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!









Old Friends and Great Food....Welcome to Nashville

I have just recently attended my 30 Year High School Reunion, and I had a blast.  In reality my reunion actually began a few months before it when I decided to try some DDD places in the Nashville, Tennessee area.  In my Junior year of High School I took an elective class called "Gourmet Foods".  In that class I had the pleasure of being teamed up with three of the most fun and beautiful ladies in the entire class and believe me the other guys were very jealous!  One of my teammates was Beth, whom I have known since elementary school days at Mosby Woods.  The other was a lady named Stephanie.  We had a wonderful and fun time during our year together and truth be told I had a bit of a crush on Stephanie, too.  At the end of the year Stephanie graduated and went back to her native Tennessee to attend the University of Tennessee and although we corresponded for a time but lost touch.  I had often wondered what had happened to her and tried to figure out a way to reconnect, but this of course was before the time of computers and the Internet! 



Me and my friend Stephanie



I have been involved in alot of different teams and committees at United Airlines and in 1998 I was involved in a program called the "East Region Employee Development Program".  In this program, members were selected to participate and see how many different employee groups work and function.  There were about 10 of us involved and at the end of the program the members became mentors to other employees that would be selected for the program.  One of the members in the program with me was a  guy who worked at the Nashville station named Brett.  Brett and I became fast friends, having alot in common and just getting along quite famously.  I was actually the unnamed social director of the group.  When we met at Dulles I brought everyone out to a concert at Wolf Trap and when we met in Chicago, I got us tickets for a Cubs game at Wrigley (the game we went to was a 3 home run game for Sammy Sosa, as he chased Mark McGwire to break Roger Maris's home run record).  Since that time Brett left united and lives just outside Nashville and as I write this he is back in Afghanistan for his second long tour since the war began in 2002.

Now back to Stephanie, I joined Facebook and it took several months but finally caught up with her in 2010.  She lives in the Nashville area and has two kids.  I was so psyched to reconnect and sort of floated the idea of visiting her if I ever made it to her area.  I remembered that Guy had visited a few places in the Nashville area and after looking more into it there were 7 places to try.  It looked like the best time for me to go would be during the week, so I wrote to Steph and asked if dring the week would be doable for her and her answer just made me laugh, she wrote "Yeah, we eat during the week, too!"  I kn ew this would be a fun reunion!  I also called Brett and he was in, too!  The plan was for Steph to met me for diner both nights that I was in town and Brett would meet for dinner on my second night.

I flew out to Nashville on a Monday morning after working the night before and as I boarded the flight and on the check-in screen at the gate I saw a name I recognized and as I walked towards the aircraft I saw walking in front of me, Bobby Beathard, the former General Manager of the Redskins! 

After arriving I headed into the city to try a great place that is only opened for lunch.  "Arnold's Country Kitchen" is a cafeteria style eatery that serves a different menu each day for lunch to a very loyal clientele.  The staff is super, very accommodating and friendly.  They show true "Southern Hospitality"!  At the head of the serving line was the owner, a young man that had a great time on the episode with Guy.  I told him why I was there and asked if he would sign my book and not only did he oblige, but he eally threw out the red carpet for me.  he gave me extra servings of items that I should try, I had gotten the roast beef and he gave me some greens to try and when he came out to sign the book he brought out a bread pudding dessert.  Again I am not he biggest fan of bread pudding, but Arnold's pudding could very easily make me  a fan!  I left very full!  After resting a bit and settling in to the hotel I headed out to the town of Hendersonville to try a place that is right across the street from the offices of the Oak Ridge Boys, "Cafe Rakka".  This small cafe features a Middle Eastern cuisine and I chose a light snack of Middle Eastern appetizers, featuring pita bread and falafels (a fried chick pea mound).  I went back to hotel to relax before going to met Steph for dinner and luckily she called me about an hour before we were to meet as the full day of working, travelling and eating had knocked me out so, thanks Steph!  I drove about 30 miles out to the town of Nolensville to "Martins Barbecue Joint".  It was great to finally see Stephanie after 30 years and she looked great, I met up with her and her boyfriend and we had a great visit and a wonderful barbecue meal.  Good Barbecue is another food type that the DC area is lacking, in my opinion!  We left with the plans to meet the next night.

