is a bit difficult to park at but the food was pretty good, although I must admit that it was nothing real special, a good chicken joint.  I took the "Leg Snack" box which included two pieces of chicken, fries, and hush puppies back to my hotel to eat a bit later.

Moseberth's Chicken in Portsmouth, VA



The Moseberth's Snack Box

Before going to check in at the hotel I had one more stop to make.  A place I can only describe 'lovingly" as a dive!  "Harvey's Hot Dogs II" is a great place!  As I have written many times, we need a good "hot dog joint" here in Northern Virginia, and a Harvey's would really fill the bill.  They have a pretty wide menu of sandwiches, but I had to get the hot dog!  There are 5 or six different types, I got the Hormel Dog, which is on that Guy sampled. It had a crisp snap and tasted great.  I got it "all the way" which included chili, onions and mustard.  the chili had a bite to it and I told the friendly staff that those were "killer dogs" because I could have eaten 10 of them!

Harvey's Hot Dogs in Portsmouth, VA

For dinner that night I decided to stay in The Food Network theme but not a DDD joint.  A few years ago on the show "Throwdown with Bobby Flay", Bobby had a Pulled Pork Throwdown with a Barbecue Pit Master named Lee Anne Whippen form Chesapeake, VA.  Lee Anne's restaurant is called "Woodchicks Barbecue" so that's where I wanted to go and try. I got the Pulled Pork Sandwich that came with Baked Beans and Lee Anne's special fries that were coated in barbecue rub.  The meal was very good.  She rightfully deserves all the awards and accolades that she has gotten.  many of the trophies and ribbons are on display in the restaurant.

The Beach Pub in Virginia Beach

The next day it was off to 3 locations in Virginia Beach.  The first was "The Beach Pub" and it was a really friendly diner.  It is in the aerial path of the Oceana Naval Air Station, so the restaurant is adorned with alot of Naval aircraft and every few minutes one of the fighters roars overhead.  I got the Soft Shelled Crab sandwich and it was great and very inexpensive.  When the staff saw my book, they got the owner-chef to come out and we had a great conversation about the restaurant and the filming.  I will return to the Beach Pub.  Next on the list was "Whitners Barbecue."  This small joint is in a strip mall and to be honest, I didn't find it all that great and the staff was not to friendly either.  The assistant manager wouldn't sign my book and all in all, I wasn't too terribly disappointed.  The business was busy, but it just wasn't a place I really enjoyed.  Off to my last DDD place in the area.  "Flip Flop's Grill and Chill" has a great name, a wonderful young staff and great food.  As soon as I told my server why I was there, he got the owner and we talked at length about the restaurant and Guy's visit.  This place sounds like it should be on the beach, but it is in a residential Target strip mall!  Being my third stop in a few hours I decided to try an appetizer and got the Orange Encrusted Scallops.  They were great!  One thing I heard from the owner, Page Productions, the company that produces DDD was in some dispute with The Food Network, so all of these places were still anxiously awaiting the showing of their episodes!  

Flip Flops Grill and Chill

For dinner I made plans with a dear long time friend of mine, Beth and her husband Bret.  We met up at a place that I am surprised has not been on DDD yet in Portsmouth called the "Bier Garden".  Authentic German cuisine is their specialty.  It was a great night of remembering the past and sharing travel experiences.

My friend Beth and me

I drove home with my DDD count at 161 and looking forward to mre adventures as I go to hawaii in December to celebrate my 200th.  I have now caught up woth my DDD travels, so the blogs won't be soming so fast and furious but as I make each trip, so stay tuned!

The Jersey Shore and all over PA!

In June and July I made two real quick trips to try 6 or 7 places in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

