Kansas and Missouri - Reaching the Double Century Club!

I know that some of you are thinking, why is he blogging now?  Isn't he going to get to his 200th in December in Hawaii.  Well, that was the plan after my adventures in the San Francisco area in September.  I am still planning to make a DDD trip to Honolulu in December and my friend Karin is hosting a party for me on December 11th at Murphy's Pub to celebrate my DDD accomplishments, but my wanderlust got the best of me and as September moved into October I wanted to get back on the DDD hunt, so I thought after seeing a rerun of the DDD episode "The KC Barbecue Tour" that maybe a quick trip out there might just be the thing!

RJ's in Mission, Kansas

Denver Cut Ribs (Lamb Ribs)

One of my best friend's, Barry, is from Kansas and as I was calling him to get some area info, I decided to see if he was interested in coming with me on my passes and he agreed.  We left on a Sunday morning and planned a 2 night trip and planing to get to 8 places and also visit with his family that live in bot the Kansas City and Topeka, KS areas.  After a 2 hour flight delay we arrived around noon on a Sunday and headed out to our first stop.  "RJ's Bob-be-cue Shack" in Mission, Kansas.  This place is pretty nice, the classic type of building that you might see as a Barbecue joint.  As we arrived the TVs in side were blasting the Kansas City Chiefs game as they were getting whipped by Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos.  I knew what I wanted well before arriving, one of RJ's specials is called Denver cut ribs, which are actually a rack of Lamb Ribs.  Barry decided upon the Burnt Ends platter.  I have had a bad time with Burnt Ends in my DDD travels and RJ's changed my mind on themas the Burnt Ends were great, no sauce (you sauce them yourself) and very tasty.  The Lamb Ribs were great, meaty and very tasty.  I got a side of a corn based concoction that would best be described as Mac and Cheese with corn instead of mac.  I really enjoyed it and as it turns out, this was our favorite place of all the places we visited, so much for saving the best for last!

Bobo's in Topeka

We headed off about an hour west to the Capital of Kansas, Topeka.  The rest of our day was spent visiting with Barry's cousin.  On Monday it was off to more DDD locations.  Our first stop was a classic drive-in called "Bobo's Drive-in".  This 50 year old joint was featured in the second season and has a small inside seating area and a large drive in area with car hop service.  We got a small table and tried the daily special, the Double Cheeseburger Combo.  It was not fancy in the least just good and tasty, what a drive-in should be.  From there it was back to the Kansas City area with some stops along the way.  First we stopped at Washburn University (home of the Fightin' Ichibods) and check out their bookstore and Barry had me try a chocolate treat that isn't readily available on the east coast, Cherry Smash.  This chocolate and cherry candy is very rich and tasty.  From Washburn it was into Lawrence and the University of Kansas.  we stopped at their sports shop which is in the Allen Fieldhouse (also known as "The Phog", named for Phog Allen, where the KU fans say "Caution All who Enter - Beware of the Phog!" 

YJ's Snack Bar

We arrived in Kansas City and headed to the next place, a small artsy and eclectic placed called "YJ's Snack Bar".  It really was more of a coffee shop and we both tried the Egg Salad Sandwich, it was ok but nothing that I would go out of my way for in the future.

Just outside YJ's I saw this red and white rocket on the top of a nearby building and it looked so familiar.  It was the rocket from Disneyland's original Tomorrowland attraction called "Rocket ship to the Moon".  The ride has long been gone from Disneyland and I am thinking that since it was sponsored by TWA and Kansas City was a huge TWA city, that's why it's there, a very cool aside from our culinary travels.

Kansas City's cool nite spot!

Country Fried Steak Special at The Brick

The next stop was to one of the coolest places that I have been to on my DDD travels, "The Brick".  This place is a Bar, restaurant and Nightclub all in one.  Along with the Monday Night Special , "Country Fried Steak and all the sides came a great open mike music show.  One of the musicians, old timer with a huge gray beard and overalls sang and played from home made instruments made from pots, pans and tennis rackets!  This is a very cool place and very much worth a visit.