The next day I headed into Nashville to "Bro's Cajun Cuisine".  This place features food from the New Orleans area and I just had to try the Oyster Po'Boy.  I got to meet the owner Mr. Breaux, and he was a great guy.  He has a very strong Cajun accent and sometimes it was hard to understand him, but we talked for a long time about the show, his episode and he told me that Guy told hi to be ready for people like me to be coming in.  The crew now tells owners that their business will grow between 800% to 1200% after the episode is aired!  Mr. Breaux also told me that DDD is the best thing to happen to the small independent restaurant owner, I have to agree.  From there it was off to a small eatery in the Vanderbilt University area of Nashville called "Savarino's Cuchina".  This place is pure Italian, they feature homemade pizzas, pastas and sandwiches.  I tried a pizza and it was good.  Mr. Savarino signed my book and was excited that I stopped in.  I had read on some websites that the service there was not too friendly, I must tell you that I would not agree with those sentiments.  I then drove over to the Farmer's Market and went to what could be described as a large lunch counter called "Jamaica Way".  This eatery features authentic Jamaican cuisine and the owner was surprise to see I had the book, which she readily signed.  I tried the very spicy non-spicy Jamaican turnover and a malt drink.  Very good but way too spicy for me. 

Brett came over to my hotel and we caught up on old times and he told me all about his upcoming deployment to Afghanistan (pleas pray for his safety as he is now deployed there for the next year until mid to late 2012).  We then went into the city to meet with Stephanie at "Athens Family Restaurant".  Athens is in a former fast food restaurant  but is making some great Greek food.  Again the diner came to a close way too fast and I had to ay good-bye to two very dear friends.  I really have to thank both for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit with me and I hope that we will see each other very soon, for Brett when he comes home and for Stephanie, very soon.  I travelled home with great memories!

High Tailin' it to the Lone Star State

Now with the goal to get to 150 (or even 200) by December  started to look for places to go.  Guy had done a number of places in the Houston area and with United, my employer, in the middle of a merger with Continental, getting to and from Houston became easier so I decided to give Houston a try!

I work the overnight shift, so I decided to catch a 6am flight out of Dulles so I could get a good jump on trying the 6 DDD locations in the Houston area.  I tend to try and stay near an airport as it seems for me easier to get around, especially in areas that I am not familiar with.  Houston has two airports, Hobby in the southeastern area of the city and Bush Intercontinental in the northern part of the city.  We fly into Bush Intercontinental and it really is north of the city, I was in for a lot of driving!  I arrived about 830am and got the car and off I went.  My first stop was an interesting local cafe that has been in business for about a century.  "Lankford Grocery" is not a store at all, but a very quaint eatery in a older part of town that was like half business and half residence.  I went in and took a table that was next to the DDD Guy poster that is usually on display at all the places I visit.  It was still in the breakfast hours, so I tried the Breakfast Burritos and they were very good (I then found out that the entire menu was available and I am not a big breakfast fan, darn!).  When I asked to get my book signed the server went and got the owner and we had a nice conversation about not only the filming but my travels and also got some good tips about the other places in the area that  I would be visiting. 

Of the 6 places in the Houston area, 4 were in the city area and two were quite a distance away, so I decided to do the road trips on my first day there and stay more in the city on my second day.  After leaving Lankford I headed southwest out of Houston to a small town about 30 miles away called Rosenberg.  "Bob's Taco Stand" can only be described as a'dive', but I say that only in a good way.  Constructed in a old gas station, they are putting out great Mexican food, I got a couple of beef tacos and they were excellent!  Bob's actually started out as a Snow Ball stand, with dozens of flavors and combinations.  Snow Ball season was still a week or so away so I guess I'll have to try them on my next visit.  I got to meet the restaurants namesake, Bob.  He is a big guy, but really nice and he makes sure that everyone is take care of.

