Quick Trip to Milwaukee to say goodbye to a friend

One of my best and closest friends is Jeanne, I met her 25 years ago when we were both cruising  on a great old ocean liner called the SS Norway (originally the SS France).  Since then we have cruised together many times.  I have also cruised with two of her 4 sisters and we always have a great time together.  Jeanne and her family live in Wisconsin just outside Milwaukee.  In recent month's Jeanne mother had not been doing so well, Jeanne is a nurse so in her off times she has been taking care of her.  I knew that she was not doing well but was shocked and saddened when Jeanne called and told me that her mother had passed away.  I really waned to go to attend the funeral but figured that I wouldn't be able to get the time off to travel.  I was very surprised when my manager not only allowed me but almost insisted on it!  I work for a really great manager!

I decided that I would travel up the day before, flying to Chicago and driving up to her home town of Waukesha less than 2 hours drive from O'Hare and west of Milwaukee.  I had the night before the funeral free and figured that with two Triple D places in the area, why not try them out!  After taking a noon flight from Dulles, I got the car and headed toward Milwaukee.  Let me tell you the best job in the Chicago area might be a road contractor!  The roads all around O'Hare were pretty torn up and don't even ask me about the traffic lights near the Des Plaines METRA Rail stations, one was 4 minutes long!  I finally make it to the Illinois Thruway for the drive north.  I passed some pretty cool places like Six Flags America, Gurnee Mills, and the Cheese Castle! 

Both places I wanted to try were in the city and even though I arrived in the middle of the afternoon. traffic was not too bad.  My first stop was a place that is unique to Milwaukee "Cempazuchi" is a Mexican Café and the day I arrived was Cinco de Mayo, the Mexican holiday. 

Cempazuchi - The Mexican Café in the middle of Milwaukee

FIESTA!

I was surprised as it was fairly busy, but not as busy as I thought it would be on a special Mexican day.  The place is decorated with a lot of bright colors and cool Mexican artwork.  After being seated I was served a bowl of house made chips and two different types of salsas. 

Chips and Salsa service at Cempazuchi

The salsas were very interesting.  One was in a red ramekin and that was very spicy so I just tried it once.  The other was in a yellow ramekin and it had a bit of a kick but was delicious.  There were a lot of spices in it but the one I really could taste was cinnamon, it remided me of the Cincinnati Chili at Hard Times Café in Manassas.  The home hamde chips were great, too!  I ordered one of the dishes that Guy made on his visit.  The Duck Taco plate. 

My Taco platter at Cempazuchi

The platter came with black beans, rice and a mango salsa.  The tacos was topped with cilantro and diced pineapple.  I must admit that I was a bit disappointed because the duck was diced small that it really didn't have much flavor and if I didn't know that is was duck I would have thought it was chicken.  The diced Mango salsa and rice were awesome!  The owner came out and signed my book and we spoke for a short moment.  I did like Cempazuchi and would like to go back and try something else.

I headed out to the next stop which was not too far away.  The place is well known amongst Triple D fans.  "Comet Café" is known to many as -The Bacon Place- each Sunday they serve bowls of bacon with all drink orders and their menu is very bacon oriented.  I was there on a Tuesday so no bacon bowl for me. 

Comet Café in Milwaukee

The Specialties of the Comet Cafe

Welcome to the Comet!

I decided to try the Open Face Meatloaf sandwich.  Not only was it one of the dishes that Guy made on the Comet episode but it also featured bacon!  The Meatloaf is encrusted in bacon and two strips topped the sandwich.  I wasn't sure what to expect but was very surprised when it arrived.

The Open Face Meatloaf Sandwich at Comet Cafe

Another view of my sandwich

The sandwich arrived and looked more like a small tower!  The base of the sandwich was a thick slice of Re bread with mashed potatoes, the meatloaf. tomatoes and onions, surrounded by a moat of gravy with a huge knife stuck through it!  This was a very full meal!  The meatloaf was awesome, potatoes very good, tasty sauce but as Guy would say "the kicker is" the Rye Bread, both delicious and salty to add great flavor.  My server signed my book and even though they had some great looking desserts I was way too full to try any.  As I was waiting for the check I noticed a lot of cool signs and place settings, this is a place that I really want to revisit. 

Weekly Drink Specials

I don't why but I really fund this a pretty cool place setting

I headed out a travelled west to Waukesha to visit with Jeanne and her family and celebrate her mother's life and support my friend.  My DDD count was now up to 408 but this was totally a bittersweet trip!