Grinders - My 200th DDD visit

From there it was a short walk to what would be my 200th DDD location visit, a place that is very special to Guy and one I was really looking forward to, "Grinder's".  We met with Barry's cousin, Fred and his partner and had a nice time.  Monday night at Grinders is called "Hungarian Night with George".  George is a retired restaurateur that every Monday goes to Grinders to cook Hungarian meals and I was hoping to get some, but they had run out about 45 minutes before we arrived.  I got the Calzone and it was very good, but it seemed so quiet inside compared to the Brick that this was a bit of a let down.  I had my 200 but I had a few more stops before heading home.

39th Street Mama's in Kansas City

Half of the Huge Sweet Roll

Half Portion of Biscuits and Gravy (with one egg???!)

Tuesday morning came and we had a couple more places to try before going back to the airport and heading back to DC.  We had breakfast at "39th Street Mama's".  This restaurant was fantastic, small portions here are huge everywhere else!  The prices are low, too!  Barry and I shared a huge Sweet Roll and then I got a "Half Portion" of Biscuit and Gravy, this portion filled the large plate that it was served on and included one egg (must have been from a very big chicken!) and hash browns.  Needless to say this meal was really filling!

After driving around the KC area and visiting the Truman Sports Complex, home to Royals and Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium, home to the Chiefs we headed to our last stop, "Smokin' Guns Barbecue".  This place is in an industrial park and has some of the best barbecue that there is.  The owners have won hundreds of awards in barbecue competitions and their ribbons are displayed through this small restaurant.  Their awards include the 1999 Grand Champions award at the Jack Daniels competition!  I got the smoked turkey sandwich and it was great very tasty, I can see why they wind so much!

It was back to the airport and a flight home after a fun few days in the middle of the country.  Hawaii is next (and all the DDD stops along the way).   My count is 203 and by the time I get to Hawaii, I hope it will be 225!

Day Two in San Francisco (East Bay and San Jose)

My second and final day in the Bay Area began fairly early as I headed form my hotel near San Francisco International Airport to the East Bay area that includes Emeryville, Oakland and Berkley (home to the University of California).  The drive was interesting and even though I went during the rush hour, traffic was surprisingly not to bad!  I had to cross San Francisco Bay via the Bay Bridge, which if you have not driven on it, is very interesting.  It is a two level bridge with the east bound lanes on the lower level.  As I was driving over it, I kept thinking, "Please no earthquakes!" as this is the bridge that the upper deck collapsed on the lower level during the 1989 Earthquake.  That it is called a bridge is really a misnomer as it really should be called "bridges" because it passes through Treasure Island midway across the bay or better yet tunnels through the island.  Interesting side note, Treasure Island was the terminus of the famous Pan Am Flying Boats to Hawaii and Asia in the pre-World War 2 era.


Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe



 "My Own Private Eyedaho" Breakfast

My first stop was in the town of Emeryville, which is at the eastern base of the Bay Bridge.  This town has a special place in my heart as it is also the western terminus of the Amtrak transcontinental railroad train called the "California Zephyr".  In 1998 I took this train from Emeryville to Chicago and then onto Culpeper, VA and it was an awesome trip!  If you ever get the opportunity to travel across the country on a train, do it!  The USA really spreads out right in front of your eyes, but beware, Amtrak long distance trains and on-time are not usually compatible.  My first stop was at a small but really cool cafe called "Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe".  It was pretty busy for a Tuesday morning and I took a seat at the counter.  I decided to try a breakfast called "My Own Private Eyedaho".  This dish is a portion of real hash brown potatoes covered with Cheddar Cheese and topped with an egg.  I am not a real fan of eggs, but this dish was very tasty. 

From Rudy's it was onto Berkley and "Rick and Ann's Restaurant".  This small cafe is set in a small neighborhood strip mall and is very popular.  I tried an Espresso Milk Shake, a creamy Frappachino drink and a Chocolate Chip and Raisin Scone.  I met the owner Ann and we talked about about the filming and my travels.  I think that this was one of the friendliest places that I been to on my travels, everyone was so nice there.  From there it was on to one of the more unique places that I have visited, "Bette's Oceanview Diner".  This place is also in Berkley and is in a very busy downtown walking strip mall area.  It really is just a store front place, but as soon as you walk in, you feel that you have just walked into a New Jersey Diner, lots of stainless steel, whit and black tile floor and at the counter, small Juke Box machines that actually work! Ten cents for a song and 4 songs for a quarter!  I was amazed just watching the cooks and chefs do their work.  I got a Grilled Cheese sandwich, which was very good.  From Bette's it was back to the hotel and a break before I headed to my 2 last places.