Guy has visited several places in New Jersey all over the place although most were in the northern areas of that state but he did make a quick stop on the southern Jersey Shore which is a doable drive from Virginia.  I headed up to the Cape May area and at first I was thinking about taking the Lewes-Cape May Ferry, but after checking it out, the cost to take the ferry is a bit high and the savings in time was nil, because of the waiting time and ferry time, so I drove.  It was about a 3 and a half hour drive and I reached Cape may on an early Tuesday morning.  My first stop was "George's Place".  It is a small cafe and was not too busy.  they specialize in Greek cuisine but had nothing special for breakfast so the breakfast was pretty un-memorable.  The cafe is clean and the staff pretty friendly, too.  I got to meet the owner-chef and he was pretty nice.  From Cape May I headed north and east to Wildwood, another coastal town.  The drive was interesting, there are alot of islands and bridges with little toll booths at the top of the bridges for 25 cents.  I arrived in Wildwood and headed to "Maui's Dog House" an outdoor restaurant.  The shtick at Maui's is that everything is served in plastic dog bowls.  I got a hot dog and their specialty side called "salty balls" which are small redskin potatoes served with melted butter.  I talked to the owner as I waited for the food.  he told me that the reason that Guy was not present at the filming was because of the huge crowd and one of the requirements is that the restaurant is closed during the filming, but that day they had over 1000 customers so they showed it as a emailers request, but during the filming Guy was just down the street and got toe meet the staff and sample the food.  The owner then brought me a big (dog) bowl of their Hawaii Five-0 fires with Atomic Dip, and they were good, but the dip was waaaaay too spicy for me.  I highly recommend Maui's.  For dinner I went to Philadelphia to try the "Memphis Tap Room".  This place looks really shady from the outside, but inside it is really nice and they serve a huge assortment on beers form a over the world on tap and some really good food.  I got the fried pickle and a pork belly spinach salad, both were delicious, I highly recommend  Memphis Tap Room.  On the way home I had to stop on Pasyunk Avenue in Philly for the Cheesesteak Challenge and after twice trying both Pat's and Geno's Cheesesteak's I prefer Geno's!

A few weeks later I took an overnight trip to Pittsburgh to try the last three places that I had left to try in the Iron City.  I also planned to go back to a few places to get my books signed.  I flew in and after a brief airport visit with a friend that I had seen in almost 30 years (thanks Jamie, it was way too brief)  I was headed to my first place.  "Big Jim's in the Run", this roadhouse is in a small bedroom community east of the city and just down the street from a Russian Orthodox Church that was the home church of famed artist Andy Warhol.  This popular place is a true neighborhood joint and although I was the first person there by the time I left the place was full.  I got a very good fresh roast beef sandwich and watched the last launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.  From there it was back into the city to another real neighborhood bar called "Nadines".  This smoky bar is wonderful!  As I walked in I was looked at suspiciously bu the regulars, especially the owner, Nadine.  I sat at bar and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and started to chat with servers and cooks.  I love the friendliness of the people and the welcome that they gave me as I chatted.  Nadine came over and signed my book and had me sign her visitors book.  They also gave me some free samples of their specials.  If you go nowhere else in Pittsburgh go to Nadine's!

For dinner I headed to a small community called Coraopolis to a small places called "LoBello's Spaghetti House".  As I sat down and looked around it sort of reminded me of the restaurant where Michael Corleone killed the cop in the movie "The Godfather".  I got a small plate of cheese ravioli and it was great!  It reminded me of my grandma's.  I got to talk to the owner and he told me that due to the economy he was ready to close the business that his grandmother had opened 100 years before.  He had made a career in the banking business and the downturn was not good for the restaurant, but after Guy's visit and the showing, saved the business!  DDD really works!

My last day in Pittsburgh was spent going back to "Kelly O's" in the Penn Hills area of the city and also to a non-DDD place that is a Pittsburgh institution, 'Primanti Brothers" in the Strip District.

I headed home with my DDD count at 155!

Jacksonville, FL....Good Times and Good Food!

I looked at the DDD list of Florida locations and saw that there were 6 places, so I figured "Why Not!"  I figured I could make an overnight trip down and try some places that looked really good on the show and two that had yet to air.  I worked the overnight before getting ready to board a morning flight from Dulles to Jacksonville.  While waiting to board I ran into a friend from Oakton High School.  Mary and her daughter were headed to Seattle for a week of work and fun in both Washington state and Alaska.  I told her of some places in Alaska that Guy had visited while doing a special DDD in North Pole, Alaska.  After that brief visit Mary was off to the Pacific Northwest and I was headed to Northern Florida.  After a quick flight down and a long line at the Rental Car counter I was headed into Jacksonville.  Did you know that Jacksonville is the largest city in terms of area in the United States?  Neither did I!

The Metro Diner in Jacksonville, FL

My first stop was a place that Guy Loved and he had a great time on the DDD episode with the owner-chef.  "The Metro Diner" is quaint place that serves big food!  They are open for breakfast and lunch and have some really great food.  One of the main meals that Guy had made during his visit was the Metro's signature salad that Guy described to the owner as "Men all over the country are getting on buses to come here so they could tell their wives 'But I had a salad!'".  The Pittsburgh Steak Salad pays homage to the owners hometown and features salad greens, crumbled bleu cheese, bleu cheese dressing (on the side), french fries and a sirloin steak on top, which is what I ordered.