Hitting the Road after a hard winter! "Here I come Atlantic City"

After a pretty hard winter and having passed the milestone 400th visit a few months back it was time to get back on the DDD road. 

One sidebar story, a few weeks before making this trip I was interviewed on a television show called "Potluck" which is produced and shown on the Fairfax Cable Access station Channel 10.  As I write this it has yet to be shown but in the next few days it will be and then it will be posted on You Tube.  The show is hosted by Laura Hartman and she interviewed me about my DDD travels.  It was fun and turned out pretty well.  Their website is www.potluck-online.org .Hope you get the chance to catch it

Guy is opening a restaurant in one of the casinos in Atlantic City (AC) and while he was there overseeing it's construction he visited 6 places.  AC is within driving distance so I figured "why not".  I left Dulles about 9a for the drive up and after having to make a detour through DC due to the Beltway traffic I made pretty good time.  The drive through rural Southern New Jersey is pretty interesting!  You pass the Cow Town Rodeo center, the town of Elmer, and a place called Kountry Kitchen which advertises "Good Vittles"!

I arrived about 1p at my first stop in the town of Somers Point.  "Grilled Cheese & Crab Cake Company" is a small restaurant in a strip mall near the center of town.  It seats about 30 and does a huge carry-out business.  The place is decorated with beach and seaside photos and pictures.  I decided to try one of the sandwiches that Guy tried, the Grilled Crabby Melt.  It's a grilled Monterrey Cheese sandwich with a Crab Cake center, it was very good.  The bread was thick and toasted hard.  It was better to eat it open faced.  The crab cake was tasty and the cheese very gooey.

The Crabby Melt

The Goodies Inside

I really like the food but I found the service to be just adequate and not very friendly.  When I asked to get my book signed they seemed to be taken aback and finally the server took it back to someone to sign it, so all in all the food was very good but not a place I would go back to unless I was in the area.

I headed to my second place which was also in Somers Point but on the other side of town, it took me about 10 minutes to get there.  "The Anchorage Tavern" is a huge seaside building that looks more like a bed and breakfast with a big front porch.  As I entered I was surprised because I thought it would be more of a turn of the 20th Century motif but there was a huge bar in the center of the room and tables around the rest of the room.  I was warmly greeted by the wait staff and my server reminded me of the two dishes that Guy had, the main meal was a dinner only choice and the other was a appetizer, and I told "That's what I want!".

The appetizer was a meat stuffed cannelloni.  It was a perfect size for me and tasted great.  Covered in a tasty tomato sauce, it really hit the spot.  The chef who did all the prep work for their DDD episode came out and signed my book and we chatted for a few minutes about the shoot.  This was such a change from my first stop, I would like to come back and visit this place, the menu was large and varied.

My Cannelloni Appetizer

The Meat Stuffing

I headed out from Somers Point to the town of Northfield.  The drive took about 20 minutes and when I arrived at "Carluccio's Coal Fired Pizza" I was taken aback because it looked like it might have been born as a doughnut shop, but as I entered I knew this was no doughnut shop!  The wonderful smell of tomato sauce and pizzas wafted through the place.  I decided to get a slice to go to try later.  I asked to get my book signed and I was able to meet Mr. and Mrs. Carluccio and the manager.  We had a wonderful conversation and they told me about the shoot and some of the crew.  It was funny because a customer or two heard the conversation and chimed in.  Carluccio's has a very loyal following , it is a Northfield favorite!

Pizza Selections in the window

I chose a Meat Lover's slice and it was loaded with Sausage, Meatballs, and Pepperoni and topped with sun dried tomatoes, smelled great in the car and was tasty both hot and cold!

From Northfield I made the 20 minute drive into Atlantic City to my hotel to settle in a relax for a few hours.  Atlantic City is interesting, on the Boardwalk (which is right on the ocean) and by the Marina there are several big and glitzy hotels and casinos.  My hotel was right next to Resorts and from my room I could see the Trump Taj Mahal and Bally's.  Out on the Marina there is Harrah's and the Borgata.  There are a few more but those were the ones closest to where I stayed.  Just a few blocks away it is very poor, very sad to see.

I headed off for dinner at a place that is about 20 minutes drive north in n the town of Leeds Point.  "The Oyster Creek Inn Restaurant" is on the Oyster Creek and in a very marshy area.  It is not too far from the ocean and you can smell the salt air as you walk to the entrance.  The place looks like a typical seaside lodge.  They also have a pier for those that want to boat in!

If you want to boat in, here is your parking!