Small Falafel Sandwich and Stuffed Grape Leaves




I headed south to the San Jose area, which is also known as the Silicon Valley.  My first stop was probably one of the USA's more unique Drive-Ins.  The place is called "Falafel's Drive In".  It is over 40 years old and started by a Persian family as a regular burger drive in, but as they got a steady following they introduced Falafel sandwiches to the menu, from their heritage.  Falafel's are crushed and fried Chick Pea balls and it is now their best selling item.  I tried a small Falafel Sandwich and got a side of Stuffed Grape Leaves.  Both were delicious, I wasn't sure if I'd like either and really liked both!  My final stop was at an old Garage turned carry out called "Naglee Park Garage".  In the Naglee area of San Jose, this place is in a beautiful building and I tried the Tri-Tip Beef Sandwich.  The Tri-Tip" beef cut is popular on the West Coast and to me seemed like Brisket.  Very tasty!

That ended my visit to the Bay area and my DDD count now stands at 195.  I will take a short break so I can go out to Hawaii in early December to visit 5 places and bring my count to 200.  My 200th will be on December 11 at Murphy's Pub in Honolulu!  So Hawaii, here I come!






Naglee Park Garage Restaurant

 
 

Day One in the Bay Area (Checking out San Francisco!)

At the end of my vacation I had the opportunity to make a quick trip out to San Francisco to try some DDD locations all over the area. My vacation was almost over and I aggressively planned to come home from a Caribbean cruise and then almost immediately fly out to San Francisco.  My Sunday began on the Royal Caribbean ship "Freedom of the Seas" in Port Canaveral, Florida.  After a delayed flight back to Dulles, I boarded an evening flight to San Francisco.


The following morning I headed into the city to start visiting some great DDD places.  My first stop was "Joe's Cable Car".  This small restaurant specializes in hamburgers or more aptly described, steak burgers as all burgers are made from freshly ground beef, done on the premises.  I got a 6 ounce burger and it was very tasty.  I also got to meet, the owner Joe, who was featured with Guy on the DDD episode.  The one thing that became very apparent is that San Francisco is a pretty expensive place to eat, I knew that I wasn't Indiana anymore!

Basic Joe's Cable Car Fresh Ground Hamburger

From Joe's it was on to a really cool place in the center of the city called "Tommy's Joynt".  This "joynt" is really two places in one.  On one side is a full and very eclectic bar, on the other side is a great sandwich shop.  They offer all kinds of sandwiches from fresh cut products to hot dogs and kielbasas, but I opted for a Brisket sandwich, fresh cut from a huge steamship roast and served on a fresh, crispy Sourdough Roll and presented with a small pot of au jus.  This was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had and the price was pretty cheap for the size and quality of the meal!

Tommy's Joynt



Brisket Sandwich with homemade pickles at Tommy's Joynt

My next stop was in the ocean side town of Pacifica at one of Guy Fieri's favorite places that he showcased, "Gorilla Barbecue".  They serve true southern style barbecue, which is a rarity in the San Francisco area.  Their mantra is "If it's Smokin', We're open!"  The place was opened by two friends, Rob and John and they really love their work!  Rob has become one of Guy's buddies and has been on a few of his other Food Network shows.  This place is inside a orange painted Railroad Freight car.  I tried their brisket sandwich along with their popular Goldfish encrusted Mac and Cheese.  Both were excellent, although the sauce was a bit spicy for my taste.  I think I have found my two new sandwich places the next time I visit the Bay Area.

 

I headed back into the city and the fun traffic that it offered!  Actually it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be!  I tried a Grilled Banana dessert at a very eclectic restaurant called "Q Restaurant".  This is one of those places that I figured most of the places in San Francisco would be like, in an art area and sort of hippie like.  That being said the dessert was so good and so decadent.  Bananas grilled in their peels and smothered in chocolate along with Vanilla Ice Cream and topped with sweet and spicy walnuts.  I have never had anything like it and it was delicious!  The coolest thing in this place was the tables.  Each featured it's own theme and diorama in the table, mine was made up of a small slot car track and cars, very cool.

Q Restaurant in San Francisco





Grilled Banana Dessert at Q



After a very tasty day I headed to my hotel to rest up and start my second and last day in in the Bay Area.  It had been a very good day!

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!