Travel – Fervent Foodie

Scallops, party of one.

March 3, 2018 4 Comments

A few weeks ago, I had a pretty bizarre experience in New Orleans. I’ve been to New Orleans a handful of times, and I’m aware that weird things are happening all over that wonderful town, but this thing that happened to me was, well, different. I was visiting for a conference, and as any food-obsessed traveler does, I sought out a special restaurant to have dinner my final night in town. Peche had been on my to-try list since it hit Bon Appetit’s list of top-50 best new restaurants in 2013. I waited five whole years to try this restaurant, so I didn’t let a mile walk in uncomfortable shoes or a 90 minute wait deter me. To hedge my bets, I put my name on the waitlist but immediately began stalking the bar, lingering behind lingering patrons, hoping they’d take pity on my presence and wrap things up. I noticed a woman signing her check, but to my dismay, a fellow solo diner had already swooped in for the seat. I retreated to the other side of the bar, only to have this same solo fellow approach me moments later. He slyly nodded over his shoulder and pointed out that the seat next to his would be open momentarily. I didn’t hesitate.

Seat secured, I began to doubt this decision. I silently hoped this single stranger who had helped me snag a seat at the bar wouldn’t talk to me, and that we could just enjoy what would surely be a great meal in total silence. Despite this apprehension, I asked if he’d been to the restaurant before (he had) and if he had any recommendations (he did). As I pined over the menu, he placed his order and offered to share both of his appetizers with me. WHAT LUCK. Apparently that’s the secret to getting a solo traveler to warm up to you. He could talk to me all he wanted now.

As we enjoyed smoked tuna, fry bread, and some of the best Brussels I’ve ever had (THE VINEGAR SAUCE!), I learned he lived in New Orleans and was treating himself to a nice night on the town, as if he was on vacation in his very own city. What an idea. It’s the sort of thing you read about in chick lit, but that no one ever actually takes the time to do in real life.

Travel

Butler County Staycation

November 8, 2017 3 Comments

Cancel your weekend plans, we’re going to Butler County, Ohio. Trust me, if you love food, cheese, or booze, you will not be disappointed. Bold statements, but I say them with confidence because Butler County is home to the original JUNGLE JIM’S INTERNATIONAL MARKET. Jungle Jim’s is a food mecca, a foodie paradise, a food-filled extravaganza. A theme park of food. Honestly, I’m not sure there are enough adjectives to fully depict how cool this place is.

A bit of background. Jungle Jim’s opened up in the 70’s by owner James O. Bonaminio, “Jungle” himself. From what I gather, Jungle is a pretty interesting guy and a collector of all things weird, particularly components of old theme parks, which he likes to showcase in his store. Case in point, Jungle Jim’s has an old monorail outside, which they are hoping to eventually get up and running for visitors to ride from the store to the event space.

Travel

Weekend in Butler County: What to Eat!

November 1, 2017 3 Comments

Though I’m originally from Ohio, since moving to Columbus last year I find myself realizing I don’t know much about this state. Outside of the major cities, there are a surprising number of nooks and crannies to explore. This is great news because traveling locally is budget-friendly, and we all know how I feel about budgets. We knocked one cranny off the list a few weekends back when we ventured down to Butler County. It’s less than a two hour drive from Columbus, a bit outside of Cincinnati. Butler County includes several communities that are worth checking out, including West Chester, Hamilton, Oxford, and Liberty Township. A great way to get a lay of the land is to follow the Donut Trail, which features ten local donut shops (only one of which spells it “DOUGHNUT”). If you’re interested in hitting up the trail, you can download a trail passport here.

I like to eat my doughnuts for dessert, so we took a more savory breakfast route. Our first stop was Hyde’s. If you’re looking for a homey, locals-approved breakfast joint, this is your place. Established back in 1946, Hyde’s has the feel of both a diner and a cafeteria, complete with colorful booths and swarms of senior citizens. Hyde’s isn’t fancy, and they are proud of that fact. Their website boasts that most of their customers are regulars, many of whom eat at the restaurant once or twice each day.