I entered into a big place and was seated at a table in the middle of the room.  I had chosen this place for dinner because it's only open for dinner and on Thursday (the day I was going to visit) they have a Customer Appreciation Menu for $24 and the choices are vast, a full 4 course meal.  I arrived about 5:15p and as I looked over the menu I noticed that they have a daily early bird menu that was good until 5:30p, which wasn't as vast as the Customer Appreciation Menu but was full of great choices at $17, so I chose that.  The menu includes an appetizer or soup, salad, main entrée with two sides and dessert. On the table were fresh rolls, butter and a bowl of huge Oyster Crackers.  After making my dinner choices I noticed on the wall the original menu signs from when the place opened in 1938.  Can you imagine Fish Platter for under a buck or a case of beer for 2 bucks!

The original menu signs

I had a choice of Salmon Croquettes or soup as my appetizer and it came out with a balsamic sauce.  Very good, like a crab cake but with salmon. The salad came out next and those Oyster cracker made really good croutons for the salad!

Salmon Croquettes Appetizer

Salad service with a big bowl of Oyster crackers

I had asked the server which main meal she recommended and she immediately said the crab cake, which is perfect as that's my favorite seafood dish!  I chose the wild rice and glazed carrots as the sides.  The cake was small but had little to no filling, it was all crab and delicious!  I guess I have never had real glazed carrots, the glaze was orange based and a bit on the sweet side but delicious. 

Crab Cake Dinner with Rice and Glazed Carrots

I was getting pretty full and almost passed on the dessert and then was told that the dessert were mini sized choices.  Now I figure that many of you figure that mini size is cheating but in reality mini size is the perfect ending to a great meal and I chose the mini cheesecake.  Not too big but perfectly sized tasty!

My dessert

I headed back to the hotel after a great first day of this DDD trip.  Just two more places to try in the morning and then back home. 

I headed out about 8am to a place in Atlantic City about 10 minutes from the hotel.  On Melrose Avenue you'll find "Kelsey and Kim's Southern Café".  I entered the place which is in a strip mall that like some of the places that are in Ocean City, Maryland.  I was warmly greeted by Juan who was both greeter and server.  This is very southern cuisine and I chose the Chicken and Waffles.  Juan told me that it would take about 20 minutes because they cook to order, not a problem for me!  He was very warm with both me and the family that was also there.  He signed my book during the wait and told me about their filming.  He said to me "You're a Foodie" and I said that I wasn't too sure about that but I was a Guy-ie!  The entire staff will be Guy's guests then they open the local AC restaurant in the near future which will be called "Guy's Chophouse"

Juan brought my meal and warned me that the chicken was hot and it was, just out of the fryer.  I waited for a few minutes before enjoying the meal.  The chicken's batter was really good and I could taste a hint of horseradish in the batter, so maybe I am a foodie, after all.  The waffle was really delicious and served with warm syrup.  This is one place that if you are in AC make a side trip to Kelsey and Kim's!

I left and headed to my last place which wasn't a restaurant at all.  About 10 minutes north in the town of Brigantine is the "Ernest and Son Butcher Shop".  This is a real butcher and sandwich shop.  When I made my sandwich choice the butcher told me to pick my roll.  In a covered bin in front of the display  case were4 or 5 different styles of rolls.  I chose a Kaiser style roll and the butcher made my "The Pete" sandwich with Turkey, onion, sweet peppers, oil, oregano, and the item that really made this a great sandwich, sharp provolone cheese!  This was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. 

The "Guy Ate Here" on a cooking sheet pan

My "The Pete" sandwich

I didn't eat it immediately but had it a few hours later and this is the way to do because all the ingredients sort of mix and marinate to make a great sandwich even better.

I headed home and it took almost 5 hours!  Isn't 95 a great road, someone please tell me why all the slow cars drive in the left lane, just wondering!?

Getting back on the road was great and now my count is at 406!

4-0-0 !!!