The Pittsburgh Steak Salad

Unfortunately the owner was not there but his assistant gladly signed the book and told me all about Guy's visit.  It is a place that I really wished was closer to where I live!  From there it was on to a place that my friend Steve (whom I would see later that evening) told me was a tapas Bar and Taps really meant "Small Portions and High Prices" and he was not too far off the truth on that one!  I went to an artsy area of Jacksonville to a place called "13 Gypsies"

13 Gypsies

I ordered a plate called, The Roman Gnocchi.  I am a fan of Gnocchi, but this was very different, it was 3 large squares of pasta and cheese in a brown sauce.  It was surprisingly good.  I met the chef that cooked with Guy, but I really didn't find them all that friendly, maybe it was just a bad day, I was the only one there for most of my visit.

Roman Gnocchi

After taking a break and catching a few hours of sleep I headed towards the Atlantic to try a very cool place and meet up with my friend from High School, Steve.  We met up at an Irish Pub in the ocean town of Atlantic Beach at a place called "Culhane's Irish Pub".  This authentic pub was opened by 4 sisters fresh 'off the boat" from Ireland.  I was able to meet Mary Beth Culhane, one of the owners and we had a really nice conversation.  I met up with Steve and his wife and we had a great time talking about old time, travels and our upcoming 30th High School Reunion.  Steve really enjoys pubs and he said that this was a really great one and although it is about 45 minutes form his home, he told me that he would be back there.  i got this really good Irish Fish stew, loaded with scallops, fish and shrimp in a creamy white sauce, very good.  After an all too short visit I said good bye to Steve, it was time to call it a day!

Steve and me at Culhane's Irish Pub

The next morning I checked out of the hotel and headed off to three more places.  The first was another small cafe in what seemed to me to be the Mayberry area of Jacksonville.  I squeezed into a counter seat at a very busy eatery called "The Fox".  I had been told that the food to try there was the southern style Fried Green Tomatoes.  I did try them and they were very tasty with a really nice dipping sauce.  From there it was onto a rally cool place

Conch Fritters at Singleton's

years!  After the short ferry boat ride (with over 200 Harley bikers) I got to "Singletons Seafood Shack".  Shack is a very good way to describe this place.  It is a wooden building that is part fish market, part restaurant.  I tried a seafood sandwich that had a mix of shellfish and fish.  It was ok, but the real treat was the Conch Fritters, anytime I see Conch on the menu I have top try it!  From Shackleton's it was onto a place that was down the street from Culhanes but in a different town, a town called Neptune Beach.   

Sun Dog Steak and Seafood in Neptune Beach

I almost couldn't get there because there was a festival of some sort going on and parking was nearly impossible but then a miracle happened somebody was leaving so I pulled in and went into a very cool joint called "Sun Dog Steak and Seafood".  I tried the Bleu Chips, a baked appetizer that has Kettle Potato Chips topped with Bleu Cheese dressing and Bleu Cheese crumbles, it was great!  This joint has yet to air but was on the list and the staff seemed to think they wouldn't be on the show but Guy went there so not only did I but I now that they'll be on the show really soon. 

Back to the airport and the flight home.   My DDD count now stood at 146!

DDD with my buddy Tampa Boy!

In 2005 I was selected (through a self-nomination process) to be a part of a team at United called the TED Employee Advisory Council or EAC.  TED was a division of United that was built to operate Coach (Economy) service on routes that were usually in markets that cater to leisure or vacation travel.  The aircraft (Airbus A320) held 156 seats in one class vs. about 135 in 2 class seating.  The TED leadership decided to create the EAC to get employees from many different departments within the company to get input from the employees who work with the product.  The EAC helped the leadership team to understand what was going on in the operations of the product and also to make decisions to improve the product both to our paying customers and to the employees that work with the product.  (As a side note, I have kept the office notice with the announcement of my selection, which was dated and timed at 40 minutes AFTER my mother passed away).