The breakfast menu has all the basics covered: eggs, omelets, hotcakes, biscuits and gravy, and even freshly fried bologna. They also make cream pies in-house with flavors changing daily. Pie for breakfast is encouraged at Hyde’s. Overall, homey, comfort food at a great price gets my two thumbs up.

If you’re looking for something a little on the fancier side, you can’t go wrong with Northstar Cafe. Though we have a few Northstar Cafes in Columbus, I’d never had their breakfast! The Liberty Center location is beautiful, with a large bar, gorgeous open kitchen, and a sweeping wooden ceiling. Liberty Center is a a cross between a town center and an outdoor shopping area; this area of the county looks particularly modern and new.

The format at this Northstar is the same as the Columbus locations–guests order at the counter and dishes are brought to the table by servers. I was stoked to see Counter Culture coffee brewing (one of my favorites from NC)! For breakfast, I had the mushroom frittata, which has hearth baked roasted mushrooms, sweet onions, and loads of Gruyère plus crispy breakfast potatoes. I definitely recommend this dish.

Ohio, Travel

Hocking Hills: Winter Getaway + Comfort Food Cruise Giveaway

January 9, 2017 3 Comments

I don’t know about you guys, but once January rolls into town, I don’t want to do a dang freaking thing. It’s hard to find any sort of motivation; even getting out of bed is a struggle. I wake up, feeling half drunk, confused why it’s still dark even though I slept in.

Thankfully, I broke this January rut last weekend and headed down to Hocking Hills. Did you know winter hiking is a thing?

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Hocking Hills in the winter is stunning. Who knew snow could look so good?

Hocking Hills

The purpose of my trip was to learn all about Hocking’s fourth annual Comfort Food Cruise, a fun January-only foodie event focused on a whole lot of country cooking (more details PLUS A GIVEAWAY below!).

Restaurants, Travel

At the Chef’s Table, a Greenville Food Tour {Greenville, SC}

February 3, 2014 1 Comment

Looking back over the past two posts, I’m just baffled by how much food and fun I crammed into my short weekend in Greenville! Nichole of Gap Creek Gourmet sure knows how to show a gal a good time! I’ve got one last post to share with y’all, and it’s food-filled doozy.

Greenville History Tours

Nearly every Tuesday night and Saturday afternoon, John Nolan, owner of Greenville History Tours, leads a group of food lovers around downtown Greenville to check out some of the area’s most popular restaurants. He has two food tours–the At the Chef’s Table Tour and the Tastes of the South Tour–both of which cost $45 and last for 2.5 to 3 hours. During my visit, I went on the Chef’s Table Tour, a unique, behind-the-scenes, VIP excursion on which we sampled signature dishes at five area restaurants AND met each of the chefs behind the food. Five amazing dishes, five alcoholic beverages, time with the chefs, plus tidbits of Greenville history and architectural facts make this tour an awesome value. If you’re looking for things to do in Greenville, I can’t think of a better way to spend the day than on this Greenville food tour!

TOUR STOP #1: Soby’s on the Side

Each of the stops on John’s Chef Table tour are part of the Table 301 restaurant empire, and our first destination was Soby’s on the Side. Soby’s on the Side is located right next to Soby’s (more on that restaurant below). It’s a breakfast and lunch joint (with breakfast offered all day and brunch on the weekends), and they also handle all of the catering for the Table 301 group.

Our tasting plate featured their interesting take on steak and eggs: filet mignon, orange marmalade, sorghum syrup, egg yolk, and green onion, with a mimosa on the side.

TOUR STOP #2: Nose Dive

After our breakfast tasting, we headed over to Nose Dive, a gastropub that serves lunch, dinner, and brunch on the weekends. At Nose Dive, they take the term “gastropub” seriously–they’re striving for food forwardness, to be more than just a bar. They’ve got some traditional pub food on the menu (burgers, fish and chips, and tater tots, to name a few), but the menu also feature unexpected dishes like pekin duck, potato gnocchi, and steamed mussels, plus a dark chocolate candied bacon brownie. Yes, please.

While we sampled a dish of hearty pot roast with creamy Anson Mills grits, sweet heirloom carrots, and blistered tomato (and a beer), Chef Craig Kunhs talked about his home gardening practices, and how he feels it helps him to better understand the products he buys from local farmers to use in the restaurant.

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