After getting settled into the hotel and getting a couple hours of sleep, I was off to the town of Kemah which is to the southeast of Houston next to Galveston.  The entire ride gave me a great view of the oil industry of Texas and also the port facilities that are used by several cruise lines.  I finally arrived at "T-Bone Tom's Steakhouse".  This large restaurant serves all kinds of steaks and pork chops.  I had to also try their signature appetizer called Armadillo Eggs.  These "eggs" are stuffed jalapenos surrounded with coating and fried to a hard egg shell, and very good, a bit too spicy for my palate.  I also got the Texas sized Country Fried Steak, which was featured on DDD, way too much food, I was very full leaving for the 45 minute drive back to the hotel. 

The next morning I headed out to the Galleria area of Houston.  This area is very upscale with alot of high ends shops and hotels.  In a very nice looking strip mall was "Kenny and Ziggy's New York Style Deli".  The restaurant is a large diner with photos of celebrities on the walls along with movie posters of New York based movies.  I got their signature Pastrami on Rye sandwich which came with freshly made dill pickles.  It was very good, but I must say that the prices were pretty high, I guess New York prices come with the name!  They also make all the deli-diner foods that are famous in the New York area, knishes, blintzes, salads, etc.  From there I went to what was probably the most unique DDD restaurant that I have yet tried, "Cafe Pita +".  This small cafe is owned and operated by a family from Bosnia.  The Bosnian menu is very much like the menu you might find at a Greek restaurant.  I really enjoyed Cafe Pita, although trying to get them to sign the book was a task as they really didn't understand the concept and then got too buy to sign, oh well, can't get them all! 

I then tried a very popular Greek Restaurant and Drive-In called "Niko-Niko's".  This joint is now a large operation, and does Greek right!  I got a Gyro and it was really good.  They also feature a full menu of Greek desserts and a coffee bar that would rival any Starbucks.  Niko, the owner, has become such a celebrity (he cooked with Guy) that his image is now a cartoon character all over the restaurant.  Unfortunately he was not there on my visit but his manager signed so that was good!  I ended my Houston visit at a British pub called "The Red Lion Pub".  The Red Lion is a bit of Britain right in the middle of Houston!  Red Leather high back chairs, coat of arms, dozens of British ales on tap are all featured at the Red Lion.  I got their featured Sheppard's Pie and it was really good.  This is one of those places that you should try, I have never been to Britain, but the Red Lion is what I have always imagined a pub to be like in the old country.

After a 2 day trip to Houston it was a quick flight back to Dulles.

Before I would take my next trip, there was one more DC area place I wanted to try.  I had a meeting at the National Press Club for a group that I am involved with The Washington Airline Society (I am the President).  Before going to the Press Building I took the Metro to the Eastern Market Metro stop to try "Tortilla Cafe".  It is right across from the Market Building and makes authentic Central American cuisine.  I had a great time with the owner, during the filing for DDD Guy kept making fun of the way she said "TOTALLY", so I did too.  She was surprised about my travels and dedication to trying to get to so many locations.  I told her about my upcoming trips it was just a great visit.  I will go back very soon!

California...There I Go (Part 3)

