Posts Tagged ‘Food’

The best damn green chile cheeseburger in America: Sparky’s, in Hatch, New Mexico

// September 12th, 2012 // 3 Comments » // Food, Places Sparky's green chile cheeseburger

[Hatch, NM] — As bikers, we’re constantly on the lookout for memorable roadside dives. Great barbecue, a great bowl of chili, a great cheeseburger — the list goes on and on. “Live to ride, ride to eat” could even be a twist on the popular biker refrain. On a recent ride through southwest New Mexico, …read more…

Friday photos: Cherry pit spittin’ in Door County, WI

// July 19th, 2012 // 2 Comments » // Food, Places Door County, WI

[Fish Creek, WI] — Nothin’ says summer in Door County like spittin’ cherry pits — unless you’re talking about a Door County fish boil, of course, which I’ve written about previously. You’ll find so many cherries in Door County, you’d think they grew on trees. Oh, um, never mind, they do. The county is particularly well-known for its …read more…

Goats on a hot sod roof – Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant, Door County, WI

// July 17th, 2012 // 7 Comments » // Food, Places Al Johnson's Swedish Restaurant, Sister Bay, WI

[Sister Bay, WI] — Could this be what they mean by a “green” building? Arguably one of Door County, Wisconsin’s most distinctive dining establishments, Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant features live goats grazing on its sod roof. The family-owned eatery has been around for more than 60 years, but the grass roof and its bovid caretakers …read more…

A good, old-fashioned fish boil in Door County, WI

// July 13th, 2012 // 7 Comments » // Events, Food, Places Historical re-enactor Charles Dickson regales visitors with the history of Door County's famous fish boils

[Ellison Bay, WI] — Here in Door County, Wisconsin, they take their history — and their fish boils — seriously. I’ve come to Rowleys Bay Resort near the northeastern tip of Door County for a real, old-fashioned fish boil — one that comes with its own historical re-enactor. “A fish boil is where we cook …read more…

The Ya-Ka-Mein lady of New Orleans

// March 21st, 2012 // 4 Comments » // Food, People, Places Miss Linda

Everyone in New Orleans knows Miss Linda. If you’ve ever been to a festival, a parade, or a concert in the city – and if you haven’t, you need to get out more, with all due respect – you’ve undoubtedly seen her, selling Ya-Ka-Mein and other delicious recipes from a tent, a table, or from …read more…

From Picnics to Prison, New Orleans’ Hubig’s Pies has you covered

// January 4th, 2012 // 11 Comments » // Food, People, Places Third-generation owners Courtney Bowman Folse and Drew Ramsey with a tray of Hubig's Pies

[New Orleans, LA] – If you’ve been to a parade, picnic, or prison in the Big Easy, chances are you’ve eaten a Hubig’s pie. The delectable dessert has been part of the city’s culinary and cultural fabric since 1922, when Simon Hubig opened his bakery in a small warehouse in the Bywater neighborhood. The diminutive deep-fried …read more…

It Must be Maine: Whoopie for Bean and Boats!

// December 2nd, 2011 // 5 Comments » // Food, Places LL Bean

  [Maine seacoast] — In what may be my most confusing blog title ever, I’ve incorporated three disparate elements all found in the state of Maine: Whoopie Pies, LL Bean, and the Maine Maritime Museum. Lest you think there is some deeper meaning in this, there isn’t. I’ll give you the simple explanation — I’m …read more…

Great Day for a Po-Boy — Oak Street Po-Boy Festival, New Orleans

// November 20th, 2011 // 11 Comments » // Events, Food, Places Fried Lobster Po-boy from GW Fins

[New Orleans, LA] — To my way of thinking, there’s never a bad time for a Po-boy. The iconic New Orleans overstuffed sandwich originated in the 1920s during a strike of unionized streetcar conductors. A local restaurant — in support of the workers — provided free sandwiches to the strikers, who they called “poor boys.” …read more…

A Bowl of Gumbo a Day — Bridge City, LA, Gumbo Festival

// October 16th, 2011 // 6 Comments » // Events, Food, Places Gumbo

[Bridge City, LA] — Over the river and through the woods, to the Bridge City Gumbo Festival we go. Technically it’s not really through the woods; along the levee would be a tad more accurate. But it is over the river. Just across the Mississippi from New Orleans over the Huey P. Long Bridge, the …read more…

Oyster Orgy at New Orleans Seafood Festival

// September 11th, 2011 // 23 Comments » // Events, Food, Places Oysters on the grill

[New Orleans, LA] — In my newly-adopted hometown of New Orleans, it seems you can attend a different festival every weekend.  From Jazz to Jambalaya; you name it, most likely there’s a festival dedicated to it. So naturally, I’d be remiss in my duties as the Travelin’ Gringo if I didn’t attend the New Orleans …read more…

Tales from the Extraterrestrial Highway

// July 17th, 2011 // 32 Comments » // Food, Places, RoadTales Near Area 51

[Rachel, NV] — Signs advising “Low Flying Aircraft” are your first indication. The next is a sign warning “Next Gas 150 Miles.” Then an illuminated, flashing advisory: “Cattle in Roadway: Open Range.” Hmm, I think; the government really doesn’t want you here, even going so far as to send in specially-trained cows to annoy motorists. …read more…

Wein-O-Rama — Rhode Island’s favorite weenie joint!

// May 9th, 2011 // 31 Comments » // Food, Places The best!

Cranston, RI — When you grow up in Rhode Island, you take certain things for granted. Drinking fountains are called “bubblers.” Milkshakes are called “cabinets.” Submarine sandwiches are “grinders.” (also, no one ever pronounces the “r”s at the ends of words — so “grinders” sounds more like “grinduhz;” “pictures” sounds like “pitchuhz,” etc. An interesting …read more…

Pietopia: The Great American Pie Festival — Celebration, FL

// April 10th, 2011 // 20 Comments » // Events, Food Pie Festival

Celebration, FL — Just a guess, but I’d have to say bikers consume their fair share of pie. I’m not basing this on any observations of the size of bikers’ bellies — I just believe coffee and pie are an important cultural ritual frequently celebrated as part of many a weekend morning motorcycle ride. That …read more…

There Will Be Beer (oh yes, there will), along with great German food — Vienna’s Restaurant & Café, DeBary, FL

// February 11th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // Events, Food Vienna's

DeBary, FL — Mention the phrase “Beer Tasting,” and I’m SO there. I know that America was built on Budweiser and Pabst, but forgive me, life’s too short to drink tasteless swill. So when I hear of a place that offers something different, I’m all over it. “We don’t do Bud, Miller, Yuengling. Most of …read more…

There’s always time for Whoopie — Pies, of course!

// January 28th, 2011 // 16 Comments » // Food, Places Whoopie Pies

Silver Springs, FL — As part of my never-ending search for high-calorie, low nutritional-value snack foods, on a recent road trip I discovered Whoopie Pies. The name, of course, is irresistible — everyone needs a little whoopie in their life, right? What is a whoopie pie, you ask? “A whoopie pie is two cake-like cookies …read more…