The EAC had about 25 members and one of them, Marc, has become one of my best friends.  (Another EAC friend, Karin, invited me to celebrate my 200th DDD visit in her hometown of Honolulu, but that is another story and also in the future!)  My time on the EAC was for a little over a year and of all the teams I have been on, this team clicked almost immediately.  I believe that it was due to our leadership sponsors, Anna and Nicolette, as on our first evening they arranged for the team to have a Pizza Party Get-together near United's headquarters near O'Hare outside Chicago.  At our meeting in early December Marc and I really bonded, it was a typically cold day in Chicago and everytime we even went near a door Marc complained about how cold it was (he worked at the Tampa station a prime TED station) so I just said "Come on, quit being a Tampa Boy!"  It sort of stuck and I have called him that ever since. 

Tampa Boy and his TED Towel

Now how does that have any bearing on DDD?  Well, let me tell you!

I had been promising Marc that I would visit him and his lovely wife Suzette for a long time and it just never really worked out.  As May 2011 was approaching I saw that I might be able to visit around Mother's Day and we made the plans.  Now Tampa Boy knows about my DDD travels and he asked if there were any in the Tampa area to try out.  Now I had been to all the places in the area but I thought I would check out the "Flavortown USA" website to see what was left to try in Florida.  To  my surprise I saw that there were 5 new places, they had been filmed but not yet shown on the show,  To me these places were good, I would just visit them BEFORE being aired but Guy had been there so that was good enough for me!  I flew done on Mother's Day morning and we headed to Tampa Boy's home in Tarpon Springs.  His hometown is very cool.  A Greek community that is famous for it's Sponge Docks and Sponge fishermen and alot of Greek shops and restaurants.  It's sort of a piece of Greece in South Florida.  Tampa Boy had suggested that we try some of the places, so who was I to argue!  We headed out to St. Petersburg to a small lunch counter-general store called "Munch's Sundries and Restaurant".  This small roadhouse produces great breakfasts and lunches, I got the special of the day which was a deep dish Shepard's Pie.  It was filling and delicious.  The place is adorned with nostalgic signs and funny bumper stickers, a real homey pace.  I told Tampa Boy about the book and that in most of the places there is a Guy Poster and a painted "Guy Ate Here" sign on the wall, that became his quest at all of our stops find both.





From there he asked what was the next place.  Boy was I surprised, it seemed to me that he had already gone way out of his way, but he insisted, so I told him the next place was in Bradenton, which was at least 45 minutes away and over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  So we headed south to our next stop.  After and quick stop at AAA for a map (he told me NOT to bring my GPS, I bet he doesn't stop for directions either) we passed and then found "Jose's Real Cuban Food".  This place can only be described as a dive!  It is small and isn't the greatest to look at from the outside, but as you enter you can smell the wonderful food being prepared.  I had to try the Cuban Sandwich, one of the best I have ever had, Marc got the small bowl of shredded pork, both were unbelievably good.  The real treasure of this place is Jose, himself.  A friendly and funny guy with one-liners that any stand-up comics would be jealous of.  He told us all about Guy's visit and how he got started, just a wonderful visit.

We headed back to Tarpon Springs for a delicious Greek dinner with Suzette.  The next morning we headed out to try a few more places before my 5pm flight home.  Our first stop was a very small carryout place in a rural part of the Tampa area called "California Tacos To Go".  This guy produces all types of Mexican foods with a California twist.  He grew up in San Diego and was trying to produce the type of foods that he had grown up with.  I got the Fish Tacos and thankfully it wasn't too spicy.  He uses Fried Grouper and it was great, a nice large fish portion.  I got my book signed and off we went to a very unique place with a unique name.  The "Tampa Taco Bus" is an extremely busy and popular lunch spot.  There really is a bus there,with seating both inside and out.  The bus is the kitchen and I got the Shrimp Quesedilla, very tasty.  The funny sign on the bus stated "Broken English Spoken Perfectly!", well I beg to differ.  I had a real hard time conversing with the staff and they didn't understand about the book, I guess I will have to visit another time to take care of that.  Our last stop was in a popular night time area called Ybor City.  It was (and maybe still is) the center of Tampa's Cigar industry.  We visited the "Tampa Bay Brewing Company"  This place is very much like a Brew pub restaurant.  Marc was not feeling too well, so we just got some of their fresh made Root Beer and some hot pretzels.  The Root Beer was amazing, it tasted just like Root Beer Barrels candy.  I will have to try that place again as it was pretty slow on an afternoon but at night I bet it really gets hopping.

Off to the airport and a quick flight back home.  As you read this remember most of these places have yet to be aired, so I guess this is a preview blog!