It was Friday morning and I left Rich and headed north back to the Los Angeles area.  I was hoping to get to about 5 more paces and also visit with some friends in the day and a half I had left.  The drive took about 2 hours and actually until I got almost into the the Los Angeles city limits traffic was good, no jams!  What could be better.  I drove to the Pasadena area of Los Angeles near Occidental College to a unique place called "Polka Polish Restaurant".  I got there just before it opened at 11am.  It's located in a small strip mall that has mostly Hispanic businesses so it really is unique for where it's located.  It is sort of dark inside the small cafe and I got the traditional Pirogi plate and it was great.  I was able to meet the two owners a husband and wife  from Poland and they couldn't have been nicer.  They signed my book and really made me feel welcome.  The husband, Andrzej-Boy Dabrowski, presented me with a book he had published called "Create Happiness", what a wonderful gift to recieve.  I then headed to the nearby town of Eagle Rock to a really great joint called "The Oinkster".  This places has outdoor seating and makes all types of sandwiches, but their specialty is a pastrami sandwich which bears the name of the restaurant.  I am not the biggest fan of pastrami but this sandwich was delicious!  The Oinkster has a large and loyal following but they do it fast and right!  I then went to Burbank to see my friends, Dorothy and Randy.  I met Dorothy on a cruise and I had not planned to go there so I showed up unannounced and they were really surprised and we had a nice visit.  Since both were busy I agreed to come back and we would take in a dinner and movie so I went into nearby Hollywood to go to my favorite record store, Amoeba Music.  If you are in Hollywood, check this place out, I could spend a full day there, they advertise over a million records, CD's, DVD's and yes 8 Tracks!  I am a Washington Capitals fan and that day I was wearing my Caps T-shirt.  As I was leaving Amoeba, a woman stopped me and pointed to my shirt and told me her brother plays for the Caps!  Her brother is Tom Poti, number 3 on your roster and although he was injured this past season, it was great to meet her and talk some Caps hockey in Hollywood, if only for a brief moment.

On the way back to Dorothy's I stopped for a quick small bit at "Mambo's Cafe" in Glendale.  This Cuban cafe was pretty good and it is built in a former gas station. Even the bathrooms are outside, but luckily no key on a chain!  Dorothy, Randy and I had a nice visit and went to see the movie "Limitless", Dorothy really liked it but Randy and I thought it was a bit bizarre!

My last day in California started with a quick visit to "Brat Brother's" in Sherman Oaks.  This small place features all types of sausages form all over the world.  I got the bratwurst with cheese infused and a side of Spatzle.  I would go there again in a heartbeat.  From there it was onto "Fab Hot Dogs" in Reseda.  A very nice hot dog joint.  We need a Fab Hot Dogs in Northern Virginia!  I spent the afternoon with my friend, Leslie in Santa Monica and we went to people watch at the Third Street Promenade, an outdoor pedestrian mall.  Later in the afternoon we went to see the movie "The Lincoln Lawyer" and that movie was excellent!  Rent It!  It was then off to LAX and hope to get on the 10pm Red Eye flight back home.  My last meal in LA was actually at a fast food place (my favorite) called El Polo Loco, they are only out west but we need them here, they'd kill all the competition!

Now for the flight, as I have said before I fly only on standby and all of the flights looked terrible, the non stops to Dulles, and connecting city flights like Chicago, Denver and Kennedy didn't look any better!  The flight I was waiting form was showing completely full but I figured I'd wait until I saw the aircraft taxi away, what else could I do?  If I didn't gt on that flight it might be two days before I could get out!  They boarded the flight, it was bleak.  They started to call names and I was about 7 on the list (revenue stand-by's go before employees).  The names kept getting called and people weren't going up, under my breath I was saying "Call the next!".  Finally my name was called and I think I looked like Jesse Owens, I ran up to the podium and down the jet way, I think I got the last seat!....WHEW!  Homeward Bound!

California Here I Am! (Part 2)

HODAD'S!

As I left you, I was waiting for Rich to arrive into San Diego.  He was enroute from Scranton, PA to a photography meeting in the La Jolla area outside of San Diego and invited me to spend a few days with him during that time.  I had arrived the day before and got to visit 5 DDD places in the Los Angeles and San Diego area.