400!  WOW, that's a lot of places!  When I started travelling around to Triple D places back in May of 2008 I knew I would be going to a lot of very cool places but I never would have imagined that I would get to 400!  I am very blessed and fortunate to have been able to travel all over the country to try great places, meet new friends and reconnect with others.  My very first place was the Village Café near Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, now here I am sitting at 399 and wanting to get to 400.  As I was getting closer to it during my travels in the Fall of 2014 I started thinking about where I should go for the milestone 400 visit and how I should celebrate it.  In the past I have chosen places that were fun and special to Guy Fieri, the host of "Diner's Drive ins, and Dives".  Number 100 was Benny's Seafood in Miami for Lobster Mofungo.  Number 200 was at Grinder's in Kansas City with my buddy Barry.  300 was in Santa Barbara with Barry and my friend Leslie for some great sandwiches at Norton's Pastrami, now what to do for 400?  In the late summer of 2014 Guy opened a restaurant in the new Horseshoe Casino in downtown Baltimore and when he came for the opening they filmed 5 or 6 new places in the city.  Thanks to a heads up from one of Guy's crew on a Triple D site on Facebook I was able to get to most of them in the weeks after he visited.  Those visits were the springboard that put me on the brink of this milestone visit.  For some reason, I missed one of the places and that's when I decided to go to a place in Baltimore and invite friends so we could all be together and celebrate not only a milestone but also being with a great group of friends! 

In the Fall of 2014 I took Triple D trips to Phoenix, Chicago and Denver and also on a road trip to Florida I was able to try a few more places so now I just needed one and I knew where I wanted to go but wanted to make sure that the restaurant would be ok with my plans.  I decided to go to "Slainte Irish Pub" in the Fells Point area of Baltimore.  I contacted the restaurant and we chose and day and time for the event.  I created and event on Facebook and invited friends to help celebrate.  The episode that Slainte was featured on was the soup episode and not only did the food look great but the place looked like a lot of fun. My contact at the restaurant, Leigh Ann told me that the chef would come to visit with us during the visit and sign my book.

I received RSVPs from about a dozen and the plan was to meet about 515p on a Saturday night.  The restaurant was very gracious and allowed us to make a reservation for the group, which they normally do not allow on Saturday, an exception because of the milestone visit! 

The Fells Point area is a very busy weekend area of Baltimore and within just a mile or two of Slainte are dozens of bars and restaurants and at least 4 Triple D places.  The roads are cobblestone and it borders part of the harbor. 

Traffic was not fun that night, despite that everyone arrived within about 30 minutes of our planned time.  The restaurant is very cool, outside they had a street chef selling gilled, smoked oysters to passers-by and inside the place is on three different levels, almost like in a townhouse.  They had us in our own small area on the second level near the bar.  The tables were cozy and the area very comfortable.  I am blessed with great friends and although some of them didn't know each other it didn't take too long for everyone to become friends.  We had about 12 people in all, one friend I hadn't seen in almost 15 years and Dave admitted that he had not seen the show but wanted to come out to celebrate. 

On the show they made the Baltimore Seafood Gumbo and an unusual dish called Bibimbap, a sort of Irish-Korean fusion dish that combines seafood, rice, egg and Siracha hat sauce.  They are an Irish Pub, so Irish fare is their specialty with a full Irish bar and of course the Guinness Ale was flowing!  I chose the Fish and Chips, but in our group think we covered most of the menu.  I am not a fan of egg or hot sauce so that's why I didn't try the Bibimbap but the two that did really enjoyed it.  All of the food looked great!

Bibimbap - Irish/Korean Fusion

My Fish and Chips dinner

Service was phenomenal, our server was always around to refill drinks and make sure everyone was taken care of.  As we were finishing up dinner, I asked our server if we could meet the chef and he went and got him.  I remembered him from the DDD episode, a bug guy with his arms filled with tattoos.  He goes by the name "Neckbone" and he couldn't have been nicer.  he told me that he has been at Slainte for 4 years and the owners give him free range on the menu items and changes.  Neckbone designed the Biblimbap and most of the menu.  He seemed very excited to meet all of us and tanked us for coming in and invited us to come back anytime, which I hope to do!

Neckbone, the chef of Slainte and me

He spent a good 10 minutes with us, which was great as it was a very busy Saturday night and his rime in the kitchen is very precious.  Before he left us he signed my book which made this vist my Official 400th!

Neckbone signing my book

The group of us stayed for a couple more hours, talking and visiting, no one really wanted the night to end.  I did tell the group a lot of stories about my travels and the different places I have been.  Everyone headed home after a great night!

Great friends Great Food and Fun Times



The 400th DDD group

It was a great night and I was so honored that friends came from so far away to meet and have a great time.  Not that I have number 400, I guess it's on to 500, not sure when that will happen but it will be a really fun journey!

Thanks to Stacy, Phil, Linda, Barry, Vivian, Nancy Dave, Scott, Amy, Katherine, Tammy, Angela and Wade for helping me celebrate and of course the staff of Slainte Irish Pub in Baltimore!