After picking him up we headed to a nearby beach town called Ocean Beach.  Ocean Beach can best be described as San Diego's smaller version of what Venice Beach is to Los Angeles.  It seems to be a fun place to walk around and observe people and shop and and eat at eclectic places.  We were headed to a famous hamburger joint which was featured in the first season of DDD and one of Guy Fieri's favorite places, "Hodads".  A Hodad is defined by the restaurant as someone who hangs out at the beach with surfers but doesn't surf.  I had been warned by some friends that ever since DDD has been there that it is almost impossible to get into the place.  We found parking on the street in front of the restaurant and although busy there were some empty seats.  At first we were going to sit in this cut out front of an old 1960's era VW Bus, but it was pretty tight seating and there were two seats at the front bar so we sat there and our Hodad's experience began.  Rich ordered the Bacon Cheese Double Burger and I got the Bacon Cheeseburger and we shared the Fries  and Rings.  The unique thing that they do for Bacon at Hodads is they boil and then grill fry the bacon into a flat burger-like creation that doesn't sound very good but is incredibly good and makes an almost extra layer of the burger.  On the show Guy cooked with the owner, Mike and it didn't look all that great.  Mike was not in when we were there but we were helped by the manager and he told us all about the filming and that Mike actually doesn't cook all that much anymore.  The food was great and as we talked with the manager he not only made us feel at home but also gave both Rich and I Hodad's T-shirts, very nice of him to do that and it is a very nice shirt, I wear it proudly! 

For dinner we headed into the hills of San Diego and tried a place called "Blue Water Seafood" where the mantra is "All We Cook is Fish".  It is a fish market that has morphed into a restaurant.  They have a huge selection of freshly caught fish, you choose the type of fish and how want it cooked and finally the seasoning that you want on the cooked fish.  The staff is there to help you with the best cooking and seasonings for each type of fish.  Usually the fish is caught the same day and maybe even a few hours prior to your order.  his is a place to visit if you like fresh fish when you are in the San Diego area. 

The following morning Rich was off to his meeting and I went on a road trip to a small town about an hour east of San Diego on the edge of the desert called Ramona.  The "Ramona Cafe" was my destination and all along the way, the roads and scenery reminded me of the classic movie "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" so of course the movies theme was spinning through my head the entire trip!  Rich had given me an order to bring him back a famous over sized sweet roll that the cafe is known for.  I arrived at the cafe and the town sort of reminded me of a West Coast version of Mayberry!  The cafe was pretty quiet that day and I ordered a basic breakfast along with two sweet rolls, one for me and one to take to Rich.  The breakfast was ok, nothing real special, but the Sweet roll was very good and it was a good road trip to see part of California I had never seen before.  I headed back to San Diego and wanted to try a couple of places before Rich finished up for the day.  I headed to a small place called "Pizzeria Luigis".  This small place specializes in slices of pizza with all types of toppings and the business is ding great, while I was there customers were in and out.  I tried two slices, one featured barbecue and the other had ricotta, both were good and the crust was excellent.  From there I headed back into the city and tried a place that is next door to the place that Rich and I had been to for dinner the previous night.  "El Indio" is a San Diego institution for over 50 years and still is run by the same family.  Next door to Blue Water Seafood, El Indio makes it's own chips and tortillas and also makes all the Mexican food that have become so popular.  I got a small burrito and taco and both were excellent and also got Rich a bag of tortilla chips.  The day I was there was St. Patrick's day so every order included a shamrock shaped tortilla.  I was able to meet with the owner and founder of the restaurant and got him to sign my book.  The restaurant has seating both inside and outside and with the great San Diego weather outside seating was at a premium. 

I travel on these trips on a stand-by, space available basis.  At the hotel I kept a close check on the flights heading home.  They looked really bad and my original plans to fly home on Sunday looked pretty bleak.  I had to make the tough decision to leave on Saturday night and actually end my San Diego visit a day early, leaving on Friday morning instead of during the day Saturday.  This would give me a chance to get on a flight on Saturday and also visit some friends in the LA area and of course, get to a few more DDD places!

My last meal with Rich was at a very cool burger joint called "Tioli's Crazee Burger".  Opened a few years ago by tow friends from Germany, they just added the words Crazee Burger in front of the old name of the place which had been an Italian restaurant.  Tiolis specializes in burgers of all types of meats, I got the lamb Burger with a Gyro sauce, it was great!  The place was very busy, another of the types of places you need to try when in San Diego.

From there I headed back north to the LA area and the last leg of